Licensing, disclosure and how we’re paid
Nova Scotia licenses mortgage brokers, associate mortgage brokers and brokerages, publishes the register, and sets out in regulation what a brokerage has to tell you and when it can charge a fee. This page lays out our licences, what the rules require of us on this site, and what you will receive before we do any work.
How do I verify a mortgage broker’s licence in Nova Scotia?
Search the province’s public register of licensed mortgage brokers and associate mortgage brokers. Look for three things: the name exactly as licensed, the licence number, and the brokerage the person is licensed with. All Nova Scotia mortgage licences expire on 31 October each year and are renewed, so a near-term expiry date is normal.
Our licences
| Licensee | Licence type | Number | Issued | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Oickle | Associate Mortgage Broker | 2025-3001134 | 3 July 2026 | 31 October 2026 |
| INDI THE INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE COMPANY LTD. Principal broker: Krista Pike | Mortgage Brokerage | 2025-3000688 | 5 March 2024 | Renewed annually |
The brokerage is also licensed outside Nova Scotia: British Columbia (029978), Saskatchewan (509361), Ontario (12403). Riley’s licence is Nova Scotia only; a Nova Scotia associate mortgage broker cannot arrange a mortgage on property in another province under it.
Verify either licence yourself: individuals · brokerages, lenders and administrators.
What the Standards of Conduct require of us on this site
The Standards of Conduct for Mortgage Brokerages Regulations (N.S. Reg. 126/2020) govern how licensees present themselves. Two sections apply directly to a website like this one.
- Section 5, names and titles. A licensee must use the name that appears on the licence and the title the licence carries. That is why every page says “Riley Oickle, Associate Mortgage Broker” and not “mortgage agent”, “mortgage specialist” or a trade name that is not licensed.
- Section 6, brokerage identification. The brokerage’s name and licence number must appear clearly and prominently in all written material. That is why the footer of every page carries INDI THE INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE COMPANY LTD. and licence 2025-3000688, and why Riley’s own licence number sits beside his name on every answer.
The brokerage licence number 2025-3000688 belongs to the brokerage, not to Riley. If you see it presented as an individual’s licence anywhere, that is an error and we would like to hear about it.
Form 1: Mortgage Brokerage Disclosure
Section 7 of the General Disclosure Regulations under the Mortgage Regulation Act requires a brokerage to give a borrower a Mortgage Brokerage Disclosure, Form 1, before providing any services, and to keep a signed copy. You receive it at the start of every file, before a credit check, before an application goes anywhere.
It tells you, in plain terms:
- Who we act for. The borrower, the lender, or both, stated in writing. On a residential file we act for you.
- How we are paid. Whether by the lender, by you, or both, and how the amount is determined.
- Which lenders we work with. So you know how wide the search actually is.
- Any relationship between the brokerage and a lender, or any other interest that could affect the advice.
Signing the form does not commit you to anything. It records that you were told.
How we are paid
On a standard residential mortgage placed with a bank, credit union, monoline or trust company, the lender pays the brokerage a finder’s fee when the mortgage funds. You pay nothing. The arrangement is disclosed on the Form 1 before any work starts.
A borrower fee arises only where a lender does not pay the brokerage, which in practice means some private and alternative lending. If your file goes that way you are told in writing, with the amount, before you proceed.
Then section 22 of the Standards of Conduct applies: a brokerage must not charge or collect a fee from a borrower until the lender has confirmed funding in writing, the borrower has accepted the commitment in writing, and the borrower has a copy of the signed commitment. The only exception is a third-party disbursement, such as an appraisal fee, and only with your written agreement.
More on the mechanics, including what to ask any broker: what does a mortgage broker cost in Nova Scotia? →
Privacy and consent for credit checks
- No credit check without your written consent. Sending an enquiry through this site does not pull your credit. The check happens once you have signed the application and the consent that goes with it.
- One inquiry, shared across lenders. The brokerage pulls one credit report and sends it with the application to the lenders being considered. You are not re-pulled by each lender.
- Your documents go to the file and nowhere else. They are sent to the lender you choose to proceed with, and to your lawyer where the lender’s instructions require it. They are not sold or shared for marketing.
The full policy: privacy →
Complaints
If something has gone wrong, raise it in this order.
- With Riley directly, by phone at (902) 298-0218 or email at info@rileyoickle.com. Most problems are a missed message or a misunderstanding and are fixed the same day.
- With the brokerage’s principal broker, Krista Pike, through Indi, The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd.. The principal broker is responsible under the regulations for the conduct of every licensee at the brokerage.
- With Service Nova Scotia, which licenses mortgage brokers in the province and handles complaints about licensees.
Questions people ask
How do I check that a mortgage broker is licensed in Nova Scotia?
Search the provincial public register of licensed mortgage brokers and associate mortgage brokers. Match three things against what the broker tells you: the name exactly as licensed, the licence number, and the brokerage they are licensed with. Riley Oickle is listed as an Associate Mortgage Broker, licence 2025-3001134, with INDI THE INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE COMPANY LTD..
Why does the licence expire on 31 October 2026 when it was only issued in July?
Because every Nova Scotia mortgage licence runs on the same cycle and expires 31 October each year, whenever it was issued. Licences are renewed for the following year before that date. If you check the register after 31 October and see a new expiry date a year on, that is the renewal, not a new licence.
What is Form 1 and do I have to sign it?
Form 1 is the Mortgage Brokerage Disclosure required by section 7 of Nova Scotia’s General Disclosure Regulations. A brokerage must give it to you and have you sign it before providing any services. It sets out who the brokerage acts for, how it is paid, the lenders it works with and any relationship it has with them. Signing it does not commit you to a mortgage; it confirms you were told these things.
When can a mortgage broker charge me a fee in Nova Scotia?
Only on files where the lender does not pay the brokerage, which in practice means some private and alternative lending, and only when disclosed in writing before you proceed. Section 22 of the Standards of Conduct regulations then stops the brokerage collecting that fee until the lender has confirmed funding in writing, you have accepted the commitment in writing, and you have a copy. Third-party disbursements such as an appraisal are the exception, and only with your written agreement.
Questions about any of this?
Ask before you send a document. You get a straight answer on who we act for, how we are paid on your kind of file, and what happens to your information.