A mortgage in its simplest form is a contract. It has terms, conditions, rights and obligations for you and the lender. When you sign on the dotted line, you are agreeing to those terms for the length of time laid out in the contract. However, sometimes life throws us an unexpected event that brings around the need to make key decisions and changes. One of these changes, for whichever reason, might be needing/wanting to break your mortgage contract before the end of the term. Can you do that? What are the penalties? Let’s take a look!

To answer the initial question of can it be done, the answer is yes. Most mortgage lenders will allow this provided they receive compensation. Compensation is known as an Interest Rate Differential or IRD. When you started your fixed rate mortgage you had a rate of xx.x%, but the best they can lend to someone else right now is 1% less, so they want the difference. Seems fair, right? However, like most contracts, the fine print tells the true tale. The method in which the IRD is calculated is what borrowers should be aware of.

Let’s examine a few different calculations that can be used for IRD.

Method “A” -Posted Rate Method – Generally used by major banks and some credit unions

This method uses the Bank Of Canada 5 year posted rate to arrive at the formula to calculate the penalty. It also considers any discounts you received. These are the ones you will commonly see on their websites or when you first walk into the Bank or Credit Union. Now, rarely does anyone settle on that rate-there is a discount normally that is given. This gives you the actual lending or contract rate. When this method is used, you will be required to pay the greater of 3 months interest or the IRD. What that looks like is:

Bank of Canada Posted Rate for a five-year term: 4.89%
You were given a discount of: 2%
Giving you a rate of 2.89% on a five-year fixed term mortgage.

Now you want to exit your contract at the 2-year point, leaving 3 years left. The posted rate for a 3-year term sits at 3.44%. The bank will subtract your discount from the posted 3-year term rate, giving you 1.45%. From there your IRD is calculated like so:

2.89%-1.45% =1.44% IRD difference x3 years=4.32% of your mortgage balance.

On a mortgage of $300,000 that gives you a penalty of $12,960.

For most, that is a significant amount that you will be paying! It can equate to thousands and thousands of dollars, depending on the mortgage balance remaining. So what other methods are used? Let’s take a look at the second one.

Method “B”-Published Rate Method – Generally used by monoline (broker) lenders and most credit unions

This method is more favourable as it uses the lender published rates. Generally, these rates are much more in tune with what you will see on lender websites and appear to be much more reasonable. Again, let’s look at an example.

Your rate: 2.90%
Published rate: 2.60%

Time left on contract: 3 years

Equation for this: 2.90%-2.60%=0.30% x3 years=0.90% of your mortgage balance. A much more favourable outcome. On a $300,000 mortgage that would equate to only $2,700.

The above two scenarios operate under the idea that the borrower has good credit, documented income, and a normal residential type property. It is also a fixed rate mortgage, not a variable one. For variable rates, if the contract needs to be broken, generally the penalty will be a charge of 3 months interest, no IRD applies.

So, if you do find yourself in a position where you need to end your contract early get in touch me to review your options. To avoid any surprises all together though, it is advised to consult with a mortgage professional right from the start. I am committed to ensuring that you make an educated decision when selecting a lender. Yes, I want to get you the best rate, but we also want to make sure you are taken care of.

Another organisation has added its voice to those opposing OSFI proposals to introduce tougher lending restrictions for uninsured mortgages and warns it could harm competition in the mortgage industry.

The Fraser Institute says that requiring a stress test with a margin of 2 percentage points above the agreed rate for those homebuyers with at least a 20% downpayment, is unnecessary and could negatively affect buyers across Canada.

In a study called Uninsured Mortgage Regulation: From Corporate Governance to Prescription, author Neil Mohindra says there are several potentially negative effects from the proposed rule-tightening:

• Access to mortgages may become more limited, especially for buyers in high-price markets;
• Buyers may be forced to abandon preferred homes for less-desirable options;
• Increased use of unregulated lenders with higher interest rates;
• Buyers may opt for shorter term variable rate loans.

The report also suggests that the mortgage industry could become less competitive from the OSFI rule as those lenders that are niche players in the residential market may find their business is impaired.

This, the report concludes, runs counter to the federal government’s objective of promoting more competition from smaller lenders.

“OSFI’s emphasis on corporate governance worked well during the financial crisis. Shifting towards more prescriptive rules is an ominous sign,” Mohindra said.

Your Interest is my only Interest

Iko

Housing affordability in Canada hit the worst level in 27 years in the second quarter of this year, according to a Royal Bank of Canada report.

RBC Economics said in a report Friday that its housing affordability measure for Canada deteriorated for the eighth straight quarter. The Toronto area was the hardest hit, where RBC says affordability declined the most compared to the previous year and hit the worst level ever measured in the city.

The Ontario government’s actions in April to cool down the housing market, including a foreign buyer’s tax, did not have an immediate impact on provincial housing prices in the second quarter, RBC said.

“Clearly, home ownership remains out of reach for many would-be buyers in the area,” RBC Economics said in the report. “The good news is that some relief is on the way. Recent downward pressure on prices is poised to lower ownership costs in the period ahead. The bad news, unfortunately, is that rising interest rates will take some of that relief away.”

