Item 1. Business
ITEM
1. BUSINESS
General
We are a Canadian-based mortgage technology and brokerage company that provides mortgage brokerage services and technology solutions to
Canadian mortgage agents, brokers, sub-brokers, brokerages and consumers. Through data-driven systems together with cloud-based tools,
we believe we offer competitive advantages in the Canadian mortgage industry relative to alternative mortgage broker arrangements.
We also
provide back office services, together with pre-underwriting support services (collectively the “Brokerage Services”) to Canadian
mortgage brokerages (the “Brokerages”). In connection with the provision of the Brokerage Services, we employ and engage several
licensed mortgage brokers and agents (collectively, “Field Agents”). We have a total of full-time employed staff of 55. In
addition, we also enter into affiliation agreements with certain licensed mortgage brokers (collectively, “Affiliate Brokers”
and, together with Field Agents and Brokerages, the “Users”), pursuant to which the Company and the Affiliate Broker enter
into an affiliation relationship with the intention of jointly marketing mortgage brokerage and other financial services as affiliated
entities, sometimes referred to as “white labelling”, which allows the Affiliate Broker to sell a mortgage that is branded
with its company name to its own client base.
Our services distribution and fee structure for each stream is detailed hereunder:
1.
The fee for the subscription
service revenue stream is $117 for use of our platforms by our agents to complete the mortgage deal from initiation to funding by the
lender partner and is about 3% of total gross revenue.
2.
Our pre-risk assessment services
revenue is about 1.3% of our total gross revenue and the structure for this service is $390 per deal for a mortgage funded amount of
$390,000 and over. For a mortgage funded amount under $390,000 the fee is $273.
3.
The balance of our total
gross revenue at 95% comes from our lender partner service commissions and the structure varies by rate and amount based on the season,
special promotions at that particular time, bonus applicable, funded volume, etc. The lender partners comprise of banks, trust companies,
mortgage loan companies, building societies and other lending financial institutions, including but not limited to the Bank of Nova
Scotia (Scotiabank), Manulife Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank), The Mortgage Alliance Company of Canada Inc. (MCAP),
First National Financial LP, Home Trust Company, The Equitable Trust Company (Equitable Bank), ICICI Bank Canada and Desjardins Mortgage
Financing Services.
We currently operate exclusively in Canada, specifically in the provinces
of Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Alberta. We launched
our first brokerage in Ontario in November 2016. We have been approved by each of the applicable provincial mortgage regulators to operate
in 11 provinces and territories namely Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova
Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Yukon, and 1 provinces to follow is Saskatchewan. We launched our first brokerage office
in Alberta on July 1, 2021. We also launched our first brokerage office in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and
Prince Edward Island on May 4, 2022. We launched our first British Columbia brokerage office in 2024. We provide our Brokerage Services
to both residential and commercial mortgage opportunities and, in each case, through a proprietary technology called MyPineapple, as discussed
in further detail below.
MyPineapple
At
the heart of our Brokerage Services is an innovative technology system, MyPineapple, that provides real time data management and reporting,
lead generation opportunities, customer relationship management, deal processing, education and knowledge center, payroll, regulatory
compliance, data analytics, document collection and storage, automated onboarding, lender access, back office support and direct underwriting
support, all in one. MyPineapple offers network management capabilities for Users, including hundreds of qualified Field Agents, to create
an efficient marketplace for the provision of mortgage lending and insurance industry services. MyPineapple integrates directly with
Salesforce, Equifax, OneSpan, G Suite and Filogix and manages Users’ day-to-day business through automated triggers and tasks,
ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Backed by Salesforce, pursuant to the Salesforce Agreement (defined herein), and built with
proprietary code deep data analytics, MyPineapple syncs up with Users’ calendar and emails, produces robust reporting, advanced
analytics, and real-time notifications on marketing communications, and more. MyPineapple is a sophisticated and fundamental tool for
revenue growth and relationship development. It plays a significant role in what we believe makes our Brokerage Services distinct and
cutting-edge.
MyPineapple
was created to address key issues within the mortgage brokerage industry. We built MyPineapple to create a long-term competitive advantage
relative to traditional service providers, who have comparatively high-touch, labor intensive and costly operations. We believe that,
through MyPineapple, we are able to deliver faster services and with fewer errors. Our MyPineapple platform is completely automated,
simplifying the mortgage process while providing efficiencies to and alleviating pressure on Users’ staff in completing traditional
administrative tasks, which in turn reduces the Users’ cost structure and results in increased profit margins and scalability.
MyPineapple reduces manual processes through robust quality control mechanisms, logistics management capabilities, capacity planning
tools and end-to-end transaction management. MyPineapple also includes a leading education technology platform, which enables Users to
continuously stay informed and educated on what mortgage solutions and market conditions could impact Canadian consumers.
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Our
primary objectives and goals include, but are not limited to, the following:
●
Grow
our mortgage broker distribution channel to gain further market share and consumer adoption, including increasing organic (non-acquisition
related) market share and to achieve growth on the number of mortgages funded annually;
●
Become
the go-to mortgage experience platform for mortgage agents, lenders and homebuyers;
●
For
Pineapple Insurance to provide an insurance option for all our mortgage approvals;
●
To
ensure that we are providing a well-rounded and custom-tailored approach to insurance solutions that may best suit the clients’
needs;
●
To
leverage the power of our growing database and brand recognition to open further insurance opportunity channel; and
Streamline
the insurance approval and application process for mortgage clients using technology.
Services
and Products
Brokerage
Services
The
following is a detailed description of the Brokerages Services that we offer:
1.
Mortgage
Brokering: We employ and engage a number of licensed Field Agents who originate clients, provide mortgage consultation services,
advise clients on the various mortgage products offered by financial institutions in Canada, offer clients access to rate information
and mortgage options from a range of lenders, including major banks and lending institutions and assist clients in selecting the
most appropriate and effective mortgage solution for their particular needs.
2.
Technology:
MyPineapple is a full spectrum, robust and comprehensive technology system, which allows Users to conduct their brokerage services
more effectively and efficiently. Amongst other things, MyPineapple syncs up with Users’ calendar and emails, produces robust
reporting, advanced analytics, and real-time notifications for email opens, and link clicks. MyPineapple also provides Users with
cloud storage. We also provide marketing support to Users in order to systematically manage the marketing process, segmentation and
client conversions. We ensure that all clients stay well informed with highly relevant information; it also increases the conversion
ratios and engagement metric for its Users. This provides Users the ability to focus on higher probability clients and deliver a
high level of value and service while the system manages the relationship with others.
3.
Back
Office Support Services: Through MyPineapple, we offer our Users back office support services, including digital and automated onboarding
and set up, loan packaging and processing, digital document collection and client portals, loan maintenance activities, payroll,
lender communication, reporting requirements for regulators and business management, cloud services, expense collections, document
preparation, compliance, training, administration and marketing.
4.
Pre-Underwriting
Support: Technology enabled and together with back-office support, we offer our Users pre-underwriting support services that establish
appropriate qualifying processes in a mortgage application, providing borrowers a digital environment ensuring mortgage agents has
the necessary data and providing borrowers with an instant pre-qualification. We use our diverse exposure to the mortgage industry
to save Users from spending valuable resources on mortgage applications that have fewer chances of reaching approval. In particular,
we offer our Users the following pre-underwriting services, aimed at speeding up the underwriting process and helping mortgage lenders
make accurate decisions:
●
Credit
Review: We verify all information that is supplied by the client in vital loan documents and other personal information. Thereafter,
we meticulously review client credit records and tax return documents to ensure the client has the required financial stability to
make monthly payments for the mortgage. We follow checklist-based system to ensure that all the critical aspects pertaining to underwriting
are covered.
