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 »
Bank of Canada raises benchmark rate by 0.50%
Today the Bank of Canada (BoC) raised its key lending rate by 0.5%, meaning most banks and consumer lenders will raise their prime rates by the same amount tomorrow. With most lenders, that means consumer prime rates will increase from 5.95% to 6.45%. The prime rate increase will directly affect all borrowers with variable or adjustable rate mortgages and lines… Read More »
Bank of Canada raises benchmark rate by 0.50%
This week the Bank of Canada (BoC) raised their key lending rate by 0.5%, meaning most banks and consumer lenders will raise their prime rates by the same amount. With most lenders, that means prime rates will increase from 5.45% to 5.95%. The prime rate increase will directly affect all borrowers with variable or adjustable rate mortgages and lines of… Read More »
Bank of Canada Raises benchmark rate by 0.75%
In today’s interest rate announcement the Bank of Canada (BoC) raised it’s key benchmark rate by 0.75%, which will cause all the consumer lenders to raise their prime rates by the same amount. With most lenders, that means their prime rate will increase from 4.7% to 5.45%. The prime rate increase will directly affect all borrowers with variable or adjustable… Read More »
