True North Eyes Canadian Retail Sites

True North Mortgage Inc. says it aims to change the face of Canada's mortgage brokerage industry.

The Calgary company has two retail offices in its hometown, and its first Toronto outlet was opened last week in an underground walkway in the financial district.

Unlike most Canadian brokerages, which rely on the Internet, True North hopes to have a presence one day in each of the country's big metropolitan downtowns.

James Laird, a senior mortgage specialist and minority owner of True North, says the retail storefronts are crucial to getting in front of people having good credit and income with whom banks prefer to deal.

Though fixed costs are higher, he said, an office gets two to six walk-in clients a day.

At True North, where employees work commission-free, he said, customers don't have to worry if they're buying a product that best compensates the lender.

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