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●
Data
Validation: Our pre-underwriting support services include recording and digitizing our findings in the data validation process. By
digitizing these vital information sets about the client, we are able to establish the accuracy and speed needed to expedite the
underwriting process.
●
Fraud
Analysis and Compliance: We pride ourselves in diligently checking for identity fraud and ensuring that applications are compliant
and contain complete information. Our mortgage experts have the experience and acumen to spot missing or mala fide information. This
obviates the need for the underwriter to send client files back for incomplete information and thereby speeds up the underwriting
process. Our fraud analysis encompasses all aspects of the client file review process including running third-party reports. This
ensures the underwriter has to focus only on decision-making.
●
Appraisal
Ordering and Review: We take charge of title ordering and dispatching verified property information to the appraiser to boost the
turnaround times of the appraisal process. Once the appraisal is over, we carefully review the appraisal report to ensure that the
process has been completed in a fair and error-free manner.
●
Data
Analytics: Through MyPineapple, we are able to use data to analyze customer benefit opportunities as they become available. In particular,
MyPineapple allows us to utilize the data that has been acquired through the mortgage approval process along with real time real
estate and credit data to thereby reduce costs and overall debt process timelines.
Insurance
Products
Pineapple Insurance Inc. is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Pineapple Financial Inc. This entity is to serve the insurance needs of our brand mortgage brokers and agents across
Canada. Pineapple Insurance is to act as an Managing General Agent (MGA) supported by Industrial Alliance. This entity will create
both a revenue channel and retention strategy for borrowers that live within our database. This will also allow a growth opportunity
and an overall holistic financial services opportunity for us. We are currently in the early stages of development of Pineapple
Insurance Inc. Operational infrastructure and a budget has been prepared alongside technology modifications to our MyPineapple
system in order to manage the delivery of this product. We have also created a sales and marketing plan alongside assets and
materials, which will be used for initial launch. Our next steps are staffing and human capital requirements in order to execute on
the business plan and goals of developing Pineapple Insurance.
Pineapple
Insurance provides the following services:
●
We
will complete a needs analysis on each client to ensure the most suitable product to meet both their needs and their goals. In our
product suite, we will offer term life insurance which will provide a low-cost coverage at a fixed rate of payments for a limited
period of time for the life of the mortgage. The goal of this product is to ensure that in the event of the insurer’s untimely
death with their term policy their beneficiaries will be covered in the amount of the policy during the life of the term. No insurance
will be paid to the beneficiary should the insured pass away after the end of the term or if the insured did not make the required
payments.
●
Whole
Life Insurance is a life insurance policy which is guaranteed to remain in force for the insured’s entire lifetime, provided
required premiums are paid, or to the maturity date. In addition to paying a death benefit, whole life insurance also contains a
savings component in which cash value may accumulate on a tax-advantaged basis. The policies can be leveraged as collateral or an
asset with our lenders through the Company.
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●
For
both our personal and our business clients, we offer permanent life insurance policies, which offer a death benefit and cash value.
The death benefit is money that is paid to your beneficiaries when you pass away. Cash value is a separate savings component that
you may be able to access while you are still alive. Permanent insurance can help cover the business owner for their entire life.
And unlike term insurance, it includes the potential for a cash accumulation fund. Investments in the fund are tax-preferred, including
at death when the tax-free death benefit is paid out to a named beneficiary. An additional benefit of permanent life insurance is
that allocating funds in a corporation away from taxable investments to a permanent life insurance policy can help reduce overall
annual taxable investment income. Permanent life insurance lasts from the time you buy a policy to the time you pass away, as long
as you pay the required premiums. The policies can be leveraged as collateral or an asset with our lenders through the Company.
●
Critical
Illness Insurance provides additional coverage for medical emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, or cancer. Because these emergencies
or illnesses often incur greater-than-average medical costs, these policies pay out cash to help cover those overruns where traditional
health insurance may fall short and help cover living expenses while the client recovers. These policies come at a relatively low
cost. However, the instances that they will cover are generally limited to a few illnesses or emergencies. The key element is to
ensure that the mortgagor does not fall behind in their mortgage payments.
●
Credit
Insurance is a type of life insurance that can cover the remaining amount of your loan in the event of your death. Your insurance
company will use the death benefit to pay down or pay off the remaining balance on the loan, up to a maximum amount outlined in the
certificate of insurance. The money from your death benefit will go to your creditor. The money will not go to your family or beneficiaries.
We
offer a wide range of investment options to suit clients risk tolerance and investment preferences. A financial advisor will review and
assess the needs of each client to determine the short- and long-term goals for financial success. Such options may include segregated
funds or mutual funds for registered (registered education savings plans (RESPs), registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs), tax-free
savings accounts (TFSAs), etc.) and non-registered accounts. A segregated fund, or seg fund, is a type of investment fund administered
by Canadian insurance companies in the form of individual, variable life insurance contracts offering certain guarantees to the policyholder
such as reimbursement of capital upon death and mutual funds. As a regulatory requirement, all Canadian mortgage approvals being presented
by the mortgage broker channel must include the option for a client to consider an insurance option in an effort to protect the liability
in the case of death or disability. Pineapple Insurance Inc. will be presenting this insurance option for a client to accept or not via
the products that we have available. This will be presented to all mortgage approvals being offered via our parent company, Pineapple
Financial Inc.
As
a complementary service to our parent company, Pineapple Financial Inc., this insurance subsidiary was created to easily serve the needs
of the homeowners whose mortgages originate with us. With any mortgage product in Canada, an insurance component is a requirement, hence
the diversification and business development into insurance.
Our
insurance services identified above currently are provided by a third-party insurance company, Industrial Alliance Inc., with whom we
are affiliated as a managing general agent (MGA). We, therefore, act as an agent earning commissions from the premiums charged by the
insurance company.
We
believe the material steps for Pineapple Insurance to grow form its early stages of development are as follow:
1.
To
introduce the services offered by Industrial Alliance and to serve the Users on our platform, MyPineapple, is to market these services,
create a knowledge base for them to understand and pass on the learning to their customers, create a support structure for both Users
and Users’ customers.
2.
Set
up an internal infrastructure for the management and offering of these services i.e. hire a senior management person to manage the
operational affairs and thereafter additional personnel, as needed when the business grows. The additional personnel will be mostly
sales commissionable personnel with a retainer.
Pineapple
Insurance officially launched in October 2024, marking a significant milestone in Pineapple Financial’s diversification strategy.
The costs anticipated for Pineapple Insurance are largely tied to marketing efforts, human capital, and platform development. Human capital
costs include a fixed expense for senior leadership, along with variable costs for additional personnel as the business scales. With
the strategic integration of Pineapple Insurance into the MyPineapple platform, our development costs are aimed at ensuring seamless
client experiences and operational efficiency. We estimate that approximately 15% of the proceeds from the shares offering will be allocated
to support the continued growth and scaling of this business vertical.
