STRESS TEST RATE & RECENT DECREASE

Currently, all borrowers in Canada need to qualify for a new mortgage at the current Bank of Canada Benchmark Qualifying Rate or at their approved mortgage interest rate plus 2.0%, whichever is higher.

For more than a year, this Bank of Canada Benchmark Qualifying Rate has been 5.34%. Now, for the first time in 3-years, the Bank of Canada has decreased that Qualifying Rate to 5.19%, a 0.15% decrease.

What does this mean?

Well, this Bank of Canada Qualifying Rate is essentially a bank’s Stress Test Rate. If a borrower has an annual gross income of $60,000, they can qualify for a $265,000 purchase price with a 10% down payment at a 5.34% qualifying rate.

Change that qualifying rate to 5.19%, that same borrower qualifies for a $269,000 purchase price at 10% down payment. This is a $3,700 increase in borrowing ability.

A borrower with $80,000 of gross annual income and a 20% down payment qualifies for a $455,000 purchase price at a 5.34% Bank of Canada Qualifying Rate. Change it to 5.19%, it increases to $462,000. A $5,600 increase in borrowing ability.

1.5%. That is the increase borrowers now have in their borrowing ability.

Ironic part of all these calculations, the stress test was implemented to protect consumers against rising interest rates. Their concern was that borrowers would not be able to cover their monthly payments when they came up for renewal.

Highest 5-year interest rate since January 2010? 3.79%.

Highest 5-year fixed interest rate in the past 5-years? 3.24%.

Last time someone had to pay an interest rate above 5%? For one month in 2009 and before that, summer of 2008.

Food for thought! If you have any other questions regarding the Bank of Canada and mortgage Stress Test rules, please reach out to Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional today.

–RYAN OAKE

Mortgage Stress Test Sidelining Young Buyers

New data shows the country’s youngest buyers are being affected most by the government’s mortgage stress tests.

Mortgage originations were down 8.9% overall in Q2, while those among buyers between the ages of 18 and 25 were down 13.4% compared to last year, according to TransUnion’s latest Industry Insights Report.

This marks the fourth consecutive quarter that mortgage originations and balances were down on an annualized basis.

“The new mortgage regulations seem to be having the intended effect in cooling the overheated housing market and broadly preventing consumers from overextending themselves with mortgage debt,” said Matt Fabian, TransUnion’s director of financial services research and consulting in the release.

“However, there are signs of some potentially unintended consequences. We have started to see an uptick in co-borrowing as the means of getting a foothold on the property ladder, where multiple consumers make an application together—in effect combining the power of their salaries,” he added. “Although this is nothing new, it is now often with the help of a parent, other relative or a friend rather than just a partner or a spouse.”

Stress Test Harder on Younger Buyers

The youngest demographic of buyers is most affected by the new mortgage rules due to being at the early stages of their careers and, typically, receiving lower salaries compared to the other cohorts, making it harder to pass the stress tests.

Those with a down payment of 20% or more must qualify at the greater of the contract rate or the Bank of Canada’s benchmark rate (currently 5.19%), while uninsured mortgages are stress-tested at the greater of the benchmark rate or the contract rate plus 200 basis points.

“This limits both their ability to qualify under the mortgage stress test rules, as well as the size of mortgages they can obtain,” the report notes. “In many of the major Canadian housing markets, many younger consumers have now been effectively priced out of buying.”

Debt Levels Increasing

While mortgage debt is trending downward, overall debt held by Canadians rose 4.3% year-over-year to $1.88 trillion.

Again, millennials led the trend with their debt levels jumping 12.3% to $515.9 billion, reaching parity for the first time with the total debt held by Baby Boomers.

“This trend represents a fundamental shift in generational lending, as banks and other institutions continue to adapt and evolve their business models to provide more options and more tailored customer experience for Millennials and Gen Z,” the report noted.

Lenders Tightening Lending Limits

The report also revealed that lenders may be taking a cautious approach to new lending, given a decline in the size of new credit limits in the quarter.

The data shows a 3.6% decline in the average mortgage size (to $276,579) and a 19.7% drop in the average line of credit limit (to $42,004).

