Profile
“I’m so proud to see that through my hard work and that of my team, we have built trust with our industry partners”
Victoria Coster,
Credit Fix Solutions
Josie Milanetti is a recognized alternative lending expert who has significantly contributed to administrative, relationship management, underwriting, and leadership roles.
Now the vice president of underwriting at Canadian Mortgages Inc. (CMI), she prides herself on never losing sight that behind every deal is a borrower, often a vulnerable or disadvantaged one, in need.
As part of that work, Milanetti advocates for and advances private lending practices that help to strengthen the industry’s reputation.
“I’ve dedicated much of my career to dispelling myths and changing preconceived notions about the private lending space as one that’s solely a lender of last resort,” she says.
The three-time Elite Woman awardee has been instrumental in product, service, process, and system innovation at CMI, where she has helped steer the organization to meet the surging demand for private financing while ensuring the high quality of its mortgage originations.
“I enjoy the interaction with brokers, building relationships, and the variety and challenge each file brings,” Milanetti says. “The alternative lending space allows for much more creativity and flexibility. It’s so rewarding to partner with a broker and find a solution for a borrower.”
Milanetti discovered her career in lending by chance. Her drive to help clients, problem-solving skills, and thirst for knowledge enabled her to work with various lenders, sparking an interest in lending more than 25 years ago.
She has achieved extraordinary success and recognition in her field, including:
• growing CMI’s underwriting team by nearly 50% in 2022
• personally underwriting 866 deals, a 41% increase from 2021, with a 17% year-over-year increase in deals closed
• being a six-time finalist for the Lender Underwriter of the Year category at the Canadian Mortgage Awards
• being named among CMP’s Women of Influence for three consecutive years (2021, 2022, and 2023)
• pioneering CMI’s industry-leading collaborative and client-centric approach to deal structuring, considered a best practice in the industry
Milanetti overcomes the challenge of leading in an entirely virtual environment by thoughtfully keeping her team engaged and connected.
“I engage in conversation, and I listen, allowing my team to take the lead rather than direct the flow of the conversation,” she says. “It’s a collaborative approach, and I believe that’s the difference between managing and leading.”
As private lending demand has grown, Milanetti has honed her hands-on leadership approach to balance mentoring and training new staff with leading the larger team to accomplish strategic business goals.
An accomplished relationship builder who prioritizes trust and respect, she goes above and beyond to make herself available 24/7 to ensure broker partners and their borrowers can access the financing they need when needed.
She has fought against predatory lending practices and worked to dispel misconceptions, ensuring integrity throughout private financing transactions. Educating brokers about private solutions is also a priority for Milanetti, who excels at delivering solutions to underserved and underbanked borrowers.
2425 Matheson Blvd. E. 8th Flr, Mississauga, ON L4W5K4
1 888 465 1432
josie.milanetti@thecmigroup.ca
linkedin.com/in/josie-milanetti-29155a52
canadianlending.ca/brokers
Josie Milanetti
Vice President, Underwriting
Canadian Mortgages Inc. (CMI)
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Milestones
“I’m genuinely keen to keep bettering myself”
Victoria Coster,
Credit Fix Solutions
2001
2019
2020–2022
2023
Present
Began career as a private lending underwriter
2001
Joined CMI as a brokerage relationship manager
2019
2020: Appointed Director of Underwriting at CMI
2021–2022: CMP’s Woman of Influence award recipient
2020–
2022
Promoted to VP, Underwriting at CMI
CMP’s Woman of Influence award recipient
2023
Vice President, National Sales, Residential Lending Solutions at FCT Canada
Recipient of several Presidents Club and People First Leadership accolades and awards
Present
Assistant Vice President and Senior Broker at MJ Hall & Company since 2018
Present
Milestones
Aug 2022
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
Coster brings depth and breadth of experience to her current position, having joined the industry as a mortgage processor before leaping into broking. She later honed her credit reporting education and credit repair skills for several years while working directly for various brokers.
“Starting Credit Fix Solutions was a deliberate move, as I saw there was a niche in ‘no win, no fee’ credit repair that the industry didn’t currently offer,” she says.
As a CEO, Coster learned through business coaching that there are no challenges in business, only opportunities to learn and grow. She wholeheartedly adopted that perspective, enabling her to overcome the obstacles inherent in team management and implement new and improved systems. She employs several strategies for challenging situations, such as following routines, forward planning, sleeping well and exercising.
“If I make sure I look after myself, have a plan of action, and I’m organised, then I can overcome any challenge (opportunity to learn) if and when it presents itself,” Coster says.
A firm believer in the power of leadership, Coster strives to set an example that the next generation of women and men can look up to. She prides herself on her reliability and trustworthiness and is the first person to show up and the last to leave the workplace.
“I’m genuinely keen to keep bettering myself,” she says. “Even now, at the top of my game, I’m still always learning.”
Guided by her favourite quote, “It’s better to be green and growing than ripe and rotting”, Coster constantly stokes her curiosity and keeps an open mind about life and business. Her kindness, positive attitude, business acumen and dedication to her profession make her a trusted and valuable partner to her peers and the mortgage industry.