9 Oct

5 REASONS A MORTGAGE BROKER IS YOUR BEST CHOICE

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

So it seems that there are still Canadian consumers who have reservations or misunderstandings about why a mortgage broker is their best choice. Time to take a quick look at 5 reasons you should use a broker.

1. Almost always free to use. 41% of consumers polled for the June 2016 Mortgage Professionals Canada “The Next Generation of Homebuyers” report seem to have the misconception that they are the ones paying somehow for the mortgage broker’s services. Here are a few things you should know:

· Bank branch reps and mobile specialists are paid bonuses for being able to get you to sign at a higher rate. It’s true. Ask them.

· The banks and broker lenders avoid the costs of having another in house employee with benefits and all that when they go through a mortgage broker who pay all those cost themselves.

· A mortgage broker will only charge a fee on an alternative deal where the client has blemished credit or on a commercial deal and in both cases the amounts are very upfront and are agreed to ahead of time.

2. Professional and carefully watched. Mortgage brokers only do mortgages. That means we know what we are talking about and can advise you properly. You can also rest assured that your privacy is well protected given that we are watched carefully by governmental agencies. As we should be really.

3. Choices! A mortgage broker is exactly like an insurance broker. We have access to a large number of lenders so if your application does not quite fit with one bank we have many others we can try it through. It is our job to know that you are getting the best mortgage and rate for your situation. Often we can even get better rates for you at your own bank given the very high volume we do with them.

4. Avoiding nasty pitfalls. Do you know how your bank calculates the penalty on the mortgage? Do they use posted to discounted rates? Are you getting put into a collateral mortgage? That’s OK if you have no idea what any of that means. We know. It’s our job and that can save you a ton of money down the road.

5. Convenient. Mortgage brokers pride themselves on their exemplary service. We can work with you remotely or face to face. We use the latest technology to make things as easy as possible for our clients.

So there you have it. We are free to use, full of professional advice, offer wide variety of choices, help you avoid pitfalls and we are convenient too! Oh, and did we mention that just over 50% of first time home buyers use mortgage brokers these days? Come find out why Dominion Lending Centres is where you should go for your next mortgage. You’ll be so glad you did.

6 Oct

NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM. NEW CANADIAN MORTGAGE RULES EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 17 2016

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

The Minister of Finance announced on Monday new Canadian mortgage rules effective October 17,2016. The new rules will impact high ratio buyers – those with less than 20% down payment. Other rule changes are expected to follow so stay tuned for details as they unfold. The important thing to remember is that this is not the end of the world! Rather, it is the time when you really need the voice of reason from an experienced Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional.

Currently a home buyer with less than 20% (high ratio) requires mortgage insurance through CMHC or one of the private insurers. The financing rules for this purchase differ from those buying a home with 20% or more down payment. However, both types of buyers have one rule in common – to access short term fixed rates (1-4 years) or a variable rate mortgage they must qualify at the benchmark rate (currently 4.64%). They don’t pay that rate, but it is a metric used to qualify for access to the variable or short term rate products.

Effective October 17th all high ratio buyers will have to qualify at the benchmark rate for all terms.

For example a home buyer currently qualified to purchase with 10% down for a mortgage of $527,000. After October 17th, this home buyer would qualify for a $420,000 mortgage. This equates to a 20% drop in buying power. (All things being equal in terms of property taxes, income, debts, etc).

Buyers in this situation would have the option to make up the shortfall with more money down or add another person to the mortgage to help qualify or purchase a lower priced property. For detached homes with a suite the use of rental income could help the buyer make up some or all of that difference in qualifying.

Any buyers with an accepted offer in place will have till October 16th to have a firm financing approval in place. Buyers who secure an accepted offer who do not have a firm agreement from their lender (and the respective mortgage insurer) in place by October 16th will be subject to the rule change October 17th.

This is crucial timing so talk with your realtor and Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional in detail if you are ready to make an offer or have an accepted offer with no current financing in place.

There are no specific deadlines in place by the Minister of Finance regarding pre-sale purchases set to close in 2017. So discuss a strategy with your DLC mortgage broker and realtor if you are a buyer in this situation.

