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Tag65% ltv heloc

Posted Mortgage News

HELOC’s capped at 65% but some exceptions still apply..

Earlier this month marked the beginning of the end of 80% loan to value HELOCs.   Several Banks and of the Financial Institutions began to cut back the maximum LTV from 80% to 65% as per OSFI’s regulations.   But there are a few loopholes in the new rules….

  • The good news is that existing HELOC clients don’t have to worry.. these changes don’t apply to them.  OSFI is allowing them to keep their HELOCs at 80%….
  • Only OSFI regulated Financial Institutions are affected… Provincially regulated FI’s aren’t affected… Credit Unions don’t fall under OSFI’s rule…  there are still some Credit Unions offering HELOCs to 75% and even 80% loan to value.
  • Some of the Banks are still offering a combination of a HELOC and a mortgage of up to 80% ltv as long at you have at least 15% of your balance in an amortized payment schedule, and not interest only payments.

There is more good news… The BIG SIX BANKS can’t offer you an 80% LTV HELOC but the credit unions can… Maybe Canadians will start to seek other Lenders……They may finally discover that there much better options out there.   Watch for the Credit Unions to take a chunk out of the BIG SIX BANK mortgage pie.

Not sure where you fit in?   Call me for details.

Steve Garganis

416 224 0114

Posted 1 Comment on Part 2 of OSFI’s new mortgage underwriting rules announced Mortgage News

Part 2 of OSFI’s new mortgage underwriting rules announced

Hot topics this week are all the govt changes to mortgage lending…  but before we get into the bad news, I thought I’d start with some positive news…  Interest rates are still at all time lows….  if you have a mortgage or will be getting one soon, today’s rates are lower than ever before…  That means more money in your pocket!   We don’t seem to hear enough about that…

Okay, now for the update…Remember, these changes will affect ALL Federally regulated financial institutions….BUT they won’t affect MOST CREDIT UNIONS and other Lenders..

Yesterday we got a double whammy…  First the Federal Department of Finance announced changes to CMHC insured mortgages.… And later that day, OSFI announced Part 2 of their changes to Residential Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures, better known as RMUP… but I prefer RUMP because that’s exactly where most of us will be feeling the effects of these changes…

The timing of all this tightening puzzles most of us in the mortgage industry.   Canada has been the envy of the world when it comes to our mortgage underwriting practices… The govt seems to be getting more into credit underwriting and procedures than ever before… And yet they have not given us any true data or reason for these changes….

Nevertheless, it’s important to keep up to date as these changes will affect us all.  Part 1 of changes were announced earlier this month through a Draft update on June 6th..   And here are the details of the final changes which come into effect later this year… there is a lot of text in the final draft but we are only focusing on the changes that will have the greatest impact on us:

  • Credit checks should be done more often.. minimum credit scores should not solely relied up to determine a borrower’s credit worthiness.
  • Home Equity Lines of Credit will be limited to 65% loan to value, down from the current 80% loan to value. (still not sure if there will be any grandfathering of existing lines but my guess is no)
  • there is more wording with regards to Lender’s Senior Management having more minimum reporting… (this looked like make-work stuff to me as most Lenders have tons of reporting).
  • Cash-back mortgages are gone (no big deal here…. very few of these products were ever used by us ‘irresponsible Canadians’… )
  • Self-employed individuals will be required to provide and pass an ‘income reasonability’ test… (these already exist with most Lenders)
  • Lenders should use the 5 yr fixed contract rate or the Bank Posted rate when qualifying for Variable rate products…even conventional mortgages… (again, nothing new here.. most Lenders are doing this already….yawn)

Who can blame you if you if you’re having trouble keeping up with all these changes to mortgage rules and lending policies.  We must question the purpose of these changes… little to no proof has been presented with regards to why the govt feels these changes are needed… and the timing may come back to bite them in the RUMP!   Some experts are making the argument that the govt’s attempt to avert a major housing downturn, could actually be the cause of it…..let’s hope not.. only time will tell.

I question why the govt is so focused on the estimated $1trillion residential mortgage market, when we have little or no rules when it comes to the other $500billion of non-real estate debt such as credit cards, loans and lines of credit.   Why is it okay to buy a car with $0 money down or okay to make NO payments for 6 months or 1 year, with interest rates of 8%, 18% and 28%, but if you want to buy or refinance your home, you better be prepared to jump through several hoops?   Can you say, ‘I need to refocus my energy and efforts’?

THE GOOD NEWS

Mortgage Brokers will be much busier with these new changes.   Your traditional Bank and ‘A’ Lender WILL NOT be able to provide the same financing as before…. BUT there are several other Lenders that are ready to fill the gap… including Credit Unions and other non-bank Lenders…..   We could see the small Lenders grow with these changes…  As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need clarification.

Steve Garganis

Posted Mortgage News

OSFI announcement: HELOCs cut to 65%, partial re-qualifying for mortgages at renewal time..