The
growth timeline for Pineapple Insurance is projected at 12 to 24 months post-launch, reflecting strong initial demand and the effectiveness
of our comprehensive go-to-market strategy. This timeline is contingent upon the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, customer adoption
of the services offered by Industrial Alliance, and the competitiveness of pricing and premiums. The early success of our launch indicates
promising customer acceptance, supported by focused efforts to educate users on product variations and benefits. These efforts are expected
to accelerate market penetration and drive sustained growth for this subsidiary.
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InsurTech
MyPineapple
is a key reason for our success and has the ability to drive interested and timely insurance prospects to a replicated module that we
have built in order to streamline and manage the customer flow for insurance products. The process is designed to create a unique synchronicity
between the client obtaining a mortgage approval and insurance approval.
Combined,
the simplicity of the two platforms with its connectivity and integrations will allow Pineapple Insurance to successfully process and
approve insurance applications.
We
have also created client segmentations and retention programs to ensure that we can maximize our database of over 150,000 potential clients.
Growth
Strategy
Brokerage
Services
We
aim to gain further market share and consumer adoption by focusing on the following areas of growth:
1.
Increase
Agent Revenue From Optimized Analytics: We will continue to analyze past borrower data to determine opportunities to beneficially
re-service them in the future, potentially creating revenue generating activities and significantly enhancing the borrower experience.
2.
Added
Product Suite - Insurance. As discussed above, we are establishing an insurance channel that provides borrowers with a full suite
of insurance products, which we believe will increase revenue.
3.
National
Expansion: We expect to continue to expand our business and operations into current jurisdictions along with new provinces such as
British Colombia and Quebec.
4.
Borrower-Facing
Technology. We believe MyPineapple will be a marketplace where clients can select from a variety of mortgage products that will suit
their individual needs while tracking the progress and status of the transaction for the life of the mortgage and beyond.
Insurance
Products
In
order to achieve our objectives and goals, Pineapple Insurance will focus on four main areas:
1.
Insurance
originations: Our files will be obtained exclusively through the Pineapple Financial referral network. This will be achieved through
technology integration where Pineapple Insurance agents are immediately notified of a mortgage approval which requires an insurance
option. Our agents will be highly trained in an effort to service the growth of our referral network. Consistency in service level
and approach is key to building our brand.
2.
Emphasizing
core values: Servicing our clients, maintaining relationships, ongoing and continued support, education and training, ongoing lines
of communication between mortgage agent and insurance agent and ensuring a smooth and efficient closing process. We expect our agents
to conduct themselves with the highest level of professionalism and carry out the fundamental and core values of Pineapple Insurance
at all times.
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3.
Hiring
and training insurance agents: We will follow and adhere to strict hiring and training policies as set out in our training manuals.
Development of education and training programs working in conjunction with our partners. Ensuring that we are consistently working
on recruiting top performing insurance agents that will be able to meet the growth and scale of the needs of the Company.
4.
Technologies
and relationship management tools: We will be replicating and customizing our robust MyPineapple system for data transfer and client
management. This will be broken into the following areas:
●
Operational
Excellence: notifying insurance agents at the optimal time to increase conversion metrics and customer satisfaction. Integration
of client data so the process is convenient for all involved parties. Visibility of status and automations of workflow and requirements;
●
Client
Relationship Management (CRM): Advancing client relationships towards application indication, application completion and client retention;
and
●
Acquisition:
marketing funnels to leverage the overall database and identity opportunities from older missed opportunities.
Markets
for our Services
Brokerage
Services
The
clients for our Brokerage Services include mortgage agents, brokers, sub-brokers, brokerages and consumers. Our customer activity is
intrinsically linked to the health of the real estate or commercial markets generally, particularly in Canada.
Strong
housing demand during 2020, 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 positively impacted the seasonal variations. With the onset of inflationary
pressures around the globe, not only the seasonality but the normal trends of the housing markets have declined with the increase of
interest rates. Although our business may be negatively impacted, we believe our multiple channels of revenue helps to mitigate any such
impact.
In alignment with the Canadian government’s
commitment to improving housing affordability and accessibility, several new housing measures have been introduced to support homeowners
and first-time buyers. These include enabling homeowners to refinance their mortgages to construct secondary rental suites and borrowing
up to 90% of their home’s value with a 30-year amortization period. Additionally, the mortgage insurance price limit has been increased
to $2 million, ensuring broader access to financing across Canada’s diverse housing markets.
The government has also proposed consultations on
taxing vacant land to encourage development and incentivize landowners to build homes. Collaboration with provinces, territories, and
municipalities is underway to implement these measures effectively. Starting December 15, 2024, two key rules will further aid affordability:
30-year mortgage amortizations will become available to all first-time homebuyers and buyers of new-build properties, and the price cap
for insured mortgages will rise to $1.5 million from $1 million.
Moreover, the federal government has expanded the
Canada Public Land Bank by adding 14 underused federal properties, bringing the total to 70. These properties across major cities are
slated for affordable housing developments. This initiative supports the government’s broader plan to unlock public lands for housing
and address the growing demand for homes while strengthening Canadian communities.
These measures, alongside the influx of new immigrants
and the rising demand for home renovations, refurbishments, and innovative financing solutions, create a favorable environment for Pineapple
Financial Inc. to continue expanding its offerings and capitalizing on these growth opportunities.
Insurance
Products
The
insurance market for Pineapple Insurance is focused around growth in the Canadian mortgage landscape as well as market share growth for
Pineapple Financial.
●
Real
estate investors: we are able to consolidate multiple mortgage amounts into one insurance policy to help minimize risk if an investor
has multiple properties.
●
Residential
Home purchase: with Canadian housing prices hitting all-time highs, we will help clients provide insurance to fill the gap between
their current coverage and the mortgage amount
●
Refinance:
can help clients reduce existing coverage or apply/consolidate if they require additional coverage.
●
Reverse
Mortgage: these clients can use the income from the reverse mortgage to help plan their final expense through insurance as well as
enrich their retirement years.
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●
Switch:
transferring to another lender at renewal. The insurance we offer is not tied to the lender directly and can assist clients in locking
in their rates long term when they can still qualify for insurance
●
Renovation
and construction: Clients will be able to access their cash values in their permanent insurance policies to help fund their renovations
and construction projects. If additional financing is required, we can provide the added insurance coverage needed.
●
Self-Employed:
As large numbers of Canadians move into business for themselves, we have found a great need for an insurance product that can suit
their needs since they generally do not have a company benefits plan. Income protection will also be a key component of our business
here.
●
Commercial
Mortgages: We can provide the proper insurance to clients for the right amount of coverage and timeline for one or multiple investors.
Coverages can go up to $20 million.
●
Private
Lending: Customized insurance can be provided to private lenders who may have a different set of circumstances in terms of investment
type and timeline horizon.
●
High
Risk Health & Uninsurable: We can offer guaranteed issue insurance to clients who may have declining health or were previously
declined for insurance in the past.
Pineapple
Financial Inc. and Mortgage Market Dependency
As
of November 2024, Canada’s mortgage market continues to demonstrate resilience despite ongoing challenges. According to the Bank
of Canada, the total residential mortgage market is valued at over $1.6 trillion, driven by population growth, increasing borrower demand,
and evolving consumer sentiment. This figure excludes mortgages held by provincially regulated entities such as credit unions and mortgage
investment corporations.
