The Liberal government wants to give its much-criticized First-Time Home Buyer Incentive (FTHBI) a redo. In its Fall Economic Statement this week, the government said it’s going to make it easier for borrowers to qualify. Effective “spring 2021,” first-timers who use the program will be able to purchase a home up to 4.5 times their household income (currently four times)...
—The Mortgage Report: Nov. 30— Trudeau’s government said Monday that it plans to lift Canada’s debt ceiling by up to 57% as it embarks on record spending and deficits in the name of pandemic relief. Canada’s historic deficit just keeps on climbing. It’s now estimated at $381.6 billion for the current fiscal year, up from $343.2 billion this summer and...
We came across a mortgage customer this week who decided it was a good idea to change the date on his job letter. Apparently it was old and he didn’t want to ask his employer for a new one. Sure enough, the lender called his employer’s HR department to validate the job letter and sure enough, the lender asked the...
—The Mortgage Report: Nov. 27— If you’re out there mortgage shopping, BoC chief Tiff Macklem had a message for you Thursday: “We want to be very clear, Canadians can be confident that borrowing costs are going to remain very low for a long time.” It’s a mantra he’s repeated for months. Among the reasons: “…The economy still has more than...
—The Mortgage Report: Nov. 23— Bond yields stopped falling three months ago but that hasn’t stopped Tangerine from launching one sweet 10-year special. If you: think the economy will turn around in 2021, and think rates are near a medium-term (or longer) bottom, and want maximum protection from future rate increase, thenTangerine’s new 10-year fixed rate might just check your...
The bad news: COVID cases have exploded, hospitalization numbers are surging and most people may be slow to get vaccinated. The good news: the fatality rate is dropping and vaccine distribution could start next month. The question is, which news will the bond market pay more attention to? Our guess is the latter. Black swans aside, markets often discount major...
—The Mortgage Report: Nov. 17— Remember that rate: 8 3/4%? Your average first-time buyer wouldn’t, as he/she would’ve been just seven years old at the time (1991). 8.75% was a tremendous 1-year fixed rate back then. But man, did it take a bite out of people’s budgets. Consider that on a standard $100,000 mortgage, you would’ve paid: $811 a month,...
—The Mortgage Report: Weekend Edition— Canada’s rate outlook got a boost this week from two influential developments: Promising vaccine news (20 potential vaccines are in late-stage trials, including Pfizer’s drug that’s reportedly over 90% effective), and The widespread acceptance of Joe Biden’s presidential victory. This much-needed dose of good news led investors to sell government bonds, which is typical when...
Bond yields shot up like a cannonball after news broke this morning of Pfizer’s positive vaccine trials. Canada’s 5-year swap rate, one of the best leading indicators of fixed mortgage rates, sailed to a 5-month high. Now, everyone’s trying to figure out how long it’ll take before this translates into above-target inflation, which would be the Bank of Canada’s trigger...
—The Mortgage Report: Weekend Edition— Joe Biden has won the U.S. presidency, reports AP. Now rate-watchers will wait for the U.S. bond market to open Sunday at 6 p.m. ET to see the short-term rate impact. Biden’s apparent win isn’t the main thing bond traders are concerned with. What matters more is whether the Republicans maintain control of the U.S....
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