The State of Mortgage Consumers
Marci • May 9, 2018
Mortgage consumer debt reached a record level in the second quarter of 2017, yet mortgage holders have proven capable of managing their increasing monthly obligations.
That’s according to CMHC’s recently released Mortgage and Consumer Credit Trends report, which said Canadian households’ credit market debt reached a record $1.70 for every dollar of disposable income. Mortgage debt was one of the main drivers, but CMHC notes that credit card and auto loan debt have been accelerating as well.
At the same time, the household saving rate fell to a nine-year low, leaving many Canadians with a “limited financial cushion” to manage their debts, the report noted.
“Despite rising monthly debt obligations in the second quarter of 2017, mortgage holders continued to manage their overall debt fairly,” said Maxim Armstrong, Manager, Housing Indicators and Analytics at CMHC. “Other credit consumers recorded a slight rise in delinquency. On the whole, signs of vulnerabilities for the Canadian housing market and financial system remained low.”
The time period covered by this report was shortly after the implementation of the Department of Finance’s first round of stress-testing measures aimed at insured mortgages. That may have contributed to new loan originations in the second quarter being down 7.3% from a year earlier, and a decline in the average mortgage debt per consumer with a new mortgage.
Here are some of the other key findings:
Mortgage Market
- Mortgage balances of over $400,000 rose and comprised about one-third of outstanding mortgage debt.
- The highest concentration of outstanding mortgage debt was in balances ranging from $200,000 and $300,000.
- The average new mortgage loan amount was 1.4 times higher than the average value of existing mortgage loans.
- Compared to a year earlier, the average value of scheduled mortgage payments rose by 2.4% for existing mortgages and by 5% for new mortgages
Signs of Credit Vulnerabilities
- Unsurprisingly, consumers without a mortgage were more susceptible to bankruptcy compared to mortgage holders, and the gap between the two types of consumers widened.
- The share of mortgage holders with a high likelihood of bankruptcy fell to 5.6%, down 61 bps from a year earlier.
- Average monthly obligations increased in all major credit products vs. a year earlier. The average non-mortgage obligations for both mortgage holders and consumers without a mortgage rose to their highest level since 2013, to $386 and $249, respectively.
- The share of mortgages that had payments in arrears of 90 days or more fell to a five-year low, signalling a more liquid market where mortgage holders facing difficulties could easily sell their property before reaching serious delinquency, the report noted.
Credit Scores
- Consumers with a very good or excellent credit score maintained the largest share of mortgage loans (83.3%), suggesting a low probability of loan defaults.
- The number and value of mortgage loans outstanding by consumers with a poor credit score fell to its lowest level since 2012.
- The average credit score continued to improve for mortgage holders with both an existing mortgage and a new mortgage.
- Those without a mortgage had their lowest average credit score since 2014.
Demographics
- The majority of mortgage holders are aged 34–54 and account for roughly 60% of the outstanding mortgage balance.
- Those over 65 represent 10% of the market with 7% of the outstanding balance, and those under 35 represent 17% of the market with nearly 20% of the outstanding mortgage balance.
- Mortgage holders aged 35–44 made the highest monthly mortgage payments, averaging $1,323.
This article was written by Steve Huebl and originally appeared on the Canadian Mortgage Trends on April 25th 2018, Canadian Mortgage Trends is a publication of Mortgage Professionals Canada.
