One Year Fixed Rate Mortgage – Low Rate Mortage

Low Mortgage Rates on your Mind? Consider the One-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage In recent years we’ve heard quite a bit of talk from economists, banks and even Mr. Flaherty himself about the direction of mortgage rates; we were told they could only go up. But contrary to what market pundits were saying, mortgage rates fell even further. The […]

Give me a break on my mortgage break fee!

By lesleyscorgieMetro Canada I recently sold my house and have decided to get a new mortgage through a mortgage broker rather than my bank. So, I met with my bank last week to discuss the transaction and learned that the cost to break my existing mortgage is nearly $5,000! Hogwash! For $5,000 I could take a […]

Buying a house? Don’t go to the bank

I sold my property last week and I’m in a mad scramble to find a new home. With my wish list in hand and a pre-approved mortgage under my belt, I’m confident I’ll eventually find what I’m looking for. Much to the chagrin of my financial planner, a bank employee, I’ve decided to use an […]

Goodbye to three irritating bank practices

Three annoying things that banks do to customers are about to become history. Following up on commitments made in the past two budgets, the federal government has announced measures that will stop banks from mailing unsolicited credit card convenience cheques to customers, and that will reduce the holding period on newly deposited cheques. The banks […]

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 […]

Less Broker in Your Broker

“There are lenders that are taking the brokering out of brokering” — IMBAPresident Albert Collu, via CMP That line is symbolic of what’s happening in our business. The face of mortgage brokering is changing. Lender policies meant to drive efficiencies are impairing brokers from doing their jobs. This is no more evident than with volume minimums. More […]

Sale of broker book marks industry maturity

By Vernon Clement Jones The transfer of an established portfolio from one broker to another is offering encouragement to industry veterans convinced their years of service to the client have a significant and very tangible value. “We bought the database,” said Mindy Small, one of two partners at Summerside Mortgages – The Mortgage Centre, in […]

The mortgage game With rates predicted to rise, should you lock in, or take a risk and how much should first timers spend?

With anticipated interest rate increases on the horizon, many homeowners are wondering whether to lock debt such as mortgages and secured lines of credit into a fixed-rate mortgage or stay variable. Even some who are mortgage free are concerned with how rate increases will impact secured lines of credit, the financing of vacation homes and […]

Tweaked ARM addresses broker concerns over alternative lending

With tweaks to its variable-rate mortgage, Equitable Trust is acknowledging what many brokers fear: one or two years on the alternative side can improve a client’s credit, but often isn’t enough to get them into the A sphere. “Every borrower who goes to the Alt-A/B sphere aims to be there only for one or two […]

Ontario broker lobbies for tighter ‘mortgage suitability’ regs

By Vernon Clement Jones The head of a large Ontario brokerage – and VP of the province’s mortgage broker association, IMBA – is lobbying for “better-defined” guidelines around “mortgage suitability” in the governing act, arguing it would help fend off competition from the banks. “It’s something that’s much talked about among brokers, many of who […]

« Previous Page — Next Page »