On Wednesday, September 6th at their regular policy meeting, the Bank of Canada (BoC) decided to keep their Policy Rate steady at 5%. This means that most banks will hold their consumer Prime Rate steady at 7.20%, and there will be no changes to the payment amounts for Variable rate mortgage holders. This was expected by most banks and economists,… Read More »
Inflation is higher. What does it mean for me?
Statistics Canada released it’s July inflation report yesterday, and the CPI headline inflation rate rose from 2.8% in June to 3.3% for July. To put it bluntly, that’s not good news for mortgage rates. However, a closer look at the data shows that mortgage interest, energy and grocery prices are the 3 culprits in pushing headline inflation up. If you… Read More »
Rate Update – July 2023
For the second time in a row, the Bank of Canada (BoC) announced it is increasing it’s Policy Interest rate by 0.25% (up to 5%). This means that most banks will immediately increase their consumer Prime Rate from 6.95% to 7.20% – the highest the Policy Interest rate has been in 22 years (since April 2001). In its announcement, the… Read More »
Rate Update – June 2023
After announcing a “pause” back in January and 2 consecutive meetings where rates held steady, the Bank of Canada (BoC) today announced it is increasing it’s Policy Interest rate by 0.25% (up to 4.75%). This means that most banks will immediately increase their consumer Prime Rate from 6.7% to 6.95%. In its announcement, the BoC indicated that “excess demand in… Read More »
Prime Rate Predictions for Summer
The data in the last couple of weeks has not been great regarding the fight against inflation. In the U.S., the PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures) index rose slightly from March to April and services inflation jumped substantially as month over month. It’s looking very likely the Fed is going to have to continue raising this summer, with an expected 0.25%… Read More »
Major Mortgage Regulatory Changes since 2006
Is the mortgage approval process different now than it was ‘back in the day’? Yes, definitely yes. Here is a list of some of the key regulatory changes that have occurred in the Canadian mortgage industry since 2006. 2006 Introduction of the first set of guidelines for federally regulated financial institutions, known as the “Guideline B-20,” by the Office of… Read More »
Rate Update – April 2023
For the second meeting in a row, the Bank of Canada (BoC) announced it is holding the overnight Prime lending rate unchanged for the next 6 weeks. The BoC’s overnight lending rate is currently at 4.5%, which means that most banks are calculating their consumer Prime Rate as 6.70%. In its announcement, the BoC indicated that they continue to assess… Read More »
Rate Update – March 2023
Today the Bank of Canada (BoC) announced that it would keep the overnight Prime lending rate unchanged for the next 6 weeks. The BoC’s overnight lending rate is currently at 4.5%. You can find our best mortgage rates here. Variable Rate Analysis It was largely expected for the BoC to leave Prime unchanged at this meeting, after the BoC indicated… Read More »
Fixed Rates on the Rise!
Fixed rates are moving up – if you’re thinking of buying in the spring, you should get pre-approved and lock in a rate hold now. January’s inflation numbers came out for the U.S. today, and while they did show a slight decrease from December on most measures, the decrease was less than many banks and investors were hoping to see.… Read More »
Bank of Canada raises benchmark rate by 0.25%
Today the Bank of Canada (BoC) raised its key lending rate by 0.25%. This in turn means most banks and consumer lenders will raise their prime rates by the same amount tomorrow. With most lenders, that means their consumer prime rate will increase from 6.45% to 6.70%. This increase directly affects all borrowers with variable or adjustable rate mortgages and… Read More »