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Posted 32 Comments on BMO’s No-Frills 2.9932 mortgage offer is not ground breaking…just another trap by the Big Banks.. Interest rates

BMO’s No-Frills 2.99% mortgage offer is not ground breaking…just another trap by the Big Banks..

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT…. 5 years fixed No-Frills mortgage for 2.99% by BMO….wow, can you believe it?    Well, don’t get too excited…  At CanadaMortgageNews.ca we  give you the straight talk…  and guess what, No-Frills mortgages aren’t anything new…

I’m giving a BIG THUMBS DOWNS to this product… and you should too…

I’ve had access to these products in the past and we still have access to them….  but I have NEVER recommended it to any of my clients….  the limitations can be too costly and any potential savings can easily be eaten away with prepayment penalties, fees and the inability to even exit the mortgage…. That’s right, you can’t exit the mortgage in many cases…  read on, I’ll explain more..

Make sure you understand how the rates are calculated

Before you start thanking BMO and putting your arm around the banker’s back, you should understand that rates have been inflated for several months… they should actually be much lower…..

Fixed mortgage rates are closely priced to the Govt of Cda bond yields.   5 year Bond yields have been below 1.50% since Nov 1….and have been hovering at around 1.30% since Dec 1.   Historically, the best discounted rates are between 1.25% and 1.50% above the bond yields….  That means fixed rates should be at around 2.80%…. Okay, let’s add in a premium for some market uncertainty….  That doesn’t explain why 5 yr Fixed mortgage rates have not been below 3.29%?

Well, I think Canadians are smart enough to know why the savings hasn’t been passed down to them….  yup, Banks are just maximizing their profits…  And now, this past week, we saw an announcement that BMO was announcing a special low rate…  5 years fixed for 2.99% …  WOW, that does sound great…doesn’t it?    Well, maybe not… let’s take a closer look before giving this product the ‘thumbs up’.

A closer look at BMO’s NO-Frills 2.99% special

There are too many limitations to this product…

-maximum amortization is 25 years.   your prepayment privileges is reduced to and annual lump sum payment of 10% of the original principal balance and you can only increase your payment by 10%.

-90 day rate hold instead of the usual 120 day rate hold.

-you cannot payout this mortgage prior to maturity unless through a bona fide sale…

-you can only refinance the mortgage with BMO and not with any other lender before maturity…. this will all but eliminate your ability to negotiate the rate… a huge loss for borrowers….  ( you can take your mortgage with you if you move to another house but if you need more money, you will have to negotiate the rate… do you really think BMO will give you the best rate at that time???).

-BMO’s penalty calculation… the BIG SIX banks have the worst penalty calculation formula in Canada.   This is one of the biggest kept secrets in the industry… If you had to pay your mortgage early, for any reason.. or if you had to refinance, you would be hit with a penalty calculation that could break your savings account…  That’s because the BIG SIX banks use a formula that makes you pay for your mortgage discount, for the entire term of the mortgage… read this article on how they do it…. don’t get caught having to pay a 10, 12, 14 month interest penalty….  (just worked out a mortgage penalty for a client.. if they stayed with RBC, they would have to pay a penalty of $7,000, if they went with one of our wholesale lenders, they would only pay $2,000.  this penalty calculating formula is similar to BMO).

By the way, the competition has responded and bettered BMO’s offer

There is some good news to BMO coming out with this product…  just as we are writing this, we see that a big lender has come out with a 4 year fixed rate of 2.99% with NO restrictions or limitations…  For us, that eliminates BMO’s Low rate special as a serious competitor in the mortgage market.  But thank you, BMO, for pushing the Lenders…

My advice, stay away from these No Frills mortgage…   speak with your mortgage broker and get full disclosure on this and other products before making any decisions that could end up costing you dearly…

Posted Money saving tips

ING collateral mortgage began December 10, 2011..but no media coverage?

ING made it official and announced that all new mortgage applications submitted on or after December 10 2011, will be registered as a Collateral Charge.   Here’s a copy of the circular that was released….click here.

They join TD Canada Trust as just the second major lender to take this step and put the hand-cuffs on unsuspecting borrowers.   What’s different about ING’s move is that at renewal time, unlike TD, they will re-register a new collateral mortgage charge, at ING’s expense.    Strangely, I haven’t seen any major media coverage on this subject.  hmm, does this have anything to do with ING being the largest bank in the world??

SAY GOOD-BYE TO THE ‘UNMORTGAGE’ HELLO ‘MORTGAGE FOR LIFE’

But why should you care?  And what does it matter?  Well, this is about a few things.  CHOICE… they aren’t giving you one.  A collateral charge is normally used for loans and lines of credit.   There is no amortization.  And while that might be good for some, it’s not always good for all.  ING says you can refinance without having to incur new legal fees… yes, that’s true..however, you still have to be re-approved for any increase and negotiate your rate.   And the truth is, ING, just like all banks, doesn’t always have the lowest mortgage rates….don’t get fooled by their slick marketing ads…

FUTURE OPTIONS. It’s also about your future options… when it comes time to renew, and you want to switch your mortgage to another lender, you can’t… Collateral mortgages are NOT transferable.. you will have to deal with new legal fees… and ING knows this… so do you think they have to offer you the best rate at renewal time?

And speaking of the future, let’s look at a real possible scenario…suppose you need some money in a few years..   You have a great mortgage rate with ING.. it’s 3.64%… or it’s Variable Prime less 0.75%….  and now you don’t qualify for a mortgage increase.   With a conventional mortgage, you could always seek out a 2nd mortgage, but now you can’t… No 2nd mortgage lender will register behind a collateral charge.  You’re stuck with having to refinance the entire mortgage.   You lose, The Bank wins.

