Mortgage Services
High net worth and asset-based mortgages
Why strong balance sheets get declined
Most residential underwriting is built around one question: what is your verifiable annual income, and does the payment fit inside a ratio? It is a good question for a salaried buyer and a useless one for someone whose wealth sits in a portfolio, a holding company, or four properties. The decline that follows is not a judgment on your finances — it is a form with no field for your situation. Clients regularly arrive here after a bank has said no to someone with more liquid assets than the mortgage they applied for. The fix is almost never more equity. It is choosing a lender whose guidelines contemplate asset-supported qualification, and then documenting the file so the underwriter can approve it without inventing anything.
How asset-based qualification is assessed
Lenders who do this work are answering two questions at once. First, does the asset base exist and is it verifiable — statements, corporate financials, title searches, appraisals. Second, is there a credible, repeatable source for the monthly payment, whether that is portfolio drawdowns, dividends, rental income, pension and registered withdrawals, or a combination. Liquid, non-registered holdings carry the most weight. Registered accounts get counted with a haircut for tax. Real estate equity counts, particularly with a documented rent roll. Private company shares and other illiquid holdings are the hardest to get credit for. The exact weighting, the ratios, and any multiplier applied to assets vary by lender and by file — there is no published standard, and we do not pretend there is.
Uninsured territory, and what that means for you
These files generally sit outside default insurance, either because of the price point, the equity position, the property, or the qualification method itself. That means the lender is carrying the full risk and setting its own guidelines rather than following an insurer's rulebook. Pricing is typically higher than a straightforward insured file, but there is more room for an underwriter to weigh a strong overall picture instead of a single ratio. It also means the difference between lenders is much wider than most people expect, which is exactly where a broker earns their keep.
Alternative and private lenders as a bridge, not a home
Sometimes the timing is the problem rather than the finances. A property has to close before a portfolio can be repositioned, a corporate reorganization is mid-flight, or a liquidity event is signed but not funded. In those cases an alternative or private lender can take a short-term position secured by equity and close on a timeline conventional lenders cannot match. Rahul's rule on these is simple: we plan the exit before we arrange the entry. You should know on day one which conventional lender the file moves to, what has to be true for that to happen, and roughly what the bridge costs in total dollars.
Straight answers on numbers
There is no honest way to publish the LTV, the asset multiplier, or the rate for this kind of file, because every lender treats it differently and the answer depends on what your statements actually show. What we can do is look at the real picture and come back quickly with real ranges from lenders who are genuinely active in this space, plus a clear read on which parts of your file are strong and which need documentation before we submit anything.
Who this is for
What we arrange
Asset and Net-Worth Qualification
Files underwritten on verified holdings and a documented payment source rather than employment income alone. Weighting and ratios are lender-specific — we shop for the guideline that fits your picture.
Retiree and Investment-Income Mortgages
Pension, RRIF, annuity, dividend, interest, and rental income assembled into a stable, defensible income story an underwriter can approve.
Business Owner and Holdco Files
Corporate financials, retained earnings, and shareholder positions presented alongside the personal file, with lenders who will actually read the corporate side.
Uninsured and Larger-Balance Purchases
Higher price points and larger equity positions where insurer rules do not apply and lender guidelines vary widely. The spread between lenders here is worth shopping properly.
Portfolio and Multi-Property Refinancing
Restructuring across several properties to free up capital, simplify reporting, or reposition ahead of a purchase, with the effect on every other qualification modelled first.
Private and Alternative Bridge Financing
Equity-driven short-term financing when timing beats rate — arranged with a defined exit to a conventional lender planned from day one.
How Rahul handles a high net worth file
- 01
Map the real picture
A short call to go through assets, structures, and where the monthly payment comes from. This is where we find out whether the issue is affordability or just documentation — it is almost always documentation.
- 02
Pick lenders by guideline, not by rate sheet
Only a portion of lenders will genuinely underwrite an asset-supported file. We start from that shortlist rather than shopping a rate and hoping the file fits.