However, limits for auto loans and credit cards were higher, up 1.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

–STEVE HUEBL

RAISE YOUR CREDIT SCORE IN 3 MONTHS

While people often think of mortgage brokers when they are first time home buyers, we can help people in a variety of different ways.
Recently Garrett LaBarre of Calvert Home Mortgages in Calgary shared a success story with brokers. He had a client referred to him by a mortgage broker who had a conundrum. She was paying her credit card balances on time month after month, but couldn’t get them paid down due to the high interest rates. As a result, she had a 567 credit beacon score. Her bank would not refinance her mortgage or offer her a debt consolidation loan. She was stuck.
The solution was to use some of the equity in her home to pay off the credit card debt and lower the payments to a more manageable monthly. Even though her mortgage interest rate was higher than a regular lender, it was a lot lower than a credit card rate and it was amortized over 30 years.
The result was that within three months this client had her credit score jump from 567 to 769!
What an amazing result. Now there’s one more person who knows that mortgage brokers can do things that the banks can’t do.
If you have a challenging story, be sure to contact your local Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional for help.

–DAVID COOKE

WHAT IS A MORTGAGE BROKER?

You may have noticed that there are many different terms for those of us who work in the mortgage industry besides “broker”.
Mortgage: specialist, expert, advisor, associate, officer, etc. I just want to clear up some potential confusion with all these monikers.
There are 2 main categories that these fall in to. Those that work for a bank to sell mortgage products available from that bank.
The other is for those like myself that work within a mortgage brokerage that has no direct affiliation with any one bank.
Each mortgage brokerage has agreements in place with multiple banks and mortgage lenders to be able to submit mortgage applications for consideration.
There are of course obvious differences between these but some may not be quite so apparent.

Mortgage Brokerage
All those working in the mortgage brokerage industry must be licensed by a provincial government agency, in Saskatchewan it’s called the Financial & Consumer Affairs Authority (FCAA).
While every province has their own set of guidelines, there are 3 different types of licenses offered by FCAA: mortgage associate, mortgage broker & principal broker.
The mortgage associate and broker are very similar as both advertise themselves to obtain clientele, work directly with the clients, mortgage lenders, mortgage insurers, realtors and lawyers in the service of their clients. The key difference is that an associate must work under a supervising mortgage broker to ensure they remain in compliance with FCAA regulations.
Each mortgage brokerage will have a principal broker (aka: broker of record) that oversees the operations of the brokerage as well as all the associates and brokers within the brokerage.
Most all those working in the mortgage broker industry are commission based. Our income is derived from the mortgage lenders that we submit mortgage applications to.

In order to apply for a license as a mortgage associate, applicants must complete an approved mortgage associate education course and provide a current criminal record check along with the required application documents.

Application for a license as a mortgage broker are the same as for an associate with the addition of a previous experience requirement.
The applicant must have been licensed as a mortgage associate for at least 24 of the previous 36 months.

In addition to annual applications for renewal, licensees must also:

• Purchase and remain in good standing with professional errors and omissions insurance
• Complete FCAA approved annual continuing education courses
• Provide FCAA auditors access to mortgage files for review whenever requested
• Advise FCAA of any changes to brokerage or contact information
• Immediately advise FCAA of any offences under the criminal code (other that traffic offenses)

Bank Branch Mortgage
Those that work in mortgage lending for a bank are normally paid by the hour or are salaried and may have a performance bonus structure.
Entry level positions do not require any education beyond high school. Training is provided on the job by the employer with supervision by the branch manager and more experienced staff.
There are no licensing requirements by any provincial or federal governing body and errors and omissions insurance is not required.
Many banks have mobile mortgage staff that may or may not conduct business within the branch and are often paid on a commission basis rather than hourly or salary.

If you have any questions, contact your Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Broker near you.