Still, the least-affordable place to purchase a home remains the Vancouver area, where affordability worsened after two straight quarters of improvement but remains better than a year ago. Outside of British Columbia and Ontario, affordability remains mostly stable, RBC said.

RBC’s housing affordability measure shows the proportion of median pre-tax household income required to service the costs of owning the average home – factoring in both condos and single-family detached homes -including mortgage payments, property taxes and utilities.

The Vancouver area was the least affordable in the latest quarter ended June 30, 2017 at 80.7%, down 2.4% year-on-year. The Toronto area was second-highest at 75.%, marking an increase of 12.7%. Victoria came in third at 58.6%, with a year-on-year increase of 7.3%. Across Canada, RBC’s housing affordability measure hit 46.7% in the latest quarter, a level not seen since the end of 1990 and an increase of 3.7% from a year earlier.

Many Prairie markets got some relief, with year-on-year decreases in Regina and Saskatoon to 28.7% and 32.1%, respectively, RBC said. Affordability deteriorated marginally in most of Quebec and the Atlantic region. In Quebec City, RBC’s metric improved slightly to 34%. In the Montreal area, it worsened by 0.8 points to 41.5%. In Saint John and Halifax, RBC’s affordability measure worsened to 24.5% and 32.1%, respectively, while it improved slightly to 27.7% in St. John’s.

Affordability in Edmonton worsened slightly year-on-year to hit 30.3%. In Calgary, however, affordability deteriorated by 1.5% year-on-year to 39.2%.

Rising interest rates will further weigh on Canadians’ ability to afford a home, RBC said. After rate hikes in June and September, RBC’s economists expect the Bank of Canada to raise its overnight rate one more time before year-end and three times in 2018 for a total increase of 100 basis points.

RBC Economics estimates that, everything else remaining constant, a 100 basis point increase in mortgage rates would worsen RBC’s national housing affordability measure by roughly 3.5 percentage points. Canada’s most expensive housing markets would be hit harder, RBC adds, noting Vancouver would see an almost 7% increase.

“This would occur at a time when housing affordability is already stretched in some of Canada’s largest markets,” RBC Economics said in the report. “While high sensitivity to a rise in interest rates highlights material vulnerability, the reality is bound to be less threatening as other factors such as income gains will mitigate at least of part of the impact.”

Canadian Press

The national housing agency is exploring ways to make it easier for entrepreneurs and new immigrants to buy a home by cutting some of the red tape required to prove they can afford to pay the mortgage.

“Right now, under our mortgage insurance policies, you have to be able to document income to get mortgage insurance, to a level of specificity that discriminates against new Canadians, because they can’t do that,” Evan Siddall, the CEO of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., said in a wide-ranging interview with The Canadian Press.

“It discriminates against entrepreneurs, as well, because they can’t prove their income as well, so we’re looking at our own policies to try and make sure that there is more equity in our mortgage insurance programs,” he said.

Anyone who wants to buy a home in Canada without a down payment of at least 20 per cent of the purchase price is usually required to get mortgage loan insurance from the CMHC, which requires a smaller down payment of five per cent on a home worth up to $500,000.

A 10-per-cent down payment is required for the portion of the price over $500,000, with $1 million being the maximum property value allowed.

The mortgage insurance comes with a premium, which the lender will then pass on to the person buying the home.

Borrowers need to satisfy lenders they will be able to make their mortgage payments, which usually means providing proof of employment and a few pay stubs. But that can be tricky for people who just started their own business.

It can also be a barrier to those whose employment history has gaps for other reasons, such as having recently immigrated to Canada.

People who are self-employed, for example, usually need to provide notices of assessment for the previous two years. Their income is determined by averaging those two years, although the most recent year can be used if it has increased annually for at least four years.

They also need to have been doing the same type of work for at least two years.

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said more flexibility would be welcome, especially for startups.

“If one starts a business or is self-employed, the lines between their personal and business finances are often quite blurry,” said Kelly.

“Often, their personal assets are required to get financing for the business. But then they also have a challenge getting financing on the personal side, because they don’t have the nice, clean letter of offer from an employer that is often quite convincing in these situations,” he said.

Any relaxation of the rules would naturally increase the risk. So Siddall said the agency is looking at how to manage that, including different ways to document income, and higher premiums.

“Can we charge for that risk? Better to charge that risk than not to make it available,” he said.

Jack Fiorillo, a broker with TMG The Mortgage Group in Woodbridge, Ont., said he expects the CMHC to be fairly conservative on this front.

“It will be a very small sandbox that CMHC will play in, probably at the beginning, and then maybe if once their risk appetite increases, maybe they can expand that box,” said Fiorillo.

He said he expects the potential change to make it easier for a relatively small number of self-employed people to get a mortgage, and they will likely have to pay higher interest rates.

