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TagMortgage penalties

Posted 2 Comments on What mortgage product does your bank want you to take? Case study

What mortgage product does your bank want you to take?

Here are some interesting stats…

-A Variable rate mortgage outperforms a fixed rate mortgage in over 88% of the time… According the Milevsky study done earlier this decade and updated in 2008….

-Variable rate mortgages have been at least 1.00% lower than the 5 year fixed rate mortgage over the past 25 years….and on occasion, better by as much as 2.00%.

-Canadians move every 3 years on average…meaning they must either refinance their mortgage or pay it out.

-a Variable rate mortgage has a fixed penalty of 3 months interest.

-a 5 year fixed rate mortgage has a penalty that is at least 3 months interest but has no limit…. and in the past 18 months, we have seen penalties of 6, 10 and even 14 months worth of interest.

-yet, 66% of Canadians have a 5 year fixed rate mortgage…

Is the 5 year fixed rate mortgage really the right product for 66% of Canadians?    Can the 5 year fixed rate mortgage be the right product for everyone?  Which mortgage product do you think your bank wants you to choose?

By the way, can you guess which mortgage product is the most profitable?…. you guessed it.. the 5 year fixed rate.

Make sure your Mortgage Broker does a needs analysis before they recommend a mortgage product for you…. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to mortgages….  Ask yourself, ‘who is this mortgage best for’…. my bank or me?

Posted Mortgage News

Don’t expect new mortgage penalty laws til next year…maybe.

Mr. Potter would be proud

Seeing that it’s near Christmas, I thought this old classic movie pic was appropriate for today’s topic.  “The house always wins” (in case you can’t read the small print).   And how true that is…

It sounds like the long-awaited Federal Govt’s Standardization of Prepayment Penalties won’t happen til some time next year at the earliest….maybe.    A good source told me that the Govt wants to put that Bill through together with several other Finance laws…..but I’m beginning to wonder if they will make any changes at the pace they are going.

The Bank lobbyist’s have done their jobs well.   Mr. Potter would be proud.   Record low mortgage rates brought us record high mortgage penalties.   6, 10 and even 14 months of interest were charged as prepayment penalties to Canadian borrowers in the past 20 months.   To put it another way, we have seen penalties of $10,000, $20,000 and more. Continue reading “Don’t expect new mortgage penalty laws til next year…maybe.”

Posted Mortgage News

Does this ad make you laugh or get you mad?

In February, the Federal government announced many changes to tighten mortgage lending policies to ensure Canadians don’t get in over their head when it comes to mortgages.. they also promised to STANDARDIZE Mortgage Penalties…  well, we have not seen or heard anything about it… Come on Feds, make the change…   Canadians need your help..

Last week someone sent me this mobile pic from just outside a Scotiabank branch..  We couldn’t help but find the ad amusing…  In case you can’t read it.. “Penalty & fees have you  upset?  No respect? Get service and advice worth switching for”.…

Well Scotiabank, speaking on behalf of all Canadian borrowers for just a minute, the answer is YES… we are upset.. so what are you going to do about it?

Pause… wait… I don’ t hear anything…  Just what I thought.. nothing..

We found the arrogance disturbing.  Scotiabank is no different than any of the other major bank when it comes to calculating their prepayment penalties…and in fact, I have more than a few clients that will get quite upset after seeing this.

You see, they are part of a long list of Mortgage Borrowers that found out, the hard way, that mortgage prepayment penalties can be extremely high… 6%, 7% and sometimes 10% of the outstanding mortgage balance…  Here’s a good example from a Bank of Montreal client… this article was written in Ellen Roseman’s Blog…   Her reader is quoting a $30,000 penalty on a $360,000 mortgage with 2 years remaining…

Think you are immune?  Well, if you are in a fixed rate mortgage, then I’ve got news for you.. you are susceptible to the same outrageous penalties if you take any fixed rate mortgage.    The Banks are selling 5 year Fixed rate mortgages as getting ‘peace of mind’ and protection from potential rate increases….   And yet, study after study has proven that SHORT term and VARIABLE rate mortgages outperform any fixed rate..

Make an informed decision, stay alert and make sure you know what you are getting into when choosing a FIXED rate mortgage…  Feel free to contact me anytime for my advice or opinions.

Posted 3 Comments on Federal Budget brings standard mortgage penalties Mortgage News

Federal Budget brings standard mortgage penalties

Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty released the 2010 Federal Budget yesterday… There were a lot of headlines in the media but for the most part, very little change for the average Canadian…

Here are the numbers….

One change I did like is the standardization of mortgage prepayment penalties… No details were released but this could be welcome news for tens of thousands of Canadians that are in a fixed rate mortgage and can’t get out…..

You’ve been hearing about the govt stimulus plan… record low interest rates to help out Canadians… and then you contact your bank to see how much  you save… it’s good news.. your payment on a $250,000 mortgage with a 5.25% rate will drop by $189/mth with a 3.89% rate… it’s so exciting… that’s $11,340 over a 5 year term…. but WAIT… now you get told there is a penalty.. and it will cost you $13,000 to break your mortgage….

Sound unbelievable?  Call your bank to see how they calculate their penalties…   Those who have already done so know the reality of these numbers…..  The govt forgot about helping existing homeowners… the tens of thousands of taxpayers that needed and wanted a break…

How do you feel about the Big Six Banks reporting  Billion $ profits in the first quarter?   After all, didn’t the govt offer financial support to help the banks in case they ran into trouble?    Profit is good.. but not like this.. not at this time.. not when average Joe or Sally homeowner can’t benefit…

Posted 2 Comments on How to reduce mortgage penalties Mortgage Tips

How to reduce mortgage penalties

Interest rates are at records lows.. it’s popular water-cooler talk… You’ve heard your co-workers or friends who are lucky enough to renew their mortgage into these emergency, once in a lifetime rates..

But how you do you take advantage?  If you break your fixed rate mortgage then you face an enormous prepayment penalty…we’ve seen reports of $10k, $15k and $20k in penalties….Wow!

Well, here’s a few tips…

-first, if you are in a 10 year fixed rate mortgage, and your are at least 5 years into the term, then the maximum penalty is 3 months interest  (this is a little known fact… Section 10 of the Interest Act of Canada).

-One more way to reduce the penalty is to utilize the annual prepayment privilege that’s within the mortgage.  Most mortgages have between 15% and 25% prepayment privileges which equates to a 15% to 25% reduction in the penalty….

-negotiate the penalty in combination with an extension on your current term..this requires some discussion with your current lender and you should seek the help of a mortgage broker…if the lender wants your business they may be able to offer some incentive to stay.

Another situation where the lender cannot charge any penalty is if the mortgage goes into default and the lender issues a Notice of Sale (legal action to collect the mortgage)…. of course, I”m not suggesting that anyone default on their mortgage.

Our best piece of advice is this… don’t take the lender’s penalty calculation at face value… penalty calculations have changed and most bankers couldn’t tell you how the penalty is calculated if you asked them.  Always review the penalty with an unbiased party… speak with your mortgage broker or lawyer…enjoy the weekend!