–KEVIN CARLSON

JOBS STALL FOR SECOND MONTH IN A ROW, BUT WAGE GROWTH SURGES

The booming labour market in Canada seems to have vanished, at least for now, as employment declined and the unemployment rate rose again in July. Whether it is the summer doldrums, a trained worker shortage or the beginning of a slower second-half economy is yet to be seen. But the news is troubling in the wake of the accelerating trade tensions between China and the US. The US-Sino trade war has already sideswiped Canada, and President Xi Jinping does not face an election. He is not backing down, despite threats of a 10% additional tariff on all Chinese imports to the US. Trump’s response to denounce China as a currency manipulator has no teeth, raising doubts of the White House claim that trade wars are easy to win.

Agriculture and manufacturing in Canada, China, the US and the rest of the world have already been hard hit. Businesses spending on capital equipment and software has slowed dramatically in the face of so much uncertainty. The global economy has slowed, and bond yields around the world have fallen sharply as money is moving to the safe havens of government bonds and gold. Yield curves in Europe and the US are now inverted, which is often a sign of coming recession.

In Canada this week, the 10-year government bond yield fell to 1.22% compared to 1.58% one month ago and 2.33% one year ago. The 5-year bond yield is also at 1.22%, down a whopping 14 basis points in one week. The best 5-year fixed mortgage rate has now dropped to roughly 2.30%, although borrowers still have to qualify at the Bank of Canada posted rate of 5.19%.

Consumer spending has held up, and housing activity is strengthening in Canada and the US. But if the economy slows and job markets weaken further, it is only a matter of time before households tighten their belts.

Canada’s labour market lost 24,200 jobs in July according to Statistics Canada, versus expectations for a gain of 15,000. That follows a decline of 2,200 jobs in June. The unemployment rate rose to 5.7%, a second monthly increase after reaching a 40-year low of 5.4% in May. Hours worked on a year-over-year basis slowed sharply, and the number of people employed by private sector companies plunged by the most since the last recession.

One of the few positive signs was accelerating wages, with hourly pay up 4.5% in July from a year ago (see chart below). That’s the most robust annual pay rise in a decade. Another area of strength was the construction sector, which recorded a 25,000 gain in employment.

Bottom Line: The disappointing jobs report and the broadening trade tensions will likely spur the notion that a Bank of Canada rate cut is coming. Accelerating wages might delay such a move. But if the global economy continues to slow, the Bank might add its name to the very long list of central bank rate cuts, which now includes the Fed. What has changed from my view just last week that the BoC would be on hold for the rest of the year is the widening trade war and the back-to-back slowdown in our jobs market.

–DR. SHERRY COOPER

4 COSTS TO CONSIDER AS A FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER

Oftentimes even the most organized and detail oriented first-time homebuyer can overlook some unexpected costs that come with the purchase of their new home. We are outlining 4 of the costs that we most commonly see overlooked by home buyers in hopes that we can better prepare you—and save you from a few surprises!

1. Closing Costs.

Congratulations! Your offer was just accepted on your new home, you’re one step closer to adding a major asset to your portfolio! We don’t want to shock or dampen the excitement of this moment. However, it’s important that you factor in closing costs right at the beginning of your purchase.

The best time to do this is before even applying for your pre-approval or making any offers on a home. Closing costs may include:
>insurance
>taxes (Land Transfer, Property, and others depending on what province you are in)
>legal/notary fees
>inspection/appraisal fees.

A general rule of thumb is to set aside 1.5% of the purchase price to account for the closing costs above. To plan ahead, consider speaking to a mortgage broker and your realtor. They can help you determine just how much you should set aside to accommodate those additional closing costs.

2. Utility Bills.
If you’ve gotten used to living in a small space, such as a condo or an apartment, you may be surprised how much more water, heat, and energy you consume in a larger space such as a detached home or a townhouse.

It’s important to prepare for these as you do not want to have a “surprise” when your bill arrives in the mail and it’s nearly double what you are used to spending!

Factoring in these bills is also crucial if you are going from renting to owning! Often times the landlord will cover a portion of your utility bills or your cable/internet depending on the contract you had with your landlord. Of course, once you are a homeowner, you are covering the entire cost! Ask family members, friends, even your mortgage broker or realtor what is a realistic cost for things such as cable and internet, water, heat, etc. You’d be surprised how fast they can add up!

