CMHC backing fewer loans

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. is cutting back on mortgages it insures as the Crown corporation edges closer to a $600-billion cap imposed on it by the federal government, the Financial Post has learned. A CMHC spokesman confirmed that it had approached a number of lenders at the end of 2011 about reducing its “bulk or portfolio […]

CMHC Insurance Limits: A Wake-up Call for Lenders

Many have now seen thisNational Post article. The gist of it: CMHC is approaching its $600 billion government-imposed limit on issuing mortgage default insurance. That’s happening largely because of lenders’ enormous appetite for something called portfolio insurance (a.k.a., “bulk insurance”). No one fully grasps the repercussions yet, but our sense is that the news is not […]

Happy Clients Are Gold

How important is client satisfaction to a mortgage broker? The answer is in this stat: A whopping 82% of broker clients find out about their broker via referral. (Source: Maritz/CAAMP) Existing clients are gold. As a broker, they’re our best source of new business. That’s why it pays to take care of and invest in them. […]

Top 5 Mortgage Trends of 2011

Cheap money fuelled anotherbuoyant year for real estate in 2011. That helped housing values climb a wall of worry (prices rose another 4.6% Y/Y as of November) despite numerous predictions of a correction. Mortgage balances went along for the ride, growing another 7%. 2011 was a year marked by new mortgage regulations and a rate market that continually surprised most […]

CMHC agreeing with brokers?

A new report is backing up a broker beef, confirming consumer credit card debt has significantly outpaced mortgage growth. “Consumer credit, which makes up the remainder of household debt, grew at a faster rate than mortgage debt in the last two decades,” reads the 2011 Canadian Housing Observer, a comprehensive CMHC report on the state […]

2 Out of 3 Don’t Shop at Renewal

Every now and then we see a mortgage stat that’s a jaw-dropper. This finding from Manulife Bank is one of them. It suggests there are a lot more people with money to burn than one might expect. Manulife recently surveyed 1,000 Canadian homeowners between the ages of 30 to 59. Among respondents with a mortgage, two-thirds (65%) did not […]

Should you tackle your small or large debts first?

KATHERINE SCARROW Globe and Mail Update When it comes to tackling debt, logic isn’t always at the forefront of our decision-making. According to a new research study, consumers routinely mismanage multiple debts, paying off small debts first even when larger debts have higher interest rates. “People want to wipe the books clean,” says Scott Rick […]

Canadian banks envy of the world

MONTREAL – What’s wrong with this picture? Banks in the U.S. and Europe are struggling to adjust to new rules that limit their speculative trading and boost their capital requirements. They’re bracing for a big hit in credit markets if the European debt crisis gets any worse. But here in Canada, life is great. If […]

Five year-end tax tips to save you money next spring

With just a few weeks to go until the curtain falls on 2011, you still have time to squeeze in some year-end tax planning between those trips to the mall and the holiday parties. Time spent doing some planning before Dec. 31 can reap huge rewards come next April. Here are five things to consider: […]

5 reasons why a fixed-rate mortgage could be your best bet

It’s a decision that millions of Canadian homeowners struggle with repeatedly during their time as homeowners: Do they choose the security of a fixed-rate mortgage, or opt for the flexibility (and usually lower cost) of a variable rate and hope that rates don’t spike higher? But right now, conditions in the mortgage market mean homeowners […]

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