- 03
Coordinate with your accountant and advisor
Corporate financials, statements, and any structure changes get lined up before submission, so the lender sees one coherent story instead of a stack of exceptions.
- 04
Submit once, cleanly
A well-packaged file with a written summary of the qualification approach avoids the repeated declines that come from shotgunning applications across multiple banks.
FAQ
What does an asset-based or net-worth mortgage actually mean?
Instead of qualifying you mainly on employment income shown on a T4 or line 150, the lender looks at what you own and what those holdings can reasonably support — investment portfolios, cash and GICs, equity in other real estate, and in some cases business assets. The lender still needs to see how the mortgage gets paid every month, but the source of that payment can be drawdowns, distributions, dividends, or rental income rather than a paycheque. There is no single national program and no universal formula: how much weight a lender gives each asset class is a lender-by-lender decision. Book a call and we will tell you what the real numbers look like for your file.
Which assets do lenders typically consider?
Non-registered investment accounts and cash tend to carry the most weight because they are liquid and verifiable. Registered accounts (RRSP, RRIF, TFSA) are often counted but discounted for tax on withdrawal. Equity in other real estate can support a file, especially where there is verifiable rental income. Business assets, holding company balance sheets, and shareholder loan positions can help but usually require accountant-prepared statements. Illiquid holdings — private company shares, art, collectibles — are the hardest to get credit for.
I am retired and living off my investments. Can I still get a mortgage?
Very often yes, and this is one of the most common versions of this file. The problem is rarely affordability — it is that a standard bank underwriter has no box to put you in when there is no employment income. What works is documenting a defensible, repeatable income picture: pension and government benefits, RRIF or annuity withdrawals, dividends, interest, and rental income, backed by statements showing the assets behind them. We package it so the underwriter sees a stable payment source, not a gap.
I own a business but pay myself very little. Does that hurt me?
It hurts with lenders who only read personal tax returns, which is most of the big-bank residential desks. It does not hurt nearly as much with lenders who will read corporate financials, retained earnings, and the shareholder position alongside your personal file. Paying yourself efficiently for tax is the right call for your accountant and the wrong call for a rigid underwriting box — the fix is choosing a lender whose guidelines account for the corporate side, and getting your accountant's documentation lined up before we submit.
Are these files usually uninsured, and what does that change?
Most high-net-worth files land in uninsured territory, either because of the purchase price, the down payment size, the property type, or because the qualification approach falls outside default-insurer guidelines. Uninsured pricing is generally higher than insured pricing and lender guidelines are set by the lender rather than by an insurer, which cuts both ways: fewer standardized rules, more room for a lender to make a judgment call on a strong file. See our guide to insured, insurable and uninsured mortgages for the mechanics.
When does a private or alternative lender make sense here?
When timing matters more than rate, or when the asset picture is strong but genuinely hard to document on a bank timeline. A liquidity event that has not closed, a portfolio being repositioned, a property purchase that has to fund in days, an estate or corporate reorganization mid-flight — these are cases where an alternative or private lender takes a short-term position secured by equity, and we plan the exit to a conventional lender from day one. It should be a bridge with a defined end, not a destination.
How much down payment or equity do I need?
It depends entirely on the lender, the property, and how your income and assets document. Asset-supported files generally expect meaningful equity, and larger or unusual properties expect more. Anyone quoting you a fixed percentage before seeing your statements is guessing. Send us the picture and we will come back with real ranges from lenders who actually price this kind of file.
What should I have ready before the first call?
A rough net-worth summary — accounts and balances, real estate and mortgages against it, any business interests. Two years of personal tax returns and notices of assessment if you have them, plus corporate financials where a company is involved. And the practical part: what you are buying or refinancing, the timeline, and where the monthly payment will actually come from. That is enough for a straight answer on the first conversation.
Assets in good shape, income hard to document?
Send a rough picture of what you own, what you are buying or refinancing, and your timeline. We will tell you quickly whether it is financeable, which lenders are the right fit, and what real numbers look like for your file.
Last reviewed: May 2026