3. Renovations and Updates.

Unless you bought a newly built, brand new home, there is undoubtedly going to be future renovations and updates that you will need to do on your home. They may not need to happen right when you move in, but sometimes the unexpected does happen and having money set aside can make a world of difference! When you have your home inspection completed, make a prioritized list of what will need to be fixed/updated first and set aside money each month for it.

In addition to the “must do” updates/renovations, new property owners may also want to make aesthetic improvements, whether they mean to reside there or not. Naturally, a homeowner wants to make the place feel more like their own, and investors want to add value their investment or make adjustments to make the asset more aesthetically pleasing.

4. Ongoing Maintenance
Home’s require maintenance—all the time! Ask any homeowner and they will tell you that there is always home maintenance in one form or another happening. A few common home maintenance costs may include:
• Gutter cleaning
• Roof repair/maintenance
• Drywall repair
• Furnace cleaning
• HVAC and Duct cleaning
• General plumbing and electrical fixes
Every home is different in regards to how much you should budget annually for regular maintenance. It will depend on the age of your home, square footage, climate in your region, and overall condition of your home.

In closing, property ownership shouldn’t be dampened by financial rules caused by lack of preparation. All of these costs, as well as additional other costs, are easy to plan ahead for and to ensure that you have budget set aside each and every single month to make sure that you stay on track. As a rule of thumb, the CMHC states that your housing costs including mortgage payment should not exceed 39% of your monthly income. Treat this number as a point of reference when you’re doing your budget and consider leaving room for the unexpected. It’ll give you peace of mind on the long run and allow you to actually enjoy your new home!

–GEOFF LEE

What You Should Know About Collateral Charge Mortgages

I recently had clients who were refinancing their mortgage completely reject a very attractive offering from one of the big chartered banks.

Their reasoning? All of this bank’s mortgages are registered as collateral charges, and all of their online research into this topic spooked them completely.

Over the years, dozens of articles have been written on the topic of collateral mortgages, often tending to a negative bias. But as Rob McLister once said, and I agree with him, “collateral mortgages shouldn’t be portrayed as a supreme evil of the mortgage universe, when in fact they offer advantages to some.”

One can present persuasive arguments in favour or against collateral mortgages. But this client’s response compelled me to revisit the topic with fresh eyes and offer an updated perspective.

Mortgage loans are typically registered as a standard-charge mortgage or a collateral charge mortgage. So, let’s explore both types…

What Is a Standard Charge Mortgage?

A standard charge only secures the mortgage loan that is detailed in the document. It does not secure any other loan products you may have with your lender. The charge is registered for the actual amount of your mortgage.

If you want to borrow more money in the future, you’ll need to apply and re-qualify for additional money and register a new charge. There may then be costs, such as legal, administrative, discharge and registration fees.

If you want to switch your mortgage loan to a different lender at the end of your term, you may be able to do so by simply assigning your mortgage to a new lender at no cost to you.

Monoline lenders such as MCAP, First National Financial, CMLS and others default to standard-charge mortgages, unless offering a product such as MCAP Fusion (which has a re-advanceable HELOC component)

What Is a Collateral Charge Mortgage?

A collateral charge is basically a method of securing a mortgage or loan against your property. As explained here previously, “unlike a standard mortgage, a collateral charge is re-advanceable. That means the lender can lend you more money after closing without you needing to refinance and pay a lawyer.”

You can keep re-using this charge, and a new charge will only be required if you want to borrow more than the amount that was originally registered.

Most chartered banks offer both types of mortgages. A couple (TD Bank and Tangerine)  only register their mortgages as collateral charges.

Most chartered banks also offer a type of combination home financing, which consists of a mortgage component and a line of credit component. (Actually there could be several components.) For example, the Scotia Total Equity Plan (STEP) mortgage.

If you have a Home Equity Line of Credit, you have a collateral charge mortgage.

A collateral charge can be used to secure multiple loans with your lender. This means credit cards, car loans, overdraft protection and personal lines of credit could also be included.

Arguments people make in favour of collateral charge mortgages

1) If you wish to borrow more money during the term of your mortgage, you can tap into your home equity without the expense of a mortgage refinance. You can save legal fees. (This is assuming of course, your personal credit and income are sufficient to qualify for more money.)

