A new joint venture between The Orbis Mortgage Group and Indi, The Independent Mortgage Company, is set to create one of the largest independent mortgage brokerage platforms in Canada.
The newly formed Orbis Independent Mortgage (OIM) Group combines the two firms’ operations under a shared infrastructure model that spans compliance, technology, underwriting and alternative lending.
Together, the platform supports roughly 750 agents and expects to fund more than $10 billion in mortgages annually by 2026.
In-house alternative lending as a differentiator
Orbis founder and CEO of the new joint venture Teddy Kyres says OIM Group is not designed to be a network and does not intend to compete directly with the likes of TMG, M3 and DLC.
He instead describes it as an “infrastructure,” and a “mutli-brand mortgage platform” modeled after similar entities that have seen success in places like the United States and Australia.
“We have complete vertical integration, which is a little bit different than a network model,” he says, adding that network-specific tools like M3’s BOSS, DLC’s Velocity and TMG’s Hurricane are all supported within the OIM Group ecosystem. “The platform has access to all these tools, so it’s a little bit different than what’s currently offered in the mortgage space right now.”
Another unique twist on the new entity’s structure is its exclusive in-house alternative lending product suite Swyft Mortgage, which was introduced to The Orbis Mortgage Group last year and is now available to OIM Group members as well.
“It’s an alternative lender that essentially funds anything after an Equitable Home Trust style, where if it doesn’t get approved there, we have multiple products within the Swyft Mortgage environment, funded through institutional investors,” Kyres explains. “We’re one of — if not the only —brokerage that has an in-house lender of that scale.”
Combining scale, training and national reach
Kyres founded Orbis in Montreal in 2018 after more than a decade at BMO, with a particular focus on coaching and broker development — an area he says banks have historically done well.
With the scale created by the joint venture, Kyres believes OIM Group can now offer more tailored training programs that reflect brokers’ varying levels of experience.
“Because we have so much scale, we can properly do that,” he says. “We’re adding different training segments based on the needs of the broker — a program for new agents, one for experienced agents and one for team leads.”
Orbis also brings strong roots in Quebec, operating licences in Manitoba, B.C. and Ontario, and a recent expansion into the United States. The firm contributes proprietary technology, including its AI-powered deal management system Veritas, in-house underwriting capabilities, and a broker pension and savings plan aimed at former bank employees.
Indi, meanwhile, expands the platform’s footprint across the rest of Canada and beyond, with more than 500 agents, including a small presence in Mexico. The Ontario-based brokerage also brings its Indi Central marketing platform and a retirement-focused revenue program that allows brokers to continue earning from client relationships into retirement.
“By combining the underwriting teams, we’re now licensed in every single province, with a truly national underwriting team,” Kyres says. “Add in our own lender, the broker pension plan and U.S. opportunities, and you get one very strong, integrated platform.”
From early talks to a formal joint venture
Kyres says the idea for the joint venture first emerged during a casual lunch early last year with Indi founder and CEO Gordon Ross and president and COO Gordon Appel.
“The conversation ended with, ‘We should work together,’ but we didn’t know how,” he says. “We really started getting serious in the summer, it took a few months to close, and now it’s come to life.”
The joint venture was officially unveiled on Jan. 21. Both Orbis and Indi will continue to operate under their existing brands and management teams, with OIM Group providing centralized infrastructure support. The Independent Mortgage Network is also included under the platform.
From an agent’s perspective, Kyres says the goal is continuity rather than disruption.
“From the OIM Group side, it’s much more efficient than operating independent entities,” he says.”But from an agent’s perspective, nothing’s changing. They’re just getting more.”
Kyres now serves as CEO of OIM Group, with Appel and Ross acting as vice-presidents, and Orbis partner Chris Churchill-Smith as CFO. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“The amount of excitement in the industry — even the number of calls we’re fielding — has been huge,” Kyres says. “It’s actually bigger than we anticipated. I believe the market was looking for something like this.”
Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today
deals Indi mergers and aquisitions mortgage industry news Orbis Mortgage Group Teddy Kyres
Last modified: February 2, 2026