Despite record-low short-term interest rates, most banks are offering junk 1-, 2- and 3-year rates on uninsured mortgages through the broker channel. We’re seeing 5-year variable pricing as low as 1.45% or less at major banks. Yet, on a one-year fixed, for example, they quote mortgage brokers over 2.40%. That’s well above the discretionary rates bank customers are reporting to...
The government’s “B20” stress test has blocked countless people from buying rental properties as investments. The current 4.79% minimum qualifying rate means would-be buyers have to prove they can afford mortgage payments far above what they’d really pay. Fortunately for some borrowers, there are alternative lenders (e.g., credit unions) that don’t impose the federal stress test. They qualify borrowers on...
Only fools lock in for a decade. That’s what many thought prior to this year, and some still do. But at least now it’s more debatable. That’s because, for the first time ever, there’s a 10-year mortgage with a 1-handle. On Monday, a few mortgage brokers started advertising a 1.99% 10-year fixed, breaking Tangerine’s prior record of 2.14%. The move...
Canada’s fifth-largest bank reportedly has an unpublished 1.49% 4-year fixed special right now. That’s a new 4-year fixed record-low, and the lowest uninsured fixed rate in the country. It’s also available on default-insured mortgages. Four-year fixed rates are nowhere near as popular as 5-year rates. They’re an oft-overlooked term with only 1 in 16 Canadians choosing them, according to Mortgage...
—The Mortgage Report: Nov. 23— Bond yields stopped falling three months ago but that hasn’t stopped Tangerine from launching one sweet 10-year special. If you: think the economy will turn around in 2021, and think rates are near a medium-term (or longer) bottom, and want maximum protection from future rate increase, thenTangerine’s new 10-year fixed rate might just check your...
—The Mortgage Report: Weekend Edition— Canada’s rate outlook got a boost this week from two influential developments: Promising vaccine news (20 potential vaccines are in late-stage trials, including Pfizer’s drug that’s reportedly over 90% effective), and The widespread acceptance of Joe Biden’s presidential victory. This much-needed dose of good news led investors to sell government bonds, which is typical when...
Bond yields shot up like a cannonball after news broke this morning of Pfizer’s positive vaccine trials. Canada’s 5-year swap rate, one of the best leading indicators of fixed mortgage rates, sailed to a 5-month high. Now, everyone’s trying to figure out how long it’ll take before this translates into above-target inflation, which would be the Bank of Canada’s trigger...
The Latest on Canadian Mortgage Rates: Election 2020 —10:33 p.m. Update— Biden is just 6 electoral votes from victory, reports AP. It’s never over till it’s over, but thus far election 2020 doesn’t look like a threat to mortgage rates. Yields have trended lower, suggesting that borrowing costs in Canada won’t be adversely impacted like they were after Trump’s 2016...
—The Mortgage Report: Oct. 23— It seems HSBC Canada may start selling through mortgage brokers once again. The bank had a “Head of Mortgage Broker Channel” job posting on its website until this morning. We then confirmed with a separate reliable source that the news appears to be true. HSBC was not able to comment by press time. The move...
—The Mortgage Report: Oct. 5— Upstart iBuyer, Properly.ca, announced a $100-million credit line last week from Silicon Valley investors, enough to fund its nationwide growth, says CEO Anshul Ruparell. The company’s expansion will broaden options for people who want a no-stress way to sell their existing home while they go shopping for a new one. iBuyers, as we wrote in...
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