The CMHC said it has been compiling data on how many would-be homeowners have their mortgage applications rejected for these reasons, but cannot disclose those numbers right now because it is based on conversations with commercial lenders.

“We are still doing research and development to move this forward,” CMHC spokesman Jonathan Rotondo said in an email.

Siddall said the Crown corporation has raised the idea with its board and expects to announce something within the next six months.

As a mortgage professional there are things I wish more people were aware of which is why we are going to take a look into the paperwork we all need to hold onto to avoid frustration or even a decline when applying for a mortgage. Each of the following is taken from real life observations of everyday folks just like you and I.

1. Separation Agreement – When you apply for a mortgage one of the first questions we ask is marital status. If your answer is separated or divorced then the banks are going to want to see the official document. They are seeking to ensure that you do not have any alimony or child support payments which will make it difficult to pay the mortgage. The legal system only keeps these documents for 7 years after which you will not be able to get a copy. Your marital status is reported on your tax return which can trigger the request for this documentation long after it seems relevant.

2. Proof of Debts paid– Keep all records of debts you have paid! Here are three real world examples.
a) Client A has paid off her mortgage, receives verification from the bank and promptly destroys the paperwork at a mortgage burning party just like on the commercial. Due to a clerical error the debt as paid is not reported to land titles so the mortgage remains vested against the property adding additional steps when she goes to get a new loan.
b) Client B pays out his truck loan in full and receives a letter stating this. Due to a clerical error the interest accrued shows a small outstanding balance. The client believes all is well while the small debt quickly hits a written off status on the credit bureau and he is declined for a mortgage three years later.
c) Client C settles with a collection agency on a debt gone bad – The debt is not reported as paid to the credit agencies and the ‘ongoing’ bad debt causes a large drop to her score and she pays higher rates than she should. The collection agency has since gone out of business and there is no record of the payment to be found.

3. Bankruptcy/Orderly Payment of Debts – As with the separation agreement, the trustee will only keep a copy for 7 years. When you apply for a mortgage, the bank will want to ensure they were not affected by the bankruptcy and also to determine if there was a foreclosure. Even though this information is supposed to fall off the credit report that is not always the case.

4. Child Maintenance – whether paying or receiving child support, you will want to keep all correspondence in regards to this to ensure you are receiving the appropriate credit for monies paid or have been given all the money you were supposed to have received.

Emotionally you have valid reason to want each of these documents so far away from you but realistically you are likely to need them at some point. There are a number of online services such as Dropbox or Google Drive where you could scan these to yourself and save them digitally. Alternatively, you could spend a small amount of money on an accordion style file folder and go old school with actual paper copies of all of the above applicable to your situation.

If you have any questions, please contact me at

647 200 0723

Iko

The interest rate you pay on loans for every major purchase you make throughout your lifetime depends on various factors, and is dependent on your creditworthiness – everything from the mortgage on your home to your car loan or line of credit.

And, given today’s ever-changing mortgage requirements and rising interest rate environment, your credit score has become even more important.

Your first step towards credit awareness and well being is to know where you stand. Request a free copy of your credit report online from the two Canadian credit-reporting agencies – Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada – at least once a year.

This will also help verify that your personal information is up to date and ensure you haven’t been the victim of identity fraud.

Newly established credit

If you’re new to credit, you may wonder why your credit score pales in comparison to your friend’s.

Payment history is a key factor for both Equifax and TransUnion. As well, if you don’t talk to your friends about money, you may not realize that their financial situations are different from yours. Your friend with the better credit score may carry less debt than you, for instance.

Using credit properly helps keep your credit score healthy, as well as comes in handy when you don’t have the cash immediately on hand to pay for an expense. Planning for expenses helps alleviate reliance on credit – and the payment of interest.

If you use credit cards and lines of credit to your full advantage, you’ll never have to pay interest on these revolving credit products. In fact, you can use the borrowed money for free if the full amounts are paid on time.

Forgot to pay a credit card bill?

Your credit generally only takes a hit after you miss two consecutive payments.

You’ll likely see a drop of 60-100 points on your credit score instantly, and your credit card provider may end up increasing your interest rate.

Every point counts, however, so you obviously don’t want your credit score to take a hit, particularly if you plan on applying for a major loan – such as a mortgage or car loan.

Know your creditworthiness

Following are some key components that help determine your credit score.

• Credit card debt. Aside from paying bills on time, the number one way to increase your credit score is to pay down your credit cards so they’re below 70% of your limits. Credit card usage has a more significant impact on credit scores than car loans, lines of credit and so on.
• Credit history. More established credit is better quality If you’re no longer using your older credit cards, the issuers may stop updating your accounts. If this happens, the cards can lose their weight in the credit formula and, therefore, may not be as valuable. Use these cards periodically and pay them off.
• Credit reporting errors. Always dispute any mistakes or situations that may harm your credit score. If, for instance, a cell phone bill is incorrect and the company will not amend it, you can dispute this by making the credit bureau(s) aware of the situation.

Do you have questions about your credit score or creditworthiness?

Please feel free to Contact me @ 647-200-0723

Iko