Mortgage
lenders offer a broad range of products, including fixed and variable rates, varying terms, and flexible amortization periods. Recent
interest rate cuts by the Bank of Canada have rejuvenated the market, improving affordability for new buyers and creating opportunities
for existing homeowners to refinance or renew at more favorable terms. The practice of negotiating discounted rates remains prevalent,
highlighting the importance of mortgage brokers in securing competitive deals for clients.
Mortgage
brokers are critical intermediaries, leveraging their volume-based bargaining power to erode lender price discrimination and secure advantageous
rates. These professionals are provincially regulated and must meet stringent licensing and training requirements. While the barriers
to entry remain relatively low, successful brokers rely on experience, negotiating skills, and technological support to thrive in an
increasingly competitive market.
Key
trends currently influencing the market include:
● Renewals
Surge: Over 30% of Canadian mortgages are expected to renew within the next 12 months,
a significant driver of market activity.
● Housing
Shortages: A growing population, combined with limited housing supply, has led to increased
pressure on the market, with demand consistently outstripping available inventory.
● Government
Policies: Recent adjustments, such as the introduction of a 30-year amortization period
for insured mortgages and incentives for affordable housing, have bolstered consumer
confidence and created new opportunities.
● Consumer
Sentiment: Improved confidence, spurred by rate cuts and stabilizing economic conditions,
has increased buyer activity despite affordability challenges.
● Technology
Adoption: Platforms like MyPineapple are transforming the brokerage landscape
by streamlining processes and providing brokers with data-driven tools to enhance efficiency
and client satisfaction.
Industry
Growth Strategy
Our
growth strategy focuses on organic expansion , targeting increased market share through:
1. Recruitment:
We have successfully recruited a significant number of Field Agents and Users ,
driving a growth rate higher than many competitors. By leveraging detailed insights into
competitive models, we have tailored our value proposition to attract and retain top talent.
2. Technological
Integration: Our proprietary platform, MyPineapple , empowers brokers with tools
to increase sales volume, productivity, and efficiency. This system also supports the seamless
integration of complementary services, such as insurance products , creating additional
revenue streams and enhancing the overall client experience.
3. Policy
Alignment: By aligning our offerings with government initiatives to support housing affordability
and address shortages, we have positioned ourselves as a key player in addressing critical
market needs.
4. Focus
on Renewals and Refinances: With a large portion of the mortgage market up for renewal
in the next year, we have tailored solutions to help brokers optimize their client retention
and capitalize on refinancing opportunities.
Our
strategy is underpinned by a commitment to delivering superior value, leveraging data and insights to support broker success, and maintaining
flexibility to adapt to evolving market conditions. This approach ensures we remain a leader in the Canadian mortgage and brokerage industry.
Recent
Development
On
May 10, 2024, the Company entered into an equity purchase agreement (the “EPA”) with Brown Stone Capital Ltd., a corporation
organized under the laws of England and Wales (the “Selling Shareholder”) pursuant to which the Company shall issue and sell
to the Selling Shareholder, from time to time as provided herein, and the Selling Shareholder shall purchase up to Fifteen Million Dollars
($15,000,000.00) of the Company’s common shares and issue 200,000 Company’s common shares as a commitment fee under the EPA
to the Selling Shareholder (collectively as the “EPA Shares”) at purchase price to be determined as per the terms and conditions
of the EPA. The Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to direct the Selling Shareholder, by its delivery to the Selling
Shareholder of a put notice from time to time, to purchase the EPA Shares (i) in a minimum amount not less than $10,000.00 and (ii) in
a maximum amount up to the lesser of (a) $1,000,000 or (b) 150% of the average trading volume of the Company’s common shares on
the NYSE American during the five (5) Trading Days immediately preceding the respective put notice date multiplied by the lowest daily
volume weighted average price of the Company’s common shares on the NYSE American during the five (5) trading days immediately
preceding the respective put notice date. The Company’s right to issue a put notice for the EPA Shares is subject to general terms
and conditions as stipulated under the EPA, including there being an effective registration statement covering the EPA Shares.
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Pursuant
to the EPA, we may issue and sell up to $15 million of Common Shares to the Selling Shareholder. The price at which we may issue and
sell shares will be 95% of the lowest daily volume weighted average price of the Company’s Common Shares on the NYSE American during
the five (5) trading days immediately preceding the respective put notice date, in each case as reported by Quotestream or other reputable
source designated by the Selling Shareholder (the “Market Price”). Assuming that (a) we issue and sell the full $15 million
of Common Shares under the EPA to the Selling Shareholder, (b) no beneficial ownership limitations, and (c) purchase price for such sales
is $0.40 or $0.50 per share, such additional issuances would represent in the aggregate approximately 37,500,000 or 30,000,000 additional
Common Shares, respectively, or approximately 81% or 77% of the total number of Common Shares outstanding as of the date hereof, after
giving effect to such issuance. If the beneficial ownership limitation is not waived, we may issue approximately 269,480 Common Shares,
or approximately 19.99% of the total number of Common Shares outstanding as of the date hereof.
The
Market Price of our Common Shares on December 13, 2024, was $0.45. Assuming this is the Market Price used as a basis for the
calculations for the put notice under the EPA, the price per share for sales to the Selling Shareholder would be $0.43 (95% of the
Market Price), and we would be able to sell 269,480 shares to the Selling Shareholder (with beneficial ownership limit), and receive
gross proceeds of $115,876 such number of shares would comprise approximately 19.99% of our issued and outstanding Common
Shares, which would result in additional dilution of our shareholders.
In
relation to the EPA Shares the Company has entered into a registration rights agreement dated May 10, 2024 (the “RRA”) with
the Selling Shareholder, requiring the Company to register the EPA Shares issued under the EPA. Pursuant to the RRA, the Company has
agreed to file one or more registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission covering the registration of the EPA Shares.
Concurrently,
on May 10, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “SPA” and together with the EPA and the RRA
as the “Agreements”) with the Selling Shareholder, pursuant to which the Company has agreed to sell to the Selling Shareholder
a convertible promissory note (the “Note”) in the aggregate principal amount of $300,000, with an 8% per annum interest rate
and a maturity date of twenty four (24) months from the date of the issuance. The Note is convertible into the Company’s common
shares, no par value, subject to the terms and conditions therein, and a conversion price of equal 75% of the VWAP on the trading day
immediately preceding the respective conversion date, subject to adjustment as provided in the Note. The issuance of the Note is subject
to general terms and conditions as stipulated under the SPA, including the requirement of getting shareholder approval for any issuance
of common shares beyond the beneficial ownership limit of 19.99%.
As
an incentive to buy the Note, the Company had agreed to issue warrants to purchase 1,000,000 common shares (the “2024 Warrants”),
with an exercise price of $5 per share and term of nine (9) months from the date of issuance.
As per terms of the agreement, issuer of convertible debt exercise their right and the total principal portion $300,000 plus the interest
accrued thoron $4,437 was converted into common shares by issuing 501,874 common shares.
The
equity line of credit has had no immediate impact on our business. However, it positions us to draw capital for growth initiatives as
our share price increases, enhancing our ability to fund strategic investments and operational expansions. No assurances can be given
that the stock price will increase.
