Canadian housing mortgage rates are all over the map. Don’t get trapped in an unnecessarily costly mortgage agreement.
Latest News
Popularity of variable-rate mortgages plummets to pre-pandemic levels + MORE Jun 21st
The popularity of variable-rate mortgages is continuing to fall and is now nearly at levels last seen prior to the pandemic in early 2020..... More »
Can you pay off your debt while saving for retirement? + MORE Sep 2nd
Ask MoneySense
We are a blended family. My husband, at 50 years old, owns a home with a $330,000 variable-rate mortgage. He rents it out for $3,400 per month, which covers the mortgage plus about $1,000. He’s also maxed out his $50,000 line of credit. He has $200,000 in an RRSP and has a company p.... More »
Reaction to CMHC’s New Restrictions on Insured Mortgages Jun 7th
Obtaining mortgage insurance for a home purchase is about to become more challenging on July 1, particularly for first-time buyers. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Canada’s national mortgage insurance provider, unveiled stricter underwriting policies on Thursday for insured mor.... More »
The Latest in Mortgage News – Is the Housing Market Turning a Corner? Aug 10th
While Vancouver area home sales are still posting year-over-year declines, signs are appearing in the Greater Toronto Area that the worst of the housing correction is now over. Experts say that likely won’t be enough to stave off a slowdown in national GDP growth, however, which in part will b.... More »
As bond yields fall, mortgage providers are cutting fixed mortgage rates + MORE Dec 1st
With bond yields nearly 60 basis points off their highs reached earlier this month, fixed mortgage rates are slowly following and trending downward..... More »
The State of Mortgage Consumers
– canadianmortgagetrends.com
Mortgage consumer debt reached a record level in the second quarter of 2017, yet mortgage holders have proven capable of managing their increasing monthly obligations. That’s according to CMHC’s recently released Mortgage and Consumer Credit Trends report, which said Canadian households’ credit market debt reached a record $1.70 for every dollar of disposable income. Mortgage […]
Mortgage Penalties: You could pay thousands to break your mortgage depending on your lender!
– canadamortgagenews.ca
I originally posted a breakdown of how mortgage penalties are calculated by different lenders on January 4, 2011.
This remains relevant today and, since this has been my most popular article to date, it’s worth a repost!
WE TOOK THE MYSTERY OUT OF HOW PENALTIES ARE CALCULATED
We decided this needed a more detailed explanation… but a strange thing happened when we started to answer these questions. We made a startling discovery. We caution you – the results could get your blood boiling if you’ve had to pay a penalty!
We found that the banks have shrunk or reduced the spreads between their Posted and Discounted rates on shorter-term mortgages over the past few years… and this has had a huge impact on Interest Rate Differential (IRD) penalty calculations.
QUICK FACTS:
The most popular mortgage product is a 5-year fixed
The most profitable is a 5-year fixed
On average, a mortgage is refinanced or someone moves every 3 years
Mortgage penalties affect more people than you think!
FIRST, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF MORTGAGE PENALTIES
To better explain the above statements, I need to explain why mortgage penalties exist at all…
