First National Broker Summit 2026

First National Financial LP is Canada's largest non-bank mortgage lender, funding approximately $130 billion in mortgages annually. Unlike bank-channel lenders, First National distributes exclusively through the mortgage broker channel — making broker relationships the foundation of their entire business. Their annual broker summits reflect this commitment.

The First National Broker Summit series runs as a multi-city tour, typically visiting Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Montreal between May and September. Each city event is a full-day program combining product education, underwriting case studies, and networking. Regional underwriting teams attend, giving brokers rare direct access to the people who actually adjudicate their deals.

Content at the summits covers First National's current lending guidelines, product updates (including their residential, commercial, and CMHC-insured product lines), and underwriting philosophy for edge cases like self-employed borrowers, rental properties, and high-ratio purchases. First National's underwriters are known in the broker community for their consistency and depth; hearing directly from them about how they evaluate specific deal structures is practically valuable.

First National also uses the summits to introduce new technology tools for broker partners — their Merlin mortgage processing platform has been a frequent topic, with updates on new features for deal submission, document management, and status tracking.

Attendance is by invitation to registered First National broker partners. Brokers not yet registered can apply for partnership through First National's website; the company actively grows its broker network and the summits are partly a recruiting and relationship-building exercise.

The evening reception component — typically dinner or cocktails — is well attended by senior First National staff including regional sales directors and, at the larger city events, members of the national sales leadership team.