Conditions
Precedent to the Right of the Company to Deliver a Put Notice
Selling
Shareholders’ obligation to accept Put Notices that are timely delivered by us under the EPA and to purchase of our Common Shares
under the EPA, are subject to satisfaction of the conditions precedent thereto set forth in the EPA, all of which are entirely outside
of Selling Shareholders’ control, which conditions include the following:
●
the
accuracy in all material respects of the representations and warranties of the Company included in the EPA as of the Put Date;
●
the
Company having paid the cash commitment fee or issued the Commitment Shares to an account designated by Selling Shareholder;
●
the
registration statement that includes this prospectus (and any one or more additional registration statements filed with the SEC that
include Common Shares that may be issued and sold by the Company to Selling Shareholder under the EPA) having been declared effective
under the Securities Act by the SEC, and Selling Shareholder being able to utilize this prospectus (and the prospectus included in
any one or more additional registration statements filed with the SEC under the RRA) to resell all of the Common Shares included
in this prospectus (and included in any such additional prospectuses);
8
●
the
Company obtaining all permits and qualifications required by any applicable state for the offer and sale of all Common Shares issuable
pursuant to such Put Notice, or will have the availability of exemptions therefrom;
●
the
Board of Directors approving the transactions contemplated by the EPA and RRA, which approval will remain in full force;
●
there
will not have occurred any event and there will not exist any condition or state of facts, which makes any statement of a material
fact made in the registration statement that includes this prospectus (or in any one or more additional registration statements filed
with the SEC that include Common Shares that may be issued and sold by the Company to Selling Shareholder under the EPA) untrue or
which requires the making of any additions to or changes to the statements contained therein in order to state a material fact required
by the Securities Act to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements then made therein (in the case of this prospectus
or the prospectus included in any one or more additional registration statements filed with the SEC under the RRA, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading;
●
the
Company performing, satisfying and complying in all material respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by the
EPA;
●
the
absence of any statute, regulation, order, decree, writ, ruling or injunction by any court or governmental authority of competent
jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of or that would materially modify or delay any of the transactions contemplated by
the EPA or the RRA;
●
trading
in the Common Shares will not have been suspended by the SEC, Nasdaq or FINRA, the Company will not have received any final and non-appealable
notice that the listing or quotation of the Common Shares on Nasdaq will be terminated on a date certain (unless, prior to such date,
the Common Shares is listed or quoted on any other Principal Market, as such term is defined in the EPA), and there will be no suspension
of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the Common Shares, electronic trading or book-entry services by The Depository
Trust Company with respect to the Common Shares;
●
the
Company will have authorized all of the Common Shares issuable pursuant to the applicable Put Notice by all necessary corporate action
of the Company; and
●
the
accuracy in all material respects of the representations and warranties of the Company included in the applicable Put Notice as of
the applicable Put Date.
No
Short-Selling or Hedging by Selling Shareholder
Selling
Shareholder has agreed that none of Selling Shareholder, its sole member, any of their respective officers, or any entity managed or
controlled by Selling Shareholder or its sole member will engage in or effect, directly or indirectly, for its own account or for the
account of any other of such persons or entities, any short sales of the Common Shares or hedging transaction that establishes a net
short position in the Common Shares during the term of the EPA.
Effect
of Sales of our Common Shares under the EPA on our Shareholders
The
Commitment Shares that we issued, and the EPA Shares to be issued or sold by us, to the Selling Shareholder under the EPA that are being
registered under the Securities Act for resale by the Selling Shareholder in this offering are expected to be freely tradable. The resale
by the Selling Shareholder of a significant amount of shares registered for resale in this offering at any given time, or the perception
that these sales may occur, could cause the market price of our Common Shares to decline and to be highly volatile. Sales of our Common
Shares, if any, to the Selling Shareholder under the EPA will depend upon market conditions and other factors to be determined by us.
9
If
and when we do sell Common Shares to the Selling Shareholder pursuant to the EPA, after the Selling Shareholder has acquired such shares,
the Selling Shareholder may resell all, some or none of such shares at any time or from time to time in its discretion and at different
prices. As a result, investors who purchase the shares from the Selling Shareholder in this offering at different times will likely pay
different prices for those shares, and so may experience different levels of dilution, and in some cases substantial dilution, and different
outcomes in their investment results. Investors may experience a decline in the value of the shares they purchase from the Selling Shareholder
in this offering as a result of future sales made by us to the Selling Shareholder at prices lower than the prices such investors paid
for their shares in this offering. In addition, if we sell a substantial number of Common Shares to the Selling Shareholder under the
EPA, or if investors expect that we will do so, the actual sales of shares or the mere existence of our arrangement with the Selling
Shareholder may make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that
we might otherwise wish to effect such sales.
Because
the per share purchase price that the Selling Shareholder will pay for the EPA Shares in any put notice that we may elect to effect pursuant
to the EPA will be determined by reference to the VWAP during the applicable commitment period on the applicable put date for such put
notice, as of the date of this prospectus, it is not possible for us to predict the number of Common Shares that we will sell to the
Selling Shareholder under the EPA, the actual purchase price per share to be paid by the Selling Shareholder for those shares, or the
actual gross proceeds to be raised by us from those sales, if any.
As
of August 31, 2024, there were 8,425,352 Common Shares outstanding. Company has already issued 741,499 shares against
EPA out of the total 13,910,991 shares only 13,169,492 shares can further be offered. If all of the 13,169,492 shares offered
for resale by the Selling Shareholder under this prospectus were issued and outstanding, such shares would represent approximately
150% of the total number of outstanding Common Shares and approximately 249% of the total number of outstanding Common
Shares held by non-affiliates of our company, in each case as of August 31, 2024.
Although
the EPA provides that we may sell up to $15.0 million of our Common Shares to the Selling Shareholder, only 13,910,991 shares (which
includes the 200,000 Commitment Shares, for which we have not and will not receive any cash consideration) are being registered under
the Securities Act for resale by the Selling Shareholder under the registration statement that includes this prospectus. If we were to
issue and sell all of such 13,910,991 shares to the Selling Shareholder at an assumed purchase price per share of $0.97 (without taking
into account the 19.99% Exchange Cap limitation), representing the closing sale price of our Common Shares on Nasdaq on June 18, 2024,
we would only receive approximately $13.4 million in aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of such EPA Shares to the Selling Shareholder
under the EPA. Depending on the market prices of our Common Shares on the put dates on which we elect to sell such EPA Shares to the
Selling Shareholder under the EPA, we may need to register under the Securities Act additional Common Shares for resale by the Selling
Shareholder in order for us to receive aggregate proceeds equal to the Selling Shareholders’ $15.0 million maximum aggregate purchase
commitment available to us under the EPA.
If
we elect to issue and sell to the Selling Shareholder more Common Shares than the amount being registered, we must file with the SEC
one or more additional registration statements to register such additional shares, which the SEC must declare effective, in each case
before we may elect to sell any additional shares to the Selling Shareholder. For example, if the market price of our Common Shares falls
below $0.97, assuming no beneficial ownership limitations, we will be required to issue more shares than are currently being registered,
necessitating the filing of a new registration statement.
The
issuance of our Common Shares to the Selling Shareholder pursuant to the EPA will not affect the rights or privileges of our existing
shareholders, except that the economic and voting interests of each of our existing shareholders will be diluted. Although the number
of Common Shares that our existing shareholders own will not decrease, the Common Shares owned by our existing shareholder will represent
a smaller percentage of our total outstanding Common Shares after any such issuance.
