Chairman, President and Co-Founder of First National Financial LP
Stephen Smith is the Chairman, President and Co-Founder of First National Financial LP (“FNFLP”) which is Canada’s largest non-bank mortgage lender with over $55 billion of mortgage assets under administration. With 600 employees across the country, FNFLP lends in excess of $11 billion of commercial and single family residential mortgages to Canadians annually.
Since co-founding First National in 1988, Mr. Smith has been an innovator in the development and utilization of various securitization techniques to finance mortgage asset growth and is a regular speaker at securitization and financial services conferences. Mr. Smith has been a leader in the development and application of information technology in the mortgage industry. FNFLP’s suite of proprietary software, MERLIN®, is the leading mortgage origination software in the industry
In addition, Mr. Smith is Chairman of Canada Guaranty Mortgage Insurance Company and a member of the Board of Directors of The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company and The Empire Life Insurance Company. Mr. Smith was Ernst & Young’s 2007 Ontario Financial Services Entrepreneur of the Year. Mr. Smith is also Chairman of the Audit and Finance Committee of Metrolinx Inc. (GO Transit) as well as a member of the Advisory Council of the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is also a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
Born in Ottawa, Mr. Smith holds a B.Sc (Hons.) in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University and a M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics.
