Belleville's House Team - One of Canada's Best

Belleville, ON December 21, 2006 -- When the names of the mortgage industry’s “best and brightest” stars were announced, Belleville’s wn "House Team" -- the Mortgage Intelligence/ Peter House Group -- emerged as one of Canada's top mortgage brokerages for Customer Service.

Lead broker Peter House was also on the exclusive shortlist for the top individual honour: Broker of the Year. The awards are given by the Canadian Mortgage Professionals (CMP): a national organization which oversees all mortgage professionals in Canada. The double-nomination of a single office is "exceptionally rare", according to Stan Falkowski, Regional VP for Mortgage Intelligence.

“Surprised… and honoured,” was Peter House's response to the unexpected announcement. The Canadian Mortgage Professional Awards (CMP Awards) were established to recognize and celebrate excellence across the entire spectrum of mortgage broking. There are twelve organizational and individual categories. The House team have been nominated for two: Best Customer Service and Mortgage Broker of the Year. The shortlist of nominees is very exclusive, according to Stan Falkowski.

"I think that this nomination honour will come as no surprise to Peter’s clients," says Falkowski. "It's certainly not any surprise to the hundreds of mortgage professionals who know Peter and his team and the work they do. They're very highly regarded in this business. And Peter has really earned a reputation for his leadership and expertise in the industry."

Peter House and his wife Debra have been serving the Belleville area with mortgage broker services for more than 12 years, and are well known in the community. Though mortgage brokers were once perceived as a "last resort" option for homebuyers, the industry has grown as Canadians begin to seek out independent professional advice on their mortgages. Almost one-third of all Canadian mortgages are now arranged through brokers. Peter notes that there are several reasons for the trend: including choice, rate, and more personalized service. He notes that his team have access to more than 60 different lenders, including the banks.

"I've been getting congratulatory messages since the announcement," says Peter House. "It does feel like an honour. But we have always been very focused on providing personal service to our clients. It's nice to see that recognized."

Award winners will be announced at a national gala in February.