10
The
following table sets forth the amount of gross proceeds we would receive from the Selling Shareholder from our sale of Common Shares
to the Selling Shareholder under the EPA at varying purchase prices and subject to the limitation of the number of shares being registered
at this time:
Assumed
Average
Purchase Price
Per Share
Number of
Registered Shares
to be Issued if
Full Purchase (1)
Percentage of
Outstanding Shares
After Giving Effect
to the Issuance to
Selling Shareholder (2)
Gross Proceeds
from the Sale of
Shares to
Selling Shareholder
Under the EPA
$ 0.88 (3)
13,169,492
59.93 %
$ 11,589,153
$ 1.00
13,169,492
59.93 %
$ 13,169,492
$ 1.50
13,169,492
59.93 %
$ 19,754,238
$ 2.00
13,169,492
59.93 %
$ 26,338,984
$ 2.50
13,169,492
59.93 %
$ 32,923,730
(1)
Although
the EPA provides that we may sell up to $15,000,000 of our Common Shares to the Selling Shareholder, we only registered 13,910,991
shares under the registration statement that includes this prospectus, which may or may not cover all of the shares we ultimately
sell to the Selling Shareholder under the EPA. The number of shares to be issued as set forth in this column is without regard to
the Exchange Cap or Beneficial Ownership Limitation, but is limited to the actual number of shares being registered at this time. Company already issued 741,499 shares under EPA during August 2024 and this includes 200,000 Commitment Shares
we issued to the Selling Shareholder only 13,169,492 shares can further be issued.
(2)
The
denominator is based on 8,807,019 Common Shares outstanding as of December 19, 2024 (which, for these purposes, includes the 200,000
Commitment Shares we issued to the Selling Shareholder and 541,499 shares issued during August 2024), adjusted to include the issuance of the number of shares set forth in the
adjacent column that we would have sold to the Selling Shareholder, assuming the average purchase price in the first column. The
numerator is based on the number of shares issuable under the EPA at the corresponding assumed average purchase price set forth in
the first column.
(3)
The
closing sale price of our Common Shares on NYSE American on August 31, 2024.
On
November 13, 2024 the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with an institutional
investor, pursuant to which the Company issued and sold to the investor in a registered direct offering, 382,667 (the “RD Shares”)
of the Common Shares at a price of $0.60 per share, and pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 1,284,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.5999
per share and an exercise price of $0.0001 per Common Share.
The
securities to be issued in the registered direct offering were offered pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on
Form S-3 (File No. 333-282629), initially filed by the Company with the Commission on October 15, 2024, as amended on October 25, 2024,
and declared effective on October 29, 2024. The offering closed on November 14, 2024 for approximately $1.0 million in gross proceeds.
Industry
Overview
The
Canadian Mortgage and Mortgage Brokerage Industry
According
to the Bank of Canada, as of May 1, 2022 , Canada’s chartered banks held over $1.523 trillion of residential mortgages
(which amount does not include mortgages held by provincially regulated entities such as credit unions or mortgage investment corporations).
Mortgage lenders typically offer a range of products, with options for fixed or variable rates, varying terms and amortization periods,
as well as differing ancillary terms for pre-payment, incentives or other matters. Interest rates are typically renegotiated every three
(3) years. While mortgage lenders post both fixed and variable interest rates at which the lender offers mortgages of varying terms,
typically most lenders are willing to negotiate interest rates lower than those posted, a practice referred to as “discounting”.
The practice began in Canada in the early 1990s and is considered the norm in today’s mortgage market. The practice of discounting
permits mortgage lenders to improve their ability to price discriminate and offer different rates to different borrowers based on their
willingness to pay. Price discrimination allows lenders to increase their profits through negotiating different rates with individual
borrowers instead of offering a blanket reduction in rates. The advent of price discrimination in the Canadian mortgage market has increased
the importance of the mortgage broker in the lending negotiation process. In return for a fee (paid by the lending institution), the
mortgage broker is typically able to negotiate a better rate than the consumer, or to efficiently reduce the time and effort required
to be applied by the consumer to achieve similar results. Mortgage brokers are provincially regulated and subject to training and licensing
requirements. See “Regulatory Environment” for details. However, there are relatively few barriers to entry in the mortgage
brokerage market. Nevertheless, the ability of a given mortgage broker to erode lender price discrimination and secure rates at the lower
end of the range at which lenders are prepared to lend is dependent upon a number of factors. While experience and negotiating ability
are relevant factors, a key factor in the potential success of a mortgage broker in securing advantageous rates is the bargaining power
of the mortgage broker, which varies directly with the volume of mortgages the broker is able to place with lenders.
11
Industry
Growth Strategy
Our
overall aim has been to increase market share through organic (non-acquisition related) means and to achieve growth on the number of
mortgages funded annually. In an effort to accomplish our growth goals, we maintain a consistent, focus on recruiting Field Agents and
overall Users. We have employed a significant number of recruiters which has resulted in growth rate than most of our competitors. Secondly,
with ongoing concentrated efforts towards recruiting, it has allowed us to gain a strong understanding of the competitive models that
exist and also to continually enhance our offerings in the most effective way to recruit and retain qualified Field Agents. Additionally,
through MyPineapple, we are able to support Field Agents growth in sales volume, productivity and efficiency in delivering mortgage solutions
and increasing corporate revenue. Our aim has always been to have the leading model on which to recruit and support Field Agents, based
on offering them a superior value-proposition.
Competitive
Conditions
Mortgage
Brokerage Market Conditions
Effective
January 1, 2018, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (“OSFI”) adopted Guideline B-20 - Residential
Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures (the “Guideline B-20”). The revised Guideline B-20 applies to all federally
regulated financial institutions. The changes to Guideline B-20 reinforce OSFI’s expectation that federally regulated mortgage
lenders remain vigilant in their mortgage underwriting practices. As Guideline B-20 made mortgage borrowing more difficult for many Canadians,
management believes more Canadians may have turned to mortgage brokers to help navigate the complex rules. Management expects that mortgage
brokers will increase their market share in the coming years due to the following factors:
●
Mortgage
regulations: Mortgage regulations have become more stringent in recent years, affecting the number of individuals that can qualify
for conventional bank mortgages. As a result, these individuals are turned away from banks and seek out mortgage brokers for assistance
in obtaining a mortgage.
●
Additional
Offerings: With new products to offer, mortgage brokers will tend to appeal to a larger demographic/population base and also retain
clients more effectively.
●
Conditioning
and Habits: Twenty years ago, only a minimal percentage of the Canadian population used mortgage brokers, as brokers were viewed
generally as a last resort to obtaining a mortgage. Over the years, this perception has shifted, and Canadians are now using mortgage
brokers to obtain better mortgage rates and to save money. The generation that was reaching a home-buying age when brokers had little
or no market share is aging and continually being replaced by younger, mortgage broker friendly Canadians.
●
Complexity
of Mortgages: Many consumers are not sufficiently financially literate to ask the right questions when applying for a loan at a bank.
As financial products become more complicated, more Canadians seek assistance to understand the complexities and alternatives.
●
Increased
Broker Business Sophistication: As mortgage broker business sophistication increases, the Company expects the volume of renewal business
funded by mortgage brokers to increase.