The Office of The Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) announced some interim changes that will affect all mortgage borrowers and also those with Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC).    Draft Bill B-20 was introduced March 19, 2012… and somehow, in less than 3 months, the govt has been able to review the short and long term effects of the biggest changes ever put forward before this country.  Did they work efficiently or did they rush through this?

In the end, we saw 2 major changes announced that will affect all mortgage borrowers….  changes that I feel are completely uncalled for… To be blunt, I haven’t been able to find one piece of data or fact from OSFI or the govt to substantiate their call for change….  Let’s take a look at their changes…by the way, you can click here for the full version from OSFI’s website

1- Re-qualification at Renewal – “Current practice regarding residential mortgage renewals has served (Federally-regulated Financial Institutions) FRFIs well.” … “FRFIs, however, will be expected to refresh the borrowers’ credit metrics periodically (not necessarily at renewal) so that FRFIs can effectively evaluate their credit risk.”   as per OSFI text.

Some good news here… I’m glad OSFI isn’t making us fully re-qualify for a mortgage at every renewal period… but obtaining a new credit report at the Lenders discretion should concern you…  If you think it’s all about making your payments on time, guess again… Your overall credit balances, your credit availability, you balances in proportion to your available credit, how recent you obtained credit….. All these things are factored in a mortgage approval decision…. and let’s not forget your credit score… If your credit score goes down or if the Lender changes their policy (we’ve seen that happen many times over the past 4 years), then you could be in jeopardy of not qualifying for a renewal…

Life is never perfect…. we all hit some speed bumps…. the character of a person isn’t measured when times are tough, but rather how they handled that rough patch in their life… If you default on your mortgage, there are existing remedies in place for the Lender to collect their funds…..Do we really need to arm Lenders with a weapon that allows them to cancel or call your mortgage if they think you MIGHT not be able to make future payments??    Are we guilty until proven innocent?  Thumbs down from me on this one…

2- Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs) –  “…the HELOC component of a mortgage be restricted to a maximum loan-to-value ratio of 65 per cent.  HELOCs are inherently riskier products, given their revolving nature, persistence of debt balances and their ineligibility for mortgage insurance.  However, HELOCs at or below an LTV ratio of 65 per cent will not be required to be amortized….”  as per OSFI text.

We aren’t sure what this means… if you have a HELOC greater than 65% loan to value, will you need to amortized part of it?   The wording in OSFI’s announcement shows me just how out of touch with reality they are….  HELOCs are riskier but they are already much harder to qualify for.  Reality is that arrears or defaults are near all time lows….  Reality is that most HELOC borrowers use them for a large number of things… investments, home renos, business, etc….   The govt has not given us any data to back up their statements about higher risk… and industry stats show we are fine…  It was only a few years ago when CMHC was offering insured HELOCs up to 90% loan to value…?   We’ve gone from 90% to 65%…. Has the pendulum swung too far…?

These changes will come into effect soon…we’ll have to watch for the Final announcement on how they will be implemented…  And because the govt is putting the responsiblity back on the Lenders, we will see different interpretations of these new rules…No two Lenders are alike.

So what’s next, we can’t buy investment properties?   Oh yeah, CMHC stopped insuring rental properties last year…. almost forgot… BIG thumbs down from me on this move.

If you have a mortgage coming up for renewal or have a HELOC and aren’t sure how these changes will affect you, feel free to give me a contact me….

Steve

Posted Consumer Debt

Shhh…Interest rates are still at record lows… and Canadians are making huge prepayments.

 IT’S OKAY TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT LOW INTEREST RATES

I’m sure this isn’t what our Federal govt wants you to hear.   But it’s true… Fixed rates are in the low 3.00%s….  So why aren’t we feeling good about this?   Why isn’t everyone happy?   Record low interest rates means less interest cost to you… it means low housing costs…It means you are saving money.

A mortgage is the biggest debt most of us will ever have…  We all talk about mortgage rates with our friends, co-workers and family…. It’s a popular subject… But for some reason, we aren’t feeling good about these low rates…  It’s almost like we should be feeling a little guilty, like the cat that swallowed the canary… do you feel like that?

Could it be that we have been beaten to death with negative messages by the Federal Minister of Finance?   Housing Bubble coming!!!…. personal debt levels rising!!… higher interest rates coming…!!   Maple Leafs win Stanley cup (oops, had to throw that one in)… we’ve been talking about these same things for years… yet they haven’t happened!  I’m not saying these aren’t concerns but I think some of these have been overstated without providing enough proof or evidence.

The govt doesn’t want you to borrow at these rates…   They are afraid you would be too irresponsible and would borrow more than you could afford… (never mind the fact that you must qualify at BANK POSTED rates which are 2.00% higher than these wholesale mortgage rates…)

NEW STATISTICS SHOW WE ARE RESPONSIBLE AND NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF TROUBLE

By the way… the strange part about all this “boy that cried wolf” noise from the govt, is that there really isn’t any proof that we are in trouble….  That’s right..  Mortgage Arrears are low and have been low for over a decade… Affordability is better than it was 20 years ago!   (low rates have helped but increases in income have also factored in)…

And how about this stat that just came out….Around 23% of Canadian mortgage borrowers have increased their regular mortgage payments by $400 to $500 per month.  19% are making lump sum payments of around $12,500 per year.   That works out to over $20billion in extra payments towards their mortgages.  Or put another way, over 1 million mortgage holders out of the estimated 5.85million mortgage holders in Canada are paying far more than the minimum payment.   Does this sound like a country of irresponsible borrowers? … (source Financial Post).

