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Tag Archive: mortgage rates


So Long, Cheap One-Year Fixed Rates

Short-term rates are taking off. TD Canada Trust, one of the last big banks with cheap short-term rates, is a case in point. TD had the lowest one-year rates of any big lender for months. Today, it boosted its posted one-year rate by 30 basis points (that’s a lot in one increase), to 3.34%. The move comes as short-maturity government...

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TD’s Variable Rate Goes on Sale

The variable-rate market just got a shade more interesting. TD has announced that, effective tomorrow, its 5-year variable rate drops from 2.90% to 2.75%. That’s equivalent to TD mortgage prime minus 1.10%. (In case anyone forgot, TD’s mortgage prime is 15 basis points higher than other banks’ prime rates.) “Canada’s housing market continues to fluctuate, and rates continue to rise,”...

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How Do Mortgage Brokers Get Paid?

When a prospective homebuyer finds out they don’t need to pay for the services of a mortgage broker, their first thought is often: “What’s the catch?” Like many financial advisers, mortgage brokers typically get paid by commission. The lender providing the mortgage pays the broker that commission (finder’s fee) for referring and managing the application and mortgage closing. How Much...

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Bond Yields Dive: Could Fixed Rates Follow?

All it takes to derail an uptrend in mortgage rates is one little global crisis. And that’s potentially what we’ve got. Canada’s 5-year bond yield—which drives fixed mortgage rates—has plunged. As of this writing, it’s down almost 30 basis points from its high two Fridays ago. This latest nosedive is courtesy of shoot-first-ask-questions-later AAA bond-buying. (Rates move inversely to bond...

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New Mortgage Rate Insights From BMO

Rising rates and new mortgage regulations aren’t enough to scare nearly 1 in 4 Canadians. That’s how many plan to buy a home within the next year. This comes from a new BMOsurvey, which also found the national average price buyers expect to pay is about $474,000. That jumps to $580,000 in Toronto and $603,000 for Vancouver buyers. Most concerning...

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Low Rate or Low Borrowing Cost?

Would you rather have the lowest mortgage rate or the lowest borrowing cost? If you picked the latter, good for you. You’re mortgage savvy, and you’re in the minority. Check out this chart from a recent Manulife survey.Its findings show that the “interest rate” dominates all other factors when consumers pick a mortgage. That’s great news for a rate comparison...

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