For me, ING and TD Canada Trust are not the first choice for mortgage lenders…

Posted 2 Comments on BMO announces lower rate IF you take a shorter amortization! Interest rates

BMO announces lower rate IF you take a shorter amortization!

Have you heard the big news?   BMO lowers rate their best discounted 5 year fixed rate to 3.49%  to encourage Canadians to take an amortization 25 years or less.  They claim they want to encourage Canadians to pay their debt off faster…..  Sounds nice and in keeping with the Christmas spirit, doesn’t it?

Ok, before we get all warm-hearted and teary eyed, let’s take a closer look at what this really is.    First, this IS NOT the best discounted fixed rate in the market.   A good Mortgage Broker can get you 3.39% out there with no restrictions on amortization (even lower with some No Frills mortgage products).   We all want to pay our mortgage off faster, but choosing a shorter amortization only limits your future options…   My recommendation to almost all my clients is to take the longest amortization possible……

It’s not that I want you to have a mortgage forever, it’s about having options….  I always take a ‘what if’ approach….   Follow me for a minute…

Let’s say you had a $300,000 mortgage and you took this BMO 3.49% rate,  your payments on a 25 year amortization with be $1496.23/mth.   But if you took a truly discounted mortgage at 3.39% with a 35 year amortization, your minimum payment would be $1216.75/mth.   You could always INCREASE your payment to accelerate your amortization to 25 years or shorter.

Now, let’s say you lost your job, had some unexpected expense come up, or a financial emergency or just needed to lower your payments.   If you chose 25 year amort, then you are stuck with that payment.. if you chose 35 year, then you can always go back to that lower payment…    That’s the flexibility that we want.  It’s not about taking longer to pay, it’s about having the option to reduce your payment if needed.

LET’S NOT FORGET THE BANKS HISTORY WHEN IT COMES TO RATES

In keeping with the Christmas theme, Mr. Potter would be approve the Banks latest strategy.   In case you didn’t know, the 5 year Canada Bond is in record low territory…. hovering at around  1.31%… the 5 year fixed rates are priced from the bonds… the spread is normally around 1.25% to 1.40%… and yet today, the spread is 2.18%…. WOW!  and why?  TO MAXIMIZE PROFITS.   This is has nothing to do with wanting to helps Canadians. 5 year fixed rates should be under 3.00% but they aren’t, because the Banks want to maximize profits.

VARIABLE RATE PRICING IS AT 1990’s LEVEL

Variable rate pricing went from Prime less 0.90%, 3 years ago, to Prime plus 1.00% in during the October 2008 US mortgage crisis, to Prime less 0.75% just six months ago…. to Prime plus 0.20% today.    That’s right, Prime PLUS 0.20%.  Haven’t seen this pricing since the ’90s.  There are no fundamental reasons for this… it’s simply profit taking by the banks.. they are forcing us to take a 5 year fixed rate.   Sure, today’s 5 year fixed rates are at historical lows, so there is very little attention being given… but when rates go up, and they will in a few years, we will start to ask for more competitive products and better options other than a 5 year fixed rate….  (Can you see Mr. Potter’s grin getting larger?).

My advice… think about who your banker works for….and who your Mortgage Broker works for….

Posted 10 Comments on ING collateral charge in 2012.. hand-cuffs included Mortgage News

ING collateral charge in 2012.. hand-cuffs included

You’ve seen the ads…  That fellow with the Dutch accent and the orange background, telling us to ‘save your money’.  Since 1997, when they first entered Canada, they have grown to 1.7 million clients and $37billion in assets.  ING spends millions in marketing… They’ve created a brand that is synonymous with saving or discounts.

Today, I just heard they will be counting on that trust.  It is rumoured ING Direct will begin registering ALL mortgages as collateral charges.   They join TD Bank as the second major lender to make this bold change.    A move that has great implications for the Canadian consumer.

It was almost one year ago when TD Bank announced they would register all their mortgages as a collateral charge.  (click here for the details of what a collateral mortgage is and some reactions).   Consumer advocates spoke up and warned against getting a mortgage like this…. Strangely, the media was silent.  (hmm, I wonder how much TD spends in media advertising???).

In short, the benefit is that you will be able to increase your mortgage without having to spend money on new legal fees….ok, that saves you around $800 to $1,000.  That’s your benefit.  (but even this has changed as there are some programs that will offer a discounted legal fee).

Here’s what you lose….you give up your leverage to negotiate the best rate… and that’s because if you want to leave ING, you cannot simply transfer your mortgage… Collateral mortgages cannot be transferred.     You still have to qualify for any increase… you must trust that the Bank has your best interest at heart….   Hey, remember when all the banks raised their lines of credit rates in 2008-09 without warning?

ING has been a great Lender, but this new move will drive away most advisors, mortgage brokers and clients that want options and flexibility..

I’ll continue to report more as this story breaks..

Posted Interest rates

Canadians saved $2.7billion on their mortgage by refinancing or renewing this year.

Variable rate mortgages have been extremely popular.   A study by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP) showed that 37% of Canadians took a Variable rate last year, compared 31% from the year prior.

And Canadians saved almost $2.7billion by renewing or refinancing their mortgages this year.   Wow, that’s a lot of money… maybe too much?   The banks have put a lot of pressure on borrowers NOT to take Variable… they’ve made it harder to qualify by getting the govt involved and having them qualify all new Variable rate clients with posted 5 year fixed rates…. And most recently, the Banks have jacked up their Variable rate pricing from Prime less 0.75%, 0.80% and even 0.90%, to Prime less 0.00% and even Prime PLUS 0.10%.

Watch for the Banks to hike fixed rates as they aren’t earning enough… or so they tell us…