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TagTD collateral mortgage

TD is not able to accept collateral mortgage transfers.

Last October, we reported one of the biggest changes by a major bank in recent history…. TD Canada Trust changed how they would register mortgages…  Quietly, TD announced they would now register all mortgages as a collateral charge…  Most borrowers won’t know what the difference is, but for us in the financial industry, we know this will have huge ramifications and limitations and could end up costing the average borrower $$thousands.   Click here to read what the experts say.

And then in December, we heard a rumor that TD was looking at ways to transfer in collateral mortgages…. They wanted to give us the impression that there were few limitations to taking a TD mortgage… uh, let me say that again… that’s TD collateral mortgage.

We just heard that this has been put on the shelf.   They just can’t figure out a way to transfer in collateral mortgages…  If this doesn’t make you think twice about taking a TD mortgage, then I don’t know what will.   I’ve never heard of any bank accepting a collateral mortgage for transfer……Just isn’t possible with today’s real estate and mortgage laws.

Oh and by the way, if you’re wondering.. TD will allow you to transfer in your mortgage from any other financial institution…  But be warned, once you are there, I think you’ll have a hard time getting out.

TD taking action with new collateral mortgage

No, the hand-cuffs are still on if you took a TD Mortgage recently.. yes, they are still being registered as a collateral charge and not the normal, conventional charge…

But I heard from a good source that TD is working on changing their policies to allow for the transfer-in of collateral mortgages.  That would mean that TD would accept collateral mortgages from other financial institutions should new clients wants to bring their mortgage to TD.

But how does this help a TD client that is up for negotiation with their mortgage when TD knows they cannot transfer that mortgage out without having to pay new legal fees to move that mortgage?   The borrower loses their leverage to negotiate…it’s really that simple…  here’s a great article from Gail Vax-Oxlade telling us what she thinks about TD’s new collateral mortgage.  Remember, collateral mortgages are not accepted by other financial institutions for transfers….

This subject isn’t going away… we will see if other Banks will follow TD’s lead and go with a collateral mortgage charge or whether they will accept collateral mortgages for transfers.  Stay tuned for more on this major shift in mortgage registration.

And who will pay that extra cost to transfer mortgages in and convert them to TD’s collateral charge?   For now, it’s TD picking up the cost, but does anyone really expect that to continue?   At some point, that cost will most likely be passed to the consumer.

TD is taking a big risk.. maybe it’s a calculated risk… they certainly have the deep pockets to pay for this.. at least for a little while…. I’m sorry to say it looks like the TD borrower is going to lose out in the end.

Update on TD Collateral mortgage rules

A few weeks ago, we heard from a source that  TD Canada Trust was making a major change in their Mortgage Lending policy.    ALL  new mortgages would be registered as a collateral mortgage instead of as a conventional mortgage…. previously, only secured lines of credit were registered as collateral mortgages.

By the way, here is a great article from Gail Vax-Oxlade, a well known personal money manager…..she would never take one of these new mortgages with TD… I think she is right on the money with her comments and analysis. Continue reading “Update on TD Collateral mortgage rules”

Introducing the new TD mortgage…hand-cuffs included

The rumors are true…TD Canada Trust will begin registering all mortgages as collateral charges after October 18.    (No official release from TD yet but a source inside TD has confirmed this to us).

What does this mean for the consumer?  Well, there is some good but mainly it’s bad..

  • a collateral mortgage is normally registered for floating or revolving debt such as a secured line of credit.  It allows for the balance to float up or down.
  • TD will register a collateral charge for 125% of the loan amount… this will allow the client to come back at a later date and apply to increase their mortgage if needed….
  • in theory, it sounds great…no legal fees required in the future if you need to refinance… and easy approval…

BUT HOLD ON…

  • a COLLATERAL MORTGAGE is NOT really portable…meaning you cannot transfer to another institution…that’s because no other Bank or Lender is accepting collateral mortgages for transfer… including TD…you will lose some leverage to negotiate the rate when your mortgage matures…
  • and if you wanted to increase your mortgage in the future, you would need to reapply for approval…let’s suppose you don’t qualify in the future..not because your situation changed but because the Bank’s lending policy changes…this happens regularly….you would now have to seek out an entirely  new 1st mortgage as no other lender would register a 2nd mortgage in behind a collateral first mortgage (at least none that I am aware of)…  that could mean penalties, definitely legal fees and other costs….
  • It’s obvious that a big reason TD would be doing this is to improve mortgage retention.. this makes it less appealing to leave TD because of the costs….
  • BOTTOM LINE…this type of mortgage limits your options..it doesn’t expand them.. you MAY save on legal fees..but that’s not a big enough reason to go with this product..

My advise to anyone looking at a TD mortgage is to be careful…make sure you understand all the terms, conditions, the differences and the limitations…you be the judge… is this a good thing for the client or is it a good thing for the Bank??  Will other Banks follow?  Some might say this is like putting handcuffs on the client… I tend to agree…