The announcement also indicated a change later this year to mortgages for conventional borrowers with financing that is bulk-insured. This represents a number of banks and other lenders who choose this as a strategy for their portfolio. This could impact all borrowers (those buying or refinancing). We will gain more details on this specific outcome within our industry channels and provide an update as soon as possible.

Note – when watching the news on this subject always remember to do your due diligence and consult with your professional mortgage broker. The media does not always get the details correct and can provide information that can be confusing.

To read the news release http://www.fin.gc.ca/n16/16-117-eng.asp

If you have any questions on your specific situation feel free to contact your local Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional. We’re here to help you navigate these changing – and sometimes confusing – new mortgage rules.

5 Oct

SO WHAT IS AN UNREGULATED MORTGAGE?

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

Lately in the news we have seen several articles on major mortgage fraud happening in different parts of the country. Many of these cases involved unregulated mortgages and they are the source of most of the complaints to the governing bodies in each province. Consumer education on the different types of mortgage lenders is very hard to find as is who you should complain to about a possible fraudulent situation.

First off, the only unregulated lending of money for mortgages is when a private individual lends their own money for the purpose of funding a mortgage on a property. There is no governing body on this transaction other than common law and the individual is at risk on both sides and should have at the very least have independent legal advice (ILA). If the borrower defaults – the lender forecloses. If there are other disputes between them, then it becomes a civil matter.

Mortgage Investment Corporations (MIC) are pools of money that are governed by securities commissions in most provinces and are under stringent guidelines when it comes to where and whose money they can lend and how much of an individual’s money can be lent. Rules of disclosure and accountability are monitored by the regulator or securities commission and of course by the investors whom they report to on a yearly basis.

Syndicated mortgages is a situation where two or more investor pool their money to invest in one property. Syndicated mortgages are registered on title with all of the investors named on them, unlike a MIC which would just be the MIC on title. These are heavily monitored and regulated by the securities commission as you need a securities license to deal in syndicated mortgages as an investment tool. This also falls under the guidelines that you must be a sophisticated investor to lend your money in this fashion.

Monoline lenders are lenders who deal just in mortgages, they source their business through the mortgage broker industry and buy and sell their mortgages to the banks. Although heavily regulated by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), they are sometimes considered “shadow banking” even though they fall under the same guidelines as the banks.

Mortgage Brokers act in many different ways to help facilitate mortgages. First and foremost they act in three ways.

  • One they can act as an intermediary meaning they take your information and find a lender that meets your needs in this case it is up to you to decide if that mortgage is best for you.
  • Secondly they can act as your representative and then they must act in your best interest and find you the best deal for your situation.
  • Third if they are dealing with private individuals to lend their money they then have to disclose that they are representing that lender and you as a consumer need to seek outside advice. This is all governed by the real estate act in each province and either the securities commission or the real estate councils.

Banks of course are governed by the bank act and OSFI and their books are audited on a regular basis to ensure they have enough money to lend from taking in your monthly deposits and savings.

So I’m not sure who is unregulated because as far as I can see mortgages are regulated up the wazoo and the only unregulated scenario is when the lender is a private individual lending their own money to an individual. So when all is said and done, if you need more advice on mortgages, contact the mortgage professionals at Dominion Lending Centres.

 
4 Oct

MORNEAU TAKES OUT THE BIG GUNS TO SLOW HOUSING

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

Yesterday, Ottawa unveiled major initiatives to slow housing activity both by potentially discouraging foreign home purchases and, more importantly, by making it more difficult for Canadians to get mortgages. As well, the Finance Minister is limiting the degree to which mortgage lenders can buy portfolio insurance on mortgages with downpayments of 20% or more. Ottawa has clearly taken out the big guns to slow housing activity, which is widely considered to be too strong in Vancouver and Toronto. Ironically, home sales have already slowed precipitously in Vancouver in recent months and the BC government introduced a new 15% land transfer tax on foreign purchases of homes effective August 6, the effects of which are yet to be fully determined.

The measures announced by Finance Minister Morneau are more far reaching than anything considered to date and could well have quite a significant impact. Not only are these initiatives intended to close loopholes for foreign investors, which might help to make housing more affordable for domestic purchasers, but they will actually make homeownership less attainable for the marginal borrower, which is often younger Canadian first-time home buyers.