●
Interest
Rates May Increase: As interest rates have been at historical lows for a significant period, many believe that interest rates will
increase in years to come. In a higher interest rate environment, the Company anticipates that a growing proportion of consumers
will likely shop for the best mortgage opportunities, driving the more conservative “single-bank” mortgage consumers
to use mortgage brokers.
●
Technology:
By utilizing MyPineapple and other available technologies, mortgage brokers have the ability to access client demographic and credit
information and quickly and efficiently disseminate credit applications to various lenders across Canada. Technology provides the
mortgage broker and clients with the ability to efficiently access home specific and third-party data such as appraisals, credit
reports and related credit application information in a highly efficient and cost-effective manner.
12
Primary
Competitors
Our
primary competitors consist of the following 3 categories:
1.
Traditional
Mortgage Brokerages: These mortgage companies provide clients a more traditional way of obtaining mortgages by sourcing business
through referrals while processing loan applications with limited access to technology and face-to-face meetings. As many of these
organizations have been operating for decades, they have had time to cultivate relationships and build strong portfolios of customers.
They access Canada’s leading lenders for their products and services. Examples are: Dominion Lending Centres (TSX: DLCG), Verico,
Mortgage Alliance and Centum.
2.
Digital
Mortgage Companies: A fairly new breed of mortgage company that is sprouting from the digital evolution currently taking place in
our landscape. These companies are focused on a direct-to-consumer model by offering a digital mortgage experience, however, they
are still using a more traditional structure in the back office to fund mortgage solutions through Canada’s largest lenders.
Examples are: Nesto, Homewise and Motus Bank.
3.
Mortgage
Technology Providers: These are companies that provide software and technology solutions to some of the traditional mortgage brokerages
and companies that have not invested or developed their own technology solutions. The providers are typically focused on specific
problems and providing solutions to segments of mortgage workflow. They can be expensive and difficult for traditional companies
to implement. Examples are: Finmo, Lenders and Lender Spotlight.
Competitive
Advantages
We
compete with a number of mortgage brokerage companies. However, we offer competitive advantages relative to alternative mortgage broker
arrangements as a result of the following:
●
Debt
Consolidation: As personal debt levels continue to grow, we offer a unique opportunity of allowing potential borrowers access to
their home equity to consolidate debts at lower interest rates. Interest only payments will provide lower and more flexible payment
terms which will free clients cash flow for savings and help them establish better control over their personal finances.
●
Residential
Home Purchase: With access to Canada’s top lenders, we can help our clients find a mortgage solution best suited for their
individual needs. Our Field Agents are trained at finding a mortgage solution that fits into a client’s overall wealth plan
and helps the client obtain the lowest overall cost of borrowing.
●
Refinance:
We will encourage and assist clients to either take equity out of their homes or refinance into lower interest rates.
●
Switch:
We allow clients to easily transfer to another lender upon renewal.
13
●
Renovation
and Construction: With homebuyers seeing historic appreciation in home values the market has seen the “move up” buyer
decide to stay and renovate existing property with the equity they have quickly grown. This has provided an opportunity for us to
focus on providing the short-term financing required for such home renovation projects, while the major banks have slowly pulled
out or limited their exposure in this area with government regulations changes to the home equity line of credit program.
●
Self
Employed: As large numbers of Canadians move into business for self, we have found an increase demand for a mortgage product that
can suit their needs. Typically these borrowers have good credit ratings and assets but can’t verify their income through traditional
means such as tax filings and pay stubs.
●
Damaged
Credit: Damaged or challenged credit files are something that needs a financing solution. We take a holistic approach in determining
the risk as it maps out a solution. Mortgages for these types of clients will need to improve their situation either by increasing
cash flow, reducing debt load or increasing income potential. We will ask referring brokers to maintain close relationships with
these clients to work on rehabilitation.
●
Private
Lending: With exclusive access and expertise in private lending, we can ensure clients have knowledge of all available resources
in the market.
●
Technology:
We are able to provide advanced technology solutions to differentiate us from our competitors, including:
a)
Data
Analytics - Optimized Retention - Enhanced Customer Experience: As a data driven mortgage company MyPineapple harnesses the power
of data which we acquire through the mortgage process and use it to help make meaningful decisions which save the client money, time
and improve the customer experience.
b)
Unique
Customer Profiling - Optimized Retention: Using a proprietary scoring and profiling process, we are able to uniquely segment clients
and provide most televant information and resources to them at a meaningful point in the mortgage process.
c)
Internal
Processing Centre - Focused Team - Increased Productivity: Having an internal underwriting and mortgage processing center allows
us increased conversion, higher funding ratio’s and maximize productivity of our Field Agents.
d)
Actionable
Signals - Marketing Efforts - Focused Engagement: Driving real-time signals to our Field Agents when conversion opportunities present
themselves.
e)
Knowledge
Transfer - Increased Accuracy - Performance: Comprehensive education technologies platform allows us to align the right product to
the right lender and client.
f)
Data
Integrity - Optimized Decision Making: We have built safeguards to ensure data integrity and accuracy.
g)
Lead
Generation and Market Segmentation: MyPineapple quickly segments leads for personalized marketing. It then markets on behalf of the
agent, turning cold leads into warm leads for faster customer acquisition. Field Agents receive real-time notifications for email,
as well as reminders and scripts to ensure nothing is missed.
h)
Automated
Triggers and Enhanced Workflow —MyPineapple directly syncs to calendars and emails. Tasks can easily be inputted into the system
and email reminders ensure Field Agents remember to follow up. Intuitive automation then kicks in to guide Field Agents and all stakeholders
through the entire process.
i)
Live
Community via Chatter: MyPineapple connects Field Agents directly to the underwriting team, as well as other agents throughout the
organization. This creates a support network, sense of work community and ultimately accelerates the response time.
j)
Online
database of educational tools known as KNOWLEDGE - This online information resource is an online library with over 2000 resources,
containing training videos that cover everything, from lender guidelines, sales and marketing tips, to deals training and more.
k)
Advanced
Analytics and Reporting Features that turn data into actionable insights - This maximizes opportunity and creates lifetime customer
value which lowers acquisition costs and significantly increases revenue.
14
Specialized
Skill and Knowledge
Our
business requires specialized skills and knowledge, which include, but are not limited to, expertise related to mortgage underwriting,
mortgage originations, private lending, business development, marketing and business strategy development. Our executive and management
team has a strong background and significant experience and expertise in these areas. Our team also possesses specialized skills in data
architecture, software development, programming and coding, finance and accounting, automations and process, training and education.
Additionally, we currently rely upon, and expect to continue to rely upon, various legal and financial advisors and consultants and others
in the operation and management of our business.
Intangible
Assets
Our
business is substantially dependent on our proprietary technology platform, MyPineapple, which it licenses from Salesforce. While the
Company has not registered any intellectual property rights with respect to MyPineapple, it relies on trade secrets to protect the applicable
proprietary information. Additionally, MyPineapple has been built through various development partners, such that no single developer
has access to the complete technological architecture. See “Business — Material Contracts” for more information on
the Salesforce Agreement
Additionally,
we rely on confidentiality agreements with its employees, consultants and advisors to protect its trade secrets and other proprietary
information. Nonetheless, these agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information and may not provide an
adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. If we are not able to adequately prevent disclosure
of trade secrets and other proprietary information, the value of its business could be significantly diminished.
