Two things are clear about the current Canadian housing market. First, interest rates are going to go up. The Bank of Canada governor, Mark Carney, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, and pretty much anyone involved in the banking industry has been warning of a hike, if not several, potentially before the end of the year. Second, the nation’s major banks have … Read More
Tick Tock – Mortgage Changes Come Into Effect July 9
Three months ago, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told banks to step up and firm up their lending requirements. When that didn’t work, he took matters into his own hands, releasing a laundry list of mortgage rules last week. The roughly eight major rules released by the DoF and the OSFI last week will likely influence the Canadian real estate market … Read More
Were Flaherty’s Changes Too Late?
The fourth round of changes to Canada’s mortgage rules were designed to clamp down on an overheated housing market. Now, a week later, analysts are wondering if Finance Minister Jim Flaherty jumped the gun. Detractors are pointing to a real estate market that was already beginning to decline, both in terms of sales and price. Tightening mortgage rules during a … Read More
Ottawa Drops the Hammer on Mortgage Rules
Back in April, Finance Minister Mark Carney remarked that “in exceptional circumstances, if there are issues that threaten financial stability, such as household debt… the bank could use monetary policy for that purpose.” Just three months later, those exceptional circumstances have become reality. On Wednesday, the Federal Government made their move to further tighten mortgage rules, addressing concerns over high Canadian household … Read More
The Ripple Effect: How the European Financial Crisis Will Impact Canadians
News of increased financial strain in Spain today has caused the Bank of Canada to brace for a ripple effect on the other side of the ocean. Any spillover from the increasingly vulnerable European market is expected to carry over to North American, rocking the fragile U.S. banking sector before it lands on the doorstep of Canadian homeowners. Households with … Read More