BEHIND THE LENDER with Scotiabank's Alex Dey | #56 | Mortgage Broker Podcast

In this episode, Dean and Jason are joined by Alex Dey. Alex is the Vice-President of Portfolio Optimization at Scotiabank, who has been with the company for the past 22 years. As one of Canada’s largest banks, Scotiabank's collaborative approach with brokers represents a strategic shift from channel conflict to partnership-based innovation, viewing mortgages not as standalone products, but as entry points to deepen connections across multiple financial services and client segments.   Alex is here to discuss:   → His role at Scotia and what portfolio optimization is. → Why rates were so volatile in 2025, how pricing works, and the cost of funds for a bank. → Scotia's Mortgage Plus Program: How it started, future improvements, and why using mortgages as anchor products is key for business. → The evolution of the Broker channel, with 50% of Canadian consumers now using Mortgage Brokers, and why it's so important to Scotia. → Creating concierge services for renewals, and the increasing renewal wave across the country. → 2026 interest rate predictions, and if we will ever get back to a "normal" environment.   Scotiabank Website: https://www.scotiabank.com Scotiabank LinkedIn: @https://www.linkedin.com/company/scotiabank/ Scotiabank Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scotiabank/ Scotiabank YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scotiabank *** CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:31 Today's Guest: Alex Dey 2:01 Bridging Strategy & Broker Engagement 3:41 How the Broker Channel is Evolving 5:41 Scotia's Mortgage Plus Program: How It Started 12:43 Scotia's Mortgage Plus Program: Future Improvements 13:59 Going Deeper with Higher Net-Worth Clients 16:45 How Pricing Works & The Cost of Funds for a Bank 25:53 Creating Concierge Service For Renewals 31:34 Do Blend & Extend's Work in the Concierge Service? 33:04 2026 Interest Rate Predictions 34:47 Will We Ever Get Back to "Normal"? 37:31 Wrap-Up 38:28 Outro *** CONNECT WITH THE SHOW 🎙️ The Mortgage Broker Podcast Podcast: https://linktr.ee/themortgagebrokerpodcast?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=bf8c6904-a28b-4518-9662-645edb5ce53b 📺 The Mortgage Broker Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC9vbY86dYJl3xjMFL7yXSXQ 📝 The Mortgage Broker Podcast Blog: https://www.joinabw.ca/media *** CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS 📋 Dean Lawton's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-lawton-07184998/ 📋 Deryk Williamson's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deryk-williamson-271697106/ 📋 Jason Marshall's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmarshallma/ *** CONNECT WITH A BETTER WAY MORTGAGES 🔗 A Better Way Mortgages Website: https://www.joinabw.ca 📸 A Better Way Mortgages Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abetterwaymortgages/ 📋 A Better Way Mortgages LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dominion-lending-centres---a-better-way/?originalSubdomain=ca 👥 A Better Way Mortgages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abetterwaymortgages/ 📬 A Better Way Mortgages Tuesday Mortgage Memo: https://www.joinabw.ca/abw-tuesday-mortgage-memo *** Make sure to 🔔 SUBSCRIBE, 👍 LIKE, and 💬 COMMENT below to let us know what you think!