2) If you have a mortgage and a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), it may be structured such that every time you make a mortgage payment, the amount you pay towards your principal balance is added to your HELOC limit. Large available credit, used wisely, is usually a good thing.

3) Collateral charges are often best suited to strong borrowers with lots of equity. They might readily access contingency funds at no cost down the road. This could be by increasing their mortgage loan amount or adding a home equity line of credit to the mix.

Ironically, our same clients who objected strenuously to the collateral charge actually fit this profile. After refinancing their current mortgage, they will still have $500,000 in equity left in their home. Who knows, down the road they may want a Home Equity Line of Credit or to increase their mortgage. If they register their mortgage today for more than its face value, they could avoid all refinancing costs at that time.

Arguments people make against collateral charge mortgages

1) Some people trash the collateral charge because there is often a cost to switching lenders at renewal. I think that’s overstated and no longer factual.

It’s so competitive out there, if you’re still considered strong borrowers, chances are someone is willing to eat the costs to move you.

Also, some lenders are now offering no-cost switch programs for collateral charge mortgages. That was not the case a few years ago, and the list of such lenders is growing.

And keep in mind the moment you wish to change any material aspect of your mortgage (for example, the amortization period or the loan amount), it is no longer considered a switch, but rather a refinance—so legal and appraisal costs are in play anyway.

2) Others argue you could be offered less competitive interest rates from your current lender at renewal than you will be from a new lender. Again, if you are a strong borrower, someone is going to offer you low rates, and your current lender, under pressure, will often match or beat competitive offers. For that reason I view this as less of a concern.

3) Some lenders register a collateral charge for more than the loan amount—to as much as 125% of the appraised value of your home. Some just do this by default and others may ask you to choose the dollar amount to be registered. The rationale being you will retain the benefits of your collateral charge, even as your home increases in value.

This is where you might pause to reflect.

If, down the road, your personal finances take a U-turn, or you no longer qualify for additional financing with your current lender, then you might find a high collateral charge impairs your ability to seek secondary financing elsewhere.

For example, we are presently working with two Ontario-based clients who need a private second mortgage, but the collateral charge registered against their home is roughly the same as the value of their home. Even if their current mortgage balance is very low, unless a private mortgage lender’s lawyer can cap the collateral charge at that lower balance, these homeowners will find alternate lender sources are unlikely to lend new money.

4) A collateral charge mortgage is not only a charge on your home, but can include other credit you have with that same lender. These lenders have a “right of offset,” meaning they can collect from the equity in your home on any financial products you have (or co-signed for) that are now in default.

There is also the potential that when asked to pay out the mortgage at the time you leave your collateral charge mortgage lender, they can also add in overdraft, credit card and line of credit balances. Resulting in less funds to you than you expected and may need.

That said, it is unclear how often this happens, if ever, to borrowers with spotless records.

Industry insider Dustan Woodhouse points out, “(Even) co-signing a credit card or car loan for somebody (who then stops making payments) carries a risk of a foreclosure action against your property as a remedy for what was perceived to be an unrelated debt.”

The Wrap

Collateral charge mortgages are here to stay. More lenders are adopting them and you should have a good understanding of what type of mortgage you are being offered. Most of the time, it probably will not matter much to you how your mortgage is registered.

For all the arguments about extra costs if you wish leave your lender at renewal, as long as your borrower profile is strong you should be able to avoid any incremental out-of-pocket costs.

But if you want to take a conservative approach, consider the following:

Choose a standard charge mortgage if it really bothers you, and if you have a choice of lenders.

Or, when given the option, just register the collateral charge mortgage for the actual face amount of the mortgage, rather than a much larger amount.

In closing, Woodhouse has some sage advice: “It is perhaps a key consideration that one should in fact not have all their banking, credit cards and small loans with the same institution as their mortgage…mortgage with Lender A, consumer debt/trade lines with Lender B, and perhaps any business accounts with Lender C.”

