TagBMO Low-Rate mortgage

Posted August 4, 20151 Comment Interest rates

Hey, what happened to the BMO “Low Rate Mortgage”?

Remember the BMO “Low rate mortgage”? It seems to have disappeared… Well, not really. BMO has quietly changed the label and now calls it the ‘Smart Fixed Rate Mortgage’.

Sounds impressive…but it’s not. I’ll save the suspense. This is the same product that’s full of limitations, restrictions and an inflated prepayment penalty calculation…. It isn’t the best rate… Certainly NOT the best mortgage product. Continue reading “Hey, what happened to the BMO “Low Rate Mortgage”?”

Posted March 27, 2015 Interest rates

News Flash! BMO and TD’s 2.79% is great but it ISN’T the lowest rate!

It’s become an annual tradition. Every year around this time, BMO announces, what appears to be a great mortgage for a 5 year fixed rate. Last week, BMO announced they were lowering their 5 yr Fixed rate to 2.79%. TD jumped in and did the same thing. Wow! That’s the lowest advertised rate by a BIG SIX BANK, in history. (excuse me while I yawn..pause for long yawn here)

Hey! Guess what? It’s NOT the best rate available! Read on….

HERE’S 7 FACTS BMO AND TD DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW, BUT I’LL TELL YOU: Continue reading “News Flash! BMO and TD’s 2.79% is great but it ISN’T the lowest rate!”

Posted March 27, 2013 Consumer Debt

BMO caves in to Federal govt pressure and raises mortgage rate.

It was bound to happen. BMO announced their so-called ‘low-rate’ (NO FRILLS) 5 yr fixed rate mortgage would be increasing to 3.09% from 2.99%. This comes shortly after the Federal Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty, said that he called BMO and asked them to pull their 2.99% ads. Last week, the Minister’s office asked Manulife Bank to withdraw their recent ad promoting a similar low rate.

While, 2.99% isn’t the best rate today, it was the lowest advertised rate from the BIG SIX BANKs. It was somewhat symbolic. Of course, Mortgage Brokers have access to even lower rates through the wholesale mortgage market, but these lenders don’t have the deep advertising pockets that BMO or the other BIG SIX BANKs have. So the publicity surrounding this rate and the increase will get much more air-time. You can actually find full-featured 5 year mortgages at 2.89% today, through a good mortgage broker (a word of warning.. I’ve seen lower rates offered, and I have access to these products… but these products are not full-featured and come with some limitations that make them less attractive… just be careful when choosing your mortgage and your mortgage broker)… Continue reading “BMO caves in to Federal govt pressure and raises mortgage rate.”

Posted March 21, 20133 Comments Consumer Debt

Canadian Govt doesn’t want you to find the lowest mortgage rate.

Yesterday, we saw our Federal Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty, admit to having his office phone up Manulife Financial and ask them to stop advertising their 2.89% 5 year fixed rate mortgage special. An unprecedented move for a government official… Yes, it’s true! But wait, it gets better (or worse). Flaherty admitted to calling up BMO personally, to ask them to stop advertising their 2.99% 5 year fixed rate (NO FRILLS mortgage). click here for the article.

Now, just a comment about these products and rates…. if you are a regular visitor to CanadaMortgageNews.ca then you’ll know the BMO low-rate (or NO FRILLS to be more accurate) is a terrible product with too many restrictions and limitations… Manulife has a decent product….rate is competitive, however, like most other Bank’s, there is some mystery about what their best rates really are… so once again, you can’t rely on a website or bank advertising when it comes to finding the best mortgage…a mortgage broker is the best way to get unbiased advice with access to dozens of Lenders. Continue reading “Canadian Govt doesn’t want you to find the lowest mortgage rate.”

Posted March 5, 2013 Interest rates

BMO’s 2.99% No Frills mortgage is back… and so is our warning to stay away from it!

So you’re shopping for a mortgage… and you see 2.99% advertised by BMO.. and you think, Wow, that’s a great rate!!… but is it really that great? And is it really a great mortgage product?

Well, first, what if I told you there was a lower rate out there? And what if I told you there was a lower rate without the restrictions and limitations of BMO’s NO FRILLS mortgage?

Ok, now that I got your attention, let’s continue…We saw this same product and rate advertised last year, in January 2012. BMO promoted their NO FRILLS, oops, I’m sorry, they want us to call it a ‘low-rate’ mortgage (guess that sounds better). There was a buzz in the air. My phone rang off the hook and my inbox was full of emails asking what this was all about. Continue reading “BMO’s 2.99% No Frills mortgage is back… and so is our warning to stay away from it!”