Officials at the Department of Finance have been studying the housing market and have led a working group with municipalities and provinces, as well as federal agencies such as the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This in-depth analysis has informed today’s announcement.

 Measures Aimed At Foreign Homebuyers

  • The income tax system provides a significant income tax benefit to homeowners disposing of their principal residence, in the form of an exemption from capital gains taxation.
  • An individual who was not resident in Canada in the year the individual acquired a residence will not—on a disposition of the property after October 2, 2016—be able to claim the exemption for that year. This measure ensures that permanent non-residents are not eligible for the exemption on any part of a gain from the disposition of a residence.
  • The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will, for the first time, require all taxpayers to report the sale of a property for which the principal residence exemption is claimed.

Measures Affecting All Homebuyers

The Finance Department says in its press release that, “Protecting the long-term financial security of Canadians is a cornerstone of the Government of Canada’s efforts to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.” This is a “Nanny State” measure to protect people from themselves, as the Bank of Canada has long been concerned about the growing number of households with excessive debt-to-income ratios. It will make housing less attainable, at least in the short run. If it, therefore, substantially reduces housing demand, home prices could decline, ultimately improving affordability. This, of course, is not what the 70% of Canadian households that already own a home would like to see.

  • Broadened Mortgage Rate Stress Tests: To help ensure new homeowners can afford their mortgages even when interest rates begin to rise, mortgage insurance rules require in some cases that lenders “stress test” a borrower’s ability to make their mortgage payments at a higher interest rate. Currently, this requirement only applies to a subset of insured mortgages with variable interest rates (or fixed interest rates with terms less than five years). Effective October 17, 2016, this requirement will apply to all insured mortgages, including fixed-rate mortgages with terms of five years and more.
  • A buyer with less than 20% down will have to qualify at an interest rate the greater of their contract mortgage rate or the Bank of Canada’s conventional five-year fixed posted rate. The Bank of Canada’s posted rate is typically higher than the contract mortgage rate most buyers actually pay. As of September 28, 2016, the Bank of Canada posted rate was 4.64%, compared to roughly 2% or so on variable rate mortgages.

For borrowers to qualify for mortgage insurance, their debt-servicing ratios must be no higher than the maximum allowable levels when calculated using the greater of the contract rate and the Bank of Canada posted rate. Lenders and mortgage insurers assess two key debt-servicing ratios to determine if a homebuyer qualifies for an insured mortgage:

  • Gross Debt Service (GDS) ratio—the carrying costs of the home, including the mortgage payment and taxes and heating costs, relative to the homebuyer’s income;
  • Total Debt Service (TDS) ratio—the carrying costs of the home and all other debt payments relative to the homebuyer’s income.

To qualify for mortgage insurance, a homebuyer must have a GDS ratio no greater than 39% and a TDS ratio no greater than 44%. Qualifying for a mortgage by applying the typically higher Bank of Canada posted rate when calculating a borrower’s GDS and TDS ratios serves as a “stress test” for homebuyers, providing new homebuyers a buffer to be able to continue servicing their debts even in a higher interest rate environment, or if faced with a reduction in household income.

The announced measure will apply to new mortgage insurance applications received on October 17, 2016 or later.

  • Tighter Mortgage Insurance Rules

Lenders have the option to purchase mortgage insurance for homebuyers who make a down payment of at least 20% of the property purchase price, known as “low-ratio” insurance because the loan amounts are generally low in relation to the value of the home. There are two types of low-ratio mortgage insurance: transactional insurance on individual mortgages at the point of origination, typically paid for by the borrower, and portfolio (bulk pooled) insurance that is acquired after origination and typically paid for by the lender. The majority of low-ratio mortgage insurance is portfolio insurance.

Lender access to low-ratio insurance supports access to mortgage credit for some borrowers, but primarily supports lender access to mortgage funding through government-sponsored securitization programs.

