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Posted 5 Comments on Beware of your Bank’s ‘special’ renewal offer…. it could cost you dearly. Mortgage Rates

Beware of your Bank’s ‘special’ renewal offer…. it could cost you dearly.

Spring is the home buying season.   Summer is the mortgage renewal season.    It’s been that way for as long as I can remember.   Most of us want to move in the summer months when it’s warmer and when kids are out of school.

Once again we’re seeing the BANKs calling borrowers ahead of their actual renewal date.    And once again, they’re counting on you believing they have your best interest at heart.   And once again, I’m here to warn you against signing those offers without having a discussion with your Mortgage Broker.   In most cases, if not all, those offers aren’t that ‘special’.

Here’s just one example of that trust costing this Scotiabank client $3,000.

Just this week, Scotiabank offered one of my clients a renewal at  3.49% for a 5 year fixed rate…Does sound familiar to anyone?  It sounded great to him.   But for some reason, the client didn’t return my calls, my emails or letters about their upcoming renewal.   And I can understand, sometimes life just gets in the way.   Besides, it’s Scotiabank…surely, they’ll have this repeat client’s best interest in mind?   Surely, they will offer him the absolute best rate?

Guess again…  By signing that renewal, and not calling me to verify how competitive the interest rate really was, the client will end up paying around $3,000 more in interest charges over the next 5 years… on a $200,000 mortgage balance.   Today’s best 5 yr fixed rates are hovering around 3.19%.   The real cost could actually end up being more than $3,000 if the client needs to refinance or pay the mortgage off before the 5 years is up.   That’s because Scotiabank, like the rest of the BIG SIX BANKs, uses a prepayment penalty calculation that has the client paying for the original discount given at the time of mortgage funding.    This method of calculating penalties is NOT used by all Lenders but it IS used by all of the BIG SIX BANKs.

But we need to also be aware of other Lenders that are offering those too good to be true deals… If you see lower rates, beware.. there’s probably a catch.   It could be a NO FRILLS mortgage or some sort of hidden exit fee or penalty.

Don’t take any chances….  Call your Mortgage Broker.  One phone call could have saved this client $3,000.   If you don’t have a broker, feel free to call me.  We’re here to help.

Steve Garganis

1 866 812 0516

Posted Mortgage News

US govt debt crisis and a slower Canadian economy

It seems US has reached a compromise on the debt ceiling and another crisis avoided.    President Obama and the Republicans have come to an agreement.   read more here.

We already knew the US was on shaky economic ground… no one really knew how a US debt default would affect Canada or the rest of the world.   It certainly wouldn’t be a good thing.

But before we can breathe a sigh of relief, Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 0.3% in May.  The largest single month drop since May 2009.  This unexpected drop is good news for those of us with mortgages.

Interest rates are expected to remain low for this year.   And a Bank of Canada rate hike is less likely in September or even October.

Enjoy the low rates.

Posted 19 Comments on CBC news reports Scotiabank slams client with $30,000 penalty! Case study

CBC news reports Scotiabank slams client with $30,000 penalty!

A word about world events the past 4 weeks…  We have seen a lot of turmoil overseas……  Egypt, Libya  and other middle east countries…. We need to pay attention…. Let’s hope for an immediate and peaceful resolution…

The Tsunami in Japan has been horrible… the images on TV are tough to watch…what a tragedy… Our hearts go out to the people of that nation.

Fixed rates drop slightly and Variable rates remain flat.

We have also seen how mortgage rates can be affected by these events… The uncertainty has caused the Bond market to fall…. and we even saw a very small rate reduction by the Big Banks… Posted Fixed rates are down around 10bps… 5 yr fixed is 5.34%. Continue reading “CBC news reports Scotiabank slams client with $30,000 penalty!”

Posted Mortgage Trends

Scotiabank says Bank of Canada won’t move till October

Last week, the Bank of Canada (BOC) kept it’s Target Rate unchanged for the 4th consecutive meeting.  That’s means Bank Prime is still 3.00%.  Many Experts and Economists think the next rate hike will come as early as April or as late as June….

But not all Economists agree.  Scotiabank’s economists say the rate will remain unchanged til October.   They give a detailed explanation as outlined in this National Post article... but the main reasons are:

  • high $Canadian Dollar (an increase by BOC usually increases the $CAD)
  • global uncertainty… the middle east turmoil and European debt worries
  • tougher financing rules including the new mortgage rules
  • U.S. Fed not expected to raise their rate til next year…any increase by the BOC would push the $CAD even higher and make our exports even more expensive
  • possible Federal election in Canada coming soon.. and provincial elections this year…  history tells us that rates are usually flat during election time.

The Scotiabank economist make a good argument.   I like the political reason… History shows us politics play a big role in the BOC actions….  Enjoy the low rates… They seem to be here for a while.

Posted Interest rates

Bank of Canada action not always prudent or correct…

Have to share this article giving us some history on the accuracy of the Bank of Canada (BOC)  interest rate forecasts…   This should get you thinking a little the next time you hear the  BOC forecasts…. Take a look at this Historical Rates chart.. look at the Bank Prime section…   You will notice some trends of rates hikes followed by rate drops…

We aren’t saying BOC rates will fall anytime soon… it’s clear the rate will go up…. but there is no straight line increase if you look back in history… Increases are followed by decreases…

-1992.. the BOC erred and raised rates thinking the economy was strong but they quickly retreated and reversed those increases after realizing it was too much, too soon.

-1995…the Quebec referendum year… remember that?  I do.. I bought a house that year… and interest rates went up 1.00% overnight after fears of a Quebec ‘YES’ vote was more than possible… but then rates dropped like a rock and remained low for several years…

-2000….another recession… the dot.com, dot.bomb error of hi-tech stock greed…  rates had climbed in 1998 and 1999 but dropped in 2001 and remained low once again…

-2008…the U.S. mortgage crisis… the worst Global recession since the Great Depression of the ’30s…. we saw BOC drop the rate to a modern-day record low…Bank Prime was 2.25%…

-2010…the BOC kept it’s promise to raise rates and increased the rate by 0.75% over a 3 month span to 3.00%….

-2011…. ?????  the BOC is expected to raise rates by as much as 1.00% this year, and another 1.50% next year, according to the RBC Economist…. Did the BOC raise rates too quickly?  Can our economy absorb these increases?   Questions that won’t be answered for a while…

It doesn’t mean you have to sit and do nothing

But this doesn’t mean you have to stand by and be a spectator.   By keeping informed with historical trends and understanding your own personal situation, you can be in control…. Understand where you fit in… Is Fixed rate better for you now?  Does Variable Rate still make sense for you?   Can you handle the potential increases that are coming?    A good Mortgage Broker can help guide you to the right answer… Remember, it’s your mortgage, your payment…your decision.