Either the govt’s message has sunk in, or there really wasn’t as big a problem as we were led to believe…. I’ll let you be the judge…

But we could be facing a ‘Made in Canada’ problem as this article states… .  With the govt planning to make the biggest changes in history with  mortgage and HELOC lending, they will be affecting a large segment of new borrowers but even more EXISTING borrowers… they will force a large percentage of Canadians to sell their homes, close their businesses or seek higher interest debt….  And why?  What purpose does it serve?  The stats tell us we are fine…

House prices are hot in Toronto but they are cold in the rest of Canada…  The govt is providing a solution to problem that doesn’t exist.

If you aren’t sure if you could benefit from today’s low rates,  or how these proposed new lending changes will affect you, give me a call or send me an email…  I’d be happy to discuss your options.

Steve Garganis

Posted Consumer Debt

Govt to cut Secured lines of credit to 65% loan to value…

Thursday’s speech by OSFI head, Julie Dickson, at the Toronto Board of Trade, indicates it’s a done deal.  Secured lines of Credit will be capped to a maximum 65% of the value of your home.  “…the guideline does set out some firm rules that all institutions will need to adhere to – specifically that home equity lines of credit – or HELOCS – can have a loan to value ratio no greater than 65%….”

WE’RE MAKING SOME CHANGES…. I MEAN, WE ARE PROPOSING SOME CHANGES…

It was only a few weeks ago that OSFI issued a Draft B-20 guideline, a guideline that is filled with radical changes to mortgage lending rules and policies.    It was supposed to be up for discussion, with a May 1st deadline…. So much for discussion…. it appears the decision was made already according to Ms. Dickson’s speech today…. here’s a copy of that speech… April 5 2012 remarks by Julie Dickson.

90%, 80% AND NOW 65%???… WHEN DOES IT END?

Remember 2007?  It was just a few years ago that CMHC was offering 100% loan to value, interest only payment mortgages.  Back then it was good to borrow at these levels…. And HELOC’s could be had for up to 90% LTV.  Over the past few years, the govt has tightened up mortgage rules in an attempt to reduce access to credit.    Mortgages were amortized for 40 years, then cut back to 35 and now 30 years..  But now the govt believes they need to step in again and limit access to your equity by reducing the Loan to Value limit to just 65%….   I looked back to some historical lending policies and couldn’t find a time when the govt ever imposed a limit of just 65%.   It is unheard of! And it’s going to have a big effect.

SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

OSFI is finding a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.   I don’t think they realize that Banks have pushed borrowers into lines of credit for years now, as a way of providing easier access to the equity in their homes.    Canadians aren’t buying new TVs or new cars or other luxury items… they are using the equity to improve their net worth by buying investments.   Why is this a bad thing?   Are our defaults up?  NO!  Then what is the problem….?

WHO WILL THIS AFFECT AND HOW?

If you are a self-employed person and ever tried to get a business loan from the Bank, then you know how difficult it can be to get an approval… but even if you do, the repayment terms and interest costs could be a hard stop.   End result is that business idea could remain just that… an idea that never got launched.   One of the more popular alternatives was to access cheap money by borrowing, against the equity in your home.  Mortgages can be great but if you need to borrow, repay and borrow again, then a mortgage can have costly registration fees and penalties.  But through a HELOC,  the repayment terms are great and it’s also a much lower rate of interest than any business credit facility.

Borrowing to invest isn’t anything new.  A HELOC allows you to access YOUR equity at preferred rates.   How about buying a second home or a rental property?  You could use the equity in your home to help with the purchase and HELOCs give a separate accounting which makes reporting to Revcan much easier.

How about borrowing for your child’s education?   Are we going to force Canadians to refinance their mortgages in order access cheap money?   I’m sure the BIG SIX Banks will love to see you break your mortgage and pay their infamous penalties.

END RESULT

Get ready, because you are about to see us pushed into higher interest, unsecured lines of credit (oh yeah, there wasn’t any mention of reviewing these lending policies… that’s because NONE exist!).

Which debt would you pay last…. a mortgage, a secured line of credit or a credit card or unsecured line of credit?    Obviously, it’s the unsecured debts would be last on our list… we will always pay for the roof over our heads…. which is why the defaults are still very low and within very acceptable levels.

We are going to see many Canadians discouraged from investing.. they won’t want to go through the trouble of borrowing with a mortgage…  Congratulations OSFI, you’ve made borrowing more expensive….you’ve made investing for our future tougher than it has to be.

The WINNERS… the BANK…. The LOSERS… you and me, the average Canadian…!