Effective November 30, 2016, mortgage loans that lenders insure using portfolio insurance and other discretionary low loan-to-value ratio mortgage insurance must meet the eligibility criteria that previously only applied to high-ratio insured mortgages. New criteria for low-ratio mortgages to be insured will include the following requirements:

  1. A loan whose purpose includes the purchase of a property or subsequent renewal of such a loan;
  2. A maximum amortization length of 25 years;
  3. maximum property purchase price below $1,000,000 at the time the loan is approved;
  4. For variable-rate loans that allow fluctuations in the amortization period, loan payments that are recalculated at least once every five years to conform to the original amortization schedule;
  5. A minimum credit score of 600 at the time the loan is approved;
  6. A maximum Gross Debt Service ratio of 39 per cent and a maximum Total Debt Service ratio of 44 per cent at the time the loan is approved, calculated by applying the greater of the mortgage contract rate or the Bank of Canada conventional five-year fixed posted rate; and,
  7. property that will be owner-occupied.

These tighter mortgage insurance regulations will reduce the supply of mortgages and/or increase their cost to the borrower.

Consultation on Lender Risk Sharing

The Government announced that it would launch a public consultation process this fall to seek information and feedback on how modifying the distribution of risk in the housing finance framework by introducing a modest level of lender risk sharing for government-backed insured mortgages could enhance the current system.

Canada’s system of 100% government-backed mortgage default insurance is unique compared to approaches in other countries. A lender risk sharing policy would aim to rebalance risk in the housing finance system so that lenders retain a meaningful, but manageable, level of exposure to mortgage default risk.

This proposal by CMHC has been floated for some time and, needless to say, the Canadian Bankers’ Association, is against it. The measure would certainly increase the risk associated with funding mortgages and therefore likely increase the capital required to be set aside against this additional risk. Therefore, in essence, it increases the cost to the lenders to finance mortgages. The lenders will undoubtedly attempt to pass off this increased cost to the borrower or reduce its supply of credit. Right now, the cost of mortgage insurance is borne by the taxpayer.

Bottom Line: These are very meaningful initiatives to slow housing demand, making it more difficult for Canadians to borrow. Finance Minister Morneau has taken out the big guns. I have no doubt that the pace of mortgage lending will slow from what it would otherwise be as a result of these government actions. However, these actions do nothing to address the shortage of housing supply in Vancouver and Toronto.

Housing has been a very important pillar for the Canadian economy, especially at a time when oil price declines have decimated the oil sector and manufacturing continues to struggle. This is a case of being very careful what we wish for– I’m concerned that we might see more of a slowdown in housing than the government was counting on, which will certainly affect jobs and growth and reduce tax revenues at a time when budget deficits are mounting and fiscal stimulus has yet to do its job.

 
3 Oct

KNOW HOW YOUR MORTGAGE IS REGISTERED

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

Every mortgage secured by a property will be registered with the land title office.There are two ways your mortgage can be registered on title: Standard charge or collateral charge.  Not long ago, most lenders registered all mortgages as a standard charge.  In recent years, some lenders – mainly the major big banks – have moved towards using the collateral charge.

When choosing your mortgage it is vital you fully understand the terms you are agreeing to. Choosing the right mortgage can protect your interest now and in the future.  Let’s focus on the major differences between the two charges/liens that your mortgage can be registered as.

Know How Your Mortgage Is Registered

STANDARD CHARGE MORTGAGE

A standard charge mortgage is registered for the amount of your mortgage only.  A standard charge mortgage allows you the freedom to freely move lenders at renewal time without incurring legal fees.  As a borrower, you want to be in a standard charge mortgage because it gives you the leverage to shop options at renewal.

A standard charge mortgage allows you to borrow more in the form of a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit (HELOC).  As you pay down your mortgage you can access the equity you’ve gained.

COLLATERAL CHARGE MORTGAGE

A collateral charge mortgage is registered on title for more money than you require to close.  For example, a $500,000 mortgage might be registered on title as a $600,000 charge.  The lender will tell you this is beneficial because it makes it easier to access the home equity without incurring legal fees.

The major downside of a collateral mortgage becomes evident at your maturity date.  If you want to change lenders in order to obtain a better product or rate, you are on the hook for legal fees.  This often deters borrowers from moving lenders and they can feel “forced” to take whatever renewal rate their current lender is offering.

With a standard charge mortgage, in most cases, the new lender will cover the charges under a straight switch(no new money) in order to earn your business.  This means no fees to you and the ability to shop for the best mortgage.

Navigating through the mortgage process alone can be tricky.  Dominion Lending Centres has access to multiple lenders and we can help ensure you receive the perfect mortgage.