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You’ve found the right home, your offer’s been accepted, and your financing is approved—congratulations! But before you can pick up the keys and celebrate, there’s one more important stage: the closing process. Closing is the final step in your homebuying journey, where all the paperwork, legal details, and financial transactions come together. It can feel overwhelming if you don’t know what to expect, but with the right preparation, closing can be smooth and stress-free. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you understand the process. Step 1: Hire a Lawyer or Notary A real estate lawyer (or notary, depending on your province) handles the legal side of closing. They will: Review the purchase agreement and mortgage documents Conduct a title search to confirm the seller has the legal right to sell the property Ensure the mortgage lender is properly registered on the title Handle the transfer of funds between you, the lender, and the seller Your lawyer or notary will be your main point of contact during closing, so choose one you trust and who communicates clearly. Step 2: Finalize Your Mortgage Your lender will send the mortgage instructions directly to your lawyer or notary. At this stage: You’ll provide proof of property insurance (lenders require this before releasing funds) You’ll confirm your down payment and closing costs are available in your lawyer’s trust account The lawyer will prepare all documents for your review and signature Step 3: Pay Closing Costs Closing costs typically range from 1.5% to 4% of the purchase price. These can include: Legal fees Title insurance Land transfer tax (where applicable) Adjustments for property taxes or utilities prepaid by the seller Home inspection or appraisal fees (if not already paid) Your lawyer will provide a final statement of adjustments so you know exactly how much is due on closing day. Step 4: Sign the Paperwork A few days before closing, you’ll meet with your lawyer or notary to sign all the necessary documents, including: Mortgage agreement Title transfer Insurance confirmations Statement of adjustments Bring valid government-issued ID to this appointment. Step 5: Transfer of Funds On the day of closing: Your lender sends the mortgage funds to your lawyer Your lawyer combines these funds with your down payment and pays the seller Legal ownership of the property is transferred into your name The lender is registered on title as a secured creditor Step 6: Get the Keys! Once the paperwork is filed and the funds have cleared, your lawyer will confirm that the transaction is complete. You’ll then get the keys to your new home—officially making it yours. The Bottom Line The closing process is a series of important steps, but with the right team in place, it doesn’t have to be stressful. By working closely with your mortgage professional and lawyer, you’ll have guidance every step of the way—from signing the documents to turning the key in the front door. If you’d like help preparing for the closing process—or want a clear breakdown of your own closing costs— connect with us today.
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If you’ve missed a payment on your credit card or line of credit and you’re wondering how to handle things and if this will impact your creditworthiness down the road, this article is for you. But before we get started, if you have an overdue balance on any of your credit cards at this exact moment, go, make the minimum payment right now. Seriously, log in to your internet banking and make the minimum payment. The rest can wait. Here’s the good news, if you’ve just missed a payment by a couple of days, you have nothing to worry about. Credit reporting agencies only record when you’ve been 30, 60, and 90 days late on a payment. So, if you got busy and missed your minimum payment due date but made the payment as soon as you realized your error, as long as you haven’t been over 30 days late, it shouldn’t show up as a blemish on your credit report. However, there’s nothing wrong with making sure. You can always call your credit card company and let them know what happened. Let them know that you missed the payment but that you paid it as soon as you could. Keeping in contact with them is the key. By giving them a quick call, if you have a history of timely payments, they might even go ahead and refund the interest that accumulated on the missed payment. You never know unless you ask! Now, if you’re having some cash flow issues, and you’ve been 30, 60, or 90 days late on payments, and you haven’t made the minimum payment, your creditworthiness has probably taken a hit. The best thing you can do is make all the minimum payments on your accounts as soon as possible. Getting up to date as quickly as possible will mitigate the damage to your credit score. The worst thing you can do is bury your head in the sand and ignore the problem, because it won’t go away. If you cannot make your payments, the best action plan is to contact your lender regularly until you can. They want to work with you! The last thing they want is radio silence on your end. If they haven’t heard from you after repeated missed payments, they might write off your balance as “bad debt” and assign it to a collection agency. Collections and bad debts look bad on your credit report. As far as qualifying for a mortgage goes, repeated missed payments will negatively impact your ability to get a mortgage. But once you’re back to making regular payments, the more time that goes by, the better your credit will get. It’s all about timing. Always try to be as current as possible with your payments. So If you plan to buy a property in the next couple of years, it’s never too early to work through your financing, especially if you’ve missed a payment or two in the last couple of years and you’re unsure of where you stand with your credit. Please connect directly; it would be a pleasure to walk through your mortgage application and credit report. Let’s look and see exactly where you stand and what steps you need to take to qualify for a mortgage.
