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Welcome to the Mortgages for Less blog! Here, you'll find expert advice, industry news, and helpful tips to guide you through every step of your home financing journey. Whether you're a first-time homebuyer or looking to refinance, our blog is your go-to resource for staying informed and making smart mortgage decisions.

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  • Big Banks Mirror Bank of Canada Rate Cuts

    March 6, 2020

    The Bank of Canada’s move was not predicted by speculators, but is largely believed to have been prompted by the US Federal Reserve’s rate cut of the same amount the day before. The Bank stated that the coronavirus and its impact on the Canadian economy was a core factor for the decision.
  • Bank of Canada Cuts Rates for the First Time Since 2015

    March 4, 2020

    The Federal Reserve made an unscheduled rate announcement yesterday and cut their overnight rate by 50 basis points. The Bank of Canada wasn’t largely expected to cut its rate today at its scheduled announcement, but it followed suit and also cut its overnight rate by 50 basis points. This is the first rate cut we’ve…
  • Mortgage Minute 1: Bank of Canada Drops Rates by 50 points

    March 4, 2020

    The Bank of Canada cut its overnight rate for the first time in four years. This follows the US Central Bank doing the same thing just yesterday. In the BoC announcement it seems that the overall Canadian economy has been doing sufficiently well that under normal circumstances they would not have dropped the rate.
  • No Stress Test on Mortgage Renewals

    February 28, 2020

    More good news for people who have been struggling with the mortgage stress test! It was recommended by FINA (House of Commons Standing Committee of Finance) to the federal government that they “exempt mortgages from the stress-test where the mortgagor has already met the obligations of their original mortgage.” This is great news for existing…
  • New and Improved Stress Test

    February 21, 2020

    The Department of Finance announced Tuesday changes to the mortgage stress test. “The new benchmark rate will be the weekly median 5-year fixed insured mortgage rate from mortgage insurance applications, plus 2%.” This change is specific to insured mortgages (i.e. mortgages with a down payment of less than 20%) and takes affect on April 6.