About us
A family brokerage Ontario homeowners trust
Homestead Financial is an independent, FSRA-licensed mortgage brokerage. We're a mother-and-son team with over 35 years of combined experience, and we help homeowners 55+ across Ontario understand whether a reverse mortgage — or one of the alternatives — actually makes sense for their situation, explained in plain English with no pressure.
Meet the team
Catherine Evel
Principal Broker & Owner · Licence M08001936
Catherine has been in the mortgage industry since 1999 and founded Homestead Financial in 2009, building the brokerage on a reputation for honest, straightforward advice. She leads the firm and brings deep lending experience to every client's situation. More about Catherine →
Richard Hopkins
Mortgage Broker · Licence M16000896
Richard has worked in the mortgage business since 2013 — first as a mortgage agent, today a licensed mortgage broker — alongside his mother, Catherine, at Homestead Financial. He leads the brokerage's reverse mortgage practice and is known for clear communication and genuine dedication to his clients — making sure every homeowner understands their options before making a decision. More about Richard →
Why independent matters
A bank can usually only offer you its own product. As an independent brokerage, we compare options across multiple lenders and walk you through the trade-offs — including whether a reverse mortgage is the right move at all. Our job is to help you decide with clear numbers, not to push one product. There's no cost for our advice — if you choose to proceed, the lender pays us after the loan funds.
What our clients say
“Richard was so amazing to work with — he made every step of the way so easy! Richard was very fast to respond to all of my emails and continued to try and do better for me. Richard was always so friendly and professional — I cannot imagine working with anyone else!”
“Both Richard and Catherine were very helpful and easy to communicate with. They responded promptly to every inquiry and were a pleasure to work with! They were recommended to us by a friend and we too will recommend them to others.”