The Oscars (without the slap) for the stars of the country’s mortgage business was held in Toronto last Thursday at the Canadian Mortgage Awards (CMA) banquet. And the winner was? Guyanese Canadian moneyman Shawn Allen.

Allen, the founder of the Matrix Mortgage Global, was presented with the CMA Prize for Broker of the Year – Private Lending. This award recognizes the country’s top mortgage broker who specializes in private lending and has built a solid business over the past year.

Toronto based Shawn Allen was one of a number of mortgage brokers and independent brokerages that were honoured in 22 different categories. The awards range from Brokerage of the Year to the Award for Woman of Distinction.

The prestigious awards evening is staged by the Coalition of Independent Mortgage Brokers of Canada (CIMBC). This

association of independent mortgage brokerages has come together to make meaningful change to the mortgage brokerage industry in Canada, and to strengthen the profile and influence of independent money lenders.

After being called to receive the prize by CBC National News Anchor Suhana Meharchand, the Matrix Mortgage owner told the packed room that the success of the industry in Canada depends on knowing the wants and needs of people looking for financing. “Clients don’t want to be sold. They want to be educated” he said.

Matrix Mortgage Global was launched in 2008 and is now ranked on the Growth 500 list as the fastest growing mortgage brokerage in Canada. This is the fifth year in a row that its owner Shawn Allen has won the Broker of the Year Award.