The Phoenix mortgage banker who actually understands self-employed income.
Mike Certo runs the Phoenix branch of Cornerstone First Mortgage. A meaningful share of our work is helping self-employed Arizona borrowers — entrepreneurs, contractors, real-estate investors, retirees living on assets — get to the closing table when traditional banks have already said no.
What we do here
Cornerstone First Mortgage, LLC is a full-service mortgage bank headquartered in San Diego, CA, lending in 49 states + Puerto Rico under NMLS #173855. We are both a lender and a broker, with in-house processing, underwriting, and funding. The Arizona Self-Employed Loans program is run from Mike Certo's Phoenix branch.
Why we built this site
Self-employed borrowers are routinely told no by retail banks because the bank's underwriting rulebook reads only taxable income from a 1040. That's a flawed read of a real business. The Non-QM market has solved this — but only if the loan officer knows the products.
The investors we work with
We have direct relationships with the leading Non-QM investors so we can match each borrower's situation to the right program — instead of forcing every file into one product. Active investor partners include:
- Acra Lending
- LoanStream Mortgage
- NewFi Lending (Hercules)
- NQM Funding
- OnslowBay Financial
- eRESI
- MaxEx
- AHL (Acra Home Loans)
What we won't do
- Push you into the wrong product because it's the only Non-QM we've sold this month.
- Force you to refinance back to us once your tax returns catch up — refinance with whoever's best at the time.
- Surprise-quote you with a rate that bears no relationship to what funds.
Stop fighting your tax return.
Send your real numbers — deposits, P&L, 1099s, or assets. We'll tell you which Non-QM program fits.