–ROSS TAYLOR

MORTGAGES ARE LIKE COFFEE

The most common question we get for mortgages is “what is your best rate?” Now imagine we walked into our local coffee shop and asked “what is your best price?” Doesn’t happen. There are all kinds of different coffees and lots of ways to make them. The same goes for mortgages.

Getting a coffee at the lowest price is usually not going to get you the coffee that meets your needs. You want quality beans, flavour, extra features like a shot of caramel, maybe make it a macchiato, froth on the top, an alternative milk option, and the list goes on.

The same goes for mortgages. Lowest rate mortgages may come with a lack of portability, the inability to make extra payments, and they may lock you into a good rate today without the flexibility for better rates in the future. They may be the lowest rate without the lowest monthly payment amount, they may be for term lengths that are too long and have significant penalties when the mortgage needs to be broken.

The lowest rate mortgage may be collateral charge mortgages that allow a bank to foreclose on your property because you were delinquent on your credit card payments while you went on an extended vacation in Europe and forgot to keep track while you were having so much fun drinking coffee at a popular little hole in the wall café in some small ancient village. The 4 strategic priorities that every mortgage needs to balance are lowest cost, lowest payment, maximum flexibility, and lowest risk.

So the next time you need a mortgage, treat it like your coffee order, don’t ask for the best rate, ask how you can get the best mortgage that meets your needs.

–TODD SKENE

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON A VARIABLE RATE MORTGAGE

A few years ago, I remember seeing a statistic that said that if you took out a variable rate mortgage instead of a fixed rate, you would do better in 95 out of the last 100 years. Often the spread between a 5-year variable rate and a 5-year fixed rate was more than 1% and so you could save thousands over a 60 month term.

More recently, about three years ago, the banks and mortgage companies started shaving the discount rate on these mortgages. While they had been Prime – .70-.80 they were now Prime – .45. That’s quite a change. Earlier this spring, the discount came back and now it’s possible to get into a variable rate mortgage with a discount of Prime – 1.0%!
This isn’t very good news for those people in Prime-45 mortgages. But, there’s something you can do.

Go see your favourite Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional and ask them to calculate the penalty to break your mortgage and get one with the new bigger discounted rate. As you are in a variable rate, this should be 3 months interest. At this discount you should be able to recover that penalty in just a few months.

–DAVID COOKE

CREDIT REPORTS: YOU’VE SCORED! BUT ARE YOU PLAYING THE GAME?

For most people, your personal credit score and how a credit score is calculated are complete mysteries. How can you be expected to play and be successful if you aren’t even told the rules of the game? There are things borrowers can do to improve their score so they can access better mortgage products and save thousands of dollars, or qualify for their wonderful home when they otherwise might have trouble. Let’s stick handle through just some of the key things you should know about managing your credit score.

Amount owed and utilization accounts for 30% of your score. There are a lot of people that end up with high balances on their credits cards and struggle to meet the payments each month. If they manage to pay off their credit cards without seeing a mortgage broker to consolidate their debts, often the immediate response is to close the accounts. A better response is to cut up the cards and delete the numbers from your computer and devices and keep the accounts open. You want any remaining outstanding balances to be less than 75% of your total combined credit available, and if they are less than 35%, even better, because this keeps your utilization of available credit low and increases your credit score. Types of credit and the number of different credit products accounts for 10% of the score, so this is another reason you want to keep those accounts open. Cell phone providers are now reporting to the agencies that publish credit scores as well.

In some parts of the world where credit products are not well established, a borrower’s credit is evaluated based solely on how they have managed payments on their cell phone bills. It’s important to pay your cell phone bills on time; we’re all busy, so setup automatic payments to ensure a payment is not missed. My last word of advice for today is to monitor your credit score by purchasing your own credit report each year for about $25 so you know your score and to ensure the report is accurate. This will help you stay within the boundaries of the game.

There is a lot more to managing a credit score than I can get into in this short blog. If you would like to know more, contact me or your local Dominion Lending mortgage broker. We can provide advice to help you manage your credit score and put you in a better position to qualify for a mortgage with better rates. Know the rules of the game, plan ahead for your home financing, and play SMART.

–TODD SKENE