Material
Contracts
Salesforce
Agreement
In
connection with the development of MyPineapple, we entered into a licensing agreement with Salesforce.com, Inc. dated (NYSE: CRM) December
1, 2020 (the “Salesforce Agreement”) and expires on March 31 2025. Salesforce is a cloud-based software company headquartered
in San Francisco, California. It provides customer relationship management software and applications focused on sales, customer service,
marketing automation, analytics, and application development. Pursuant to the Salesforce Agreement, we are licensed to use the Salesforce
software as the platform or infrastructure on which we build the various applications such as MyPineapple. The applications we develop
on this platform are the core that drive the operational software and applications used by Field Agents to initiate and process mortgage
originations, which is the primary basis of our revenue generation. The Company is billed annually at a rate of $807,435 per year, which
was during the year ended August 31, 2024
Affiliation
Agreements
We
enter into affiliation agreements with Affiliate Brokers, pursuant to which we and the Affiliate Broker enter into an affiliation relationship
with the intention of jointly marketing mortgage brokerage and other financial services as affiliated entities, sometimes referred to
as “white labelling”, which allows the Affiliate Broker to sell a mortgage that is branded with its company name to its own
client base. Pursuant to these affiliation agreements, we generally receive a fixed commission from the Affiliate Broker for any mortgage
transaction where the Affiliate Broker has acted as the mortgage broker for the borrower. In general, these affiliation agreements have
an indefinite term and may be terminated by either party upon thirty days written notice.
Changes
to Contracts
The
Company does not expect its business to be affected in the current financial year by renegotiation or termination of contracts or sub-contracts.
15
Regulatory
Environment
Brokerage
License Requirements
In
order to operate its mortgage broker business, we must remain duly licensed as a mortgage broker to deal and trade in mortgages in accordance
with the Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act, 2006 (Ontario), as amended (the “MBLA Act”). We have had our
mortgage brokerage license since November 2016 and it has been renewed each year without issue. We will be subject to similar legislation
and license requirements in the other provinces in Canada where we intend to expand.
In
accordance with the MBLA Act, individuals, including directors, officers, partners, directors and officers of corporate partners, employees
or agents of a mortgage brokerage company, such as the Company, who are engaged in dealing mortgages or trading in mortgages on its behalf
must obtain a mortgage broker or mortgage agent license. A mortgage broker or agent license authorizes an individual to work for only
the mortgage brokerage company named under the license. An individual cannot be licensed to work for more than one mortgage brokerage
company. The Superintendent of Financial Services will use the information obtained in a mortgage broker license application to determine
whether an applicant meets the prescribed eligibility requirements and is suitable for a license. The applicant will be required to submit
documents to support certain pieces of information about the business.
●
Application
Process. The application must be completed and submitted to certain regulatory authorities in the provinces and territories of Canada
(each a “Regulatory Authority”), such as the Financial Services Regulatory Authority Ontario. The Regulatory Authority
will send to the applicant an email acknowledgement upon receipt of the application. The Regulatory Authority will advise the applicant
if the application is in order to proceed to the next step in the process. In the next step, the applicant will prepare and submit
the application to license the mortgage brokerage’s principal broker and prepare and submit the online declarations for all
the directors/officers/partners via The Regulatory Authority’s online licensing system. All directors and officers of the mortgage
brokerage company applicant (“DOPs”) are required to provide confirmation of their suitability for licensing of the mortgage
brokerage. A mortgage brokerage’s license can only be approved or issued when all the declarations from DOPs are received and
reviewed by the Regulatory Authority. Once the brokerage’s license has been approved an email will be sent to the principal
broker to indicate the brokerage’s license number. No paper license will be issued. At this point, the brokerage may prepare
and submit applications to license its other brokers and agents via the online licensing system.
●
Fraud
Prevention Measures. FSRA is required to maintain a public registry of licensed mortgage brokerages. Consistent with FSRA’s
role in protecting the public interest FSRA collaborates with other organizations, including other regulators, fraud prevention organizations
and law enforcement agencies.
●
Fees
and Renewal. Fees are payable in respect of all applications for licenses, other than for the mortgage brokerage’s principal
broker. The fees are based on a one-year cycle. The fee due is prorated based on when the application is submitted. To simplify the
payment and reconciliation process, mortgage brokerages are also required to submit fees on behalf of their agents and brokers. These
fees are paid electronically when the mortgage brokerage submits license applications for its brokers and agents through the online
licensing system. Once licensed, every mortgage brokerage must pay a regulatory fee in respect of each new one-year cycle. This fee
is due every year on March 31. The mortgage brokerage must also pay fees on behalf of each agent and broker, other than the principal
broker, when renewing their broker or agent licenses for the same one-year cycle.
Insurance
Regulation
Pineapple
Insurance is subject to federal, as well as provincial and territorial, regulation in Canada in the provinces and territories in which
they underwrite insurance/reinsurance. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (“OSFI”) is the federal
regulatory body that, under the Insurance Companies Act (Canada) (the Insurance Companies Act”), prudentially regulates
federal Canadian and non-Canadian insurance and reinsurance companies operating in Canada. Pineapple Insurance is licensed to carry on
insurance business by OSFI and in each province and territory.
Under
the Insurance Companies Act, Pineapple Insurance is required to maintain an adequate amount of capital in Canada, calculated in accordance
with a test promulgated by OSFI called the Minimum Capital Test. Under the Insurance Companies Act, approval of the Minister of Finance
(Canada) is required in connection with certain acquisitions of shares of, or control of, Canadian insurance companies such as Pineapple
Insurance, and notice to and/or approval of OSFI is required in connection with the payment of dividends by or redemption of shares by
Canadian insurance companies such as Pineapple Insurance.
16
Other
Regulations
In
addition, the Company must comply with all federal, provincial and municipal laws that affect a Canadian business including employment,
workers’ compensation, insurance, corporate, and tax laws and regulations.
Bankruptcy
and Similar Procedures
The
Company has not had any bankruptcy (whether voluntary or otherwise), receivership or other similar proceedings instituted by it or against
it since its incorporation nor are any such proceedings being contemplated or threatened in the foreseeable future.
Material
Restructuring Transactions
Pineapple
has not completed any material restructuring transactions since incorporation.
Incorporation
The
Company was incorporated under the OBCA on October 16, 2015 under the name “2487269 Ontario Limited” (doing business under
the name of Capital Lending Centre). The Company’s head office is located at Unit 200, 111 Gordon Baker Road, North York, Ontario
M2H 3R1 and its registered and records office is located at 67 Mowat Avenue Suite 122, Toronto, Ontario M6K 3E3. On June 16, 2021, the
Company changed its name to “Pineapple Financial Inc.”
Corporate
Structure
The
Company has two wholly owned subsidiaries: Pineapple Insurance Inc. (“Pineapple Insurance”) and Pineapple National Inc. (“Pineapple
National”). Pineapple Insurance was incorporated under the OBCA on December 14, 2016, under the name “CLC Insurance Inc.”
and changed its name to Pineapple Insurance Inc. on July 12, 2021. Pineapple Insurance has a registered and records office located at
Suite 200, 111 Gordon Baker Road, Suite 200, North York, Ontario M2H 3R1. Pineapple National was incorporated under the Canada Business
Corporations Act on November 9, 2021, with a registered and records office located at 10th Floor, 595 Howe Street, Vancouver, British
Columbia V6C 2T5.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.