TagMortgage penalties

Posted March 14, 2015 Debt

Historical low mortgage rates mean RECORD HIGH penalties for BIG SIX BANK clients!

Mortgage penalty calculations continue to mystify Canadian consumers. For years, I’ve posted numerous articles on penalties… how they affect us… how they are calculated…..why you need to understand them.. and most importantly, HOW TO AVOID THEM!!

Today, I’ll give you explicit details on the great mortgage penalty mystery…

I’ve shared dozens of horror stories about average Canadians being hit with mortgage penalties of $12,000, $15,000, $20,000, $30,000 and more. These examples aren’t from some obscure small financial institution. It’s your BIG SIX BANK. Yet, the attitude from Consumers is that it won’t or doesn’t affect them….until it’s too late.

I’ve also shared the solution on how to avoid this… and I’m going to share that with you once again.. If you want to know how to avoid monster penalties, then take a few minutes and read this.. It could save you untold $$thousands…. Continue reading “Historical low mortgage rates mean RECORD HIGH penalties for BIG SIX BANK clients!”

Posted March 9, 2015 Money saving tips

$22,500 savings by breaking mortgage and getting into today’s low rates!

A few weeks ago, I posted an article about one of my readers that had the potential to save $15,000 by breaking the mortgage and getting into a new 5 year fixed rate. This was a net savings. The actual savings was just over $20,000 less the penalty of $5,000.

This week, we had an even bigger savings. My clients are in a 10 yr term at 3.59%, with a $710,000 balance and 8 yrs to go. The penalty to break is $6500. The savings is $29,000. Result is a net savings of $22,500. Wow! $22,500 savings over the next 5 years! That’s $4500/ year in savings!

This type of savings opportunity is extremely rare. I’ve only seen this level of savings a few times before. We can thank the record low interest rates for that.

If you are in a mortgage with a rate that’s above 3.20%, then you could be missing an opportunity to save $$thousands. You should at least consult with a Mortgage Broker to do the math. Remember, I haven’t even listed the lower rate product options available, such as Variable rate, or a 3 year fixed rate. It’s worth looking into.

Your best interest is my only interest. I reply to all questions and I welcome your comments. Like this article? Share with a friend.

Steve Garganis 416 224 0114 steve@mortgagenow.ca

Posted February 27, 2015 Money saving tips

$15,000 savings by breaking his mortgage early and getting into today’s low rates.

Look, I don’t advocate paying penalties, however, if there is an obvious savings to be had, then you have to do it. We’ve reached a point where interest rates are so low, it’s worth a review. Here are some recent experiences with real people…. Enjoy.

I had one of my readers contact me about breaking his mortgage… His current mortgage with a good lender.. a Non-bank lender.. his rate is 3.59%. He took a 10 yr term last year. Balance was over $500k. So with 9 yrs remaining, we reviewed his options.

This was a no brainer. Penalty to get out was under $5,000 (lucky he was with a non-BIG SIX BANK). But the savings over the next 5 yrs would be $20,500. His net savings is $15,000. Would you I recommend he break the mortgage? Absolutely! Continue reading “$15,000 savings by breaking his mortgage early and getting into today’s low rates.”

Posted January 29, 20153 Comments Bank News

BIG SIX BANKS finally cut Prime rate.. Well, sort of…!

Last week, the Bank of Canada (BoC) cut their overnight rate by 0.25%. The move surprised all the so-called ‘Financial Experts’… (well, not me… As I had suggested rates were likely to drop in the previous week’s article and also in the previous month).

Our BIG SIX BANKS had their own surprise for us. Instead of passing along the usual rate cut to consumers, they sat on their hands and did nothing. In fact, TD Bank felt good about it and made public statements about how their Bank Prime rate wasn’t fully influenced by the BOC rate. (That’s such a load of bull, you can almost smell it coming out of your screens!)

And also last week, the Banks immediately cut the rate they pay you on your savings by that same 0.25%. Continue reading “BIG SIX BANKS finally cut Prime rate.. Well, sort of…!”

Posted October 8, 20142 Comments Bank News

Senior Deputy Governor says lower rates are the new normal.

In her first public speech as Senior Deputy Governor for the Bank of Canada, Carolyn Wilkins brought some good news to Canadians with mortgages. Interest rates should remain low for some time….. and we can expect lower rates to be the “new normal”.

Ms. Wilkins went on to say that “the recovery has had repeated false starts and still faces considerable headwinds.” This seems to be the new message coming from the Bank of Canada. And I must say, it’s a refreshing change from the previous high-profile Governor, Mark Carney.

UNPOPULAR COMMENTS

Remember our previous Bank of Canada governor? Mr. Carney earned high praise for helping Canada avoid any U.S. style recession. But in the years leading up to his 2013 departure, his repeated warnings of pending interest rate hikes never materialized. In fact, we now know they were way off. Interest rates went down and have stayed down. Looking back, Carney’s rate hike warnings sounded more like ‘the boy who cried wolf’. Continue reading “Senior Deputy Governor says lower rates are the new normal.”