Skip to main content

Tag Archive: mortgage trends


Oops – Bonds – Did – It – Again

Recessionary warnings from Apple and China, weak U.S. manufacturing data and a plunging stock market accelerated the market rate collapse today. Canada’s 5-year bond yield almost touched 1.75%, where it hasn’t been since 2017. The last time yields fell this fast was March 2015, while the Bank of Canada was in the midst of cutting rates. This is not your...

read more

HSBC: Making Mortgages Easier

Few lenders in Canada are adapting better to online mortgage lending than HSBC. Thanks to league-leading rates and strong online marketing, the bank’s mortgage growth continues to outpace big banks. Since we last checked in with HSBC it’s been up to something interesting—something that foreshadows the future of how lenders sell mortgages in this country. The “Mortgage Centre” Mortgage shoppers...

read more

Your Tech Habits May Someday Get You Approved (or Declined) for a Mortgage

When you go online, you leave a trail of digital bread crumbs. And if new research catches on, mortgage lenders could someday use those crumbs against you (or for you). The U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has published a study showing that creditworthiness is linked to a borrower’s “digital footprint.” NBER studied nine digital footprint variables: the borrower’s...

read more

Canadians Got Fewer New Mortgages Last Year

Mortgage activity fell more than many people thought last year. New data from CMHCshows a 9% drop in the number of consumers getting new mortgages in 2017, among the metro areas it surveyed. Stricter mortgage rules, higher mortgage rates and higher home prices were some of the likely causes. Of particular interest was the drop in refinances. The number of...

read more

Variable Rates Maintain Appeal, Despite Higher Rates

Despite higher rates, a healthy slice of our population is staying open minded to variable mortgage rates. A CIBC poll today finds that: 72% of Canadians expect rising interest rates over the next 12 months (26% think they’ll stay the same) An overwhelming 83% of Canadians favour “predictability and stability over risk” when it comes to their finances (unsurprisingly) 77%...

read more

47% of Mortgages Will NOT Renew This Year

It turns out, we weren’t sniffing glue by arguing that 47% of mortgages are not up for renewal this year. “Some pundits have been circulating inaccurate information recently,” National Bank Financial (NBF) said in a report Thursday. “One is the affirmation that almost half of Canadian mortgages have been or will be up for renewal this year, suggesting an imminent...

read more

Are Homebuyers Too Optimistic?

Canadians are more gung-ho than ever to buy a house. RBC’s latest Home Ownership Poll found that nearly a third of Canadians (32%) still expect to buy a home within the next two years. That’s the highest level of homebuying intention Canada has seen since 2010, and up 7% from last year. This is despite a string of new mortgage...

read more

Over Half of Us to Get Online Mortgages: Meridian CU

It’s not a question of whether mortgages will someday be arranged completely online. The question is, how long will it take? When we do finally get there, you’ll still be able to speak with a human advisor for mortgage help, but not in person. Not if you want the lowest rate. “We envision potentially having a better rate for online...

read more