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502013
Chris Simpson
Mortgage Consultant
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109 - 3550 Saanich Road, Victoria, British Columbia
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BLOG / NEWS Updates
What is your Best Rate?
Recently I had some good friends of mine ask what the going interest rates are and more
importantly what is the best rate could I get them. Obviously not an uncommon question in my
line of work but this is no longer a quick and easy question. Last year if I wanted to be a little
cheeky (depending on who was asking) Id respond with a question of my own, like whats your
credit score? 9 times out of 10 there would be an awkward pause and blank stare followed by a
does it matter? Yes, yes it does. Once we got through that portion of the conversation Id then
begin talking about the rates. But that was 2016, and now that it is 2017 the rate game has
become a little like the did you see what Trump just tweeted conversation that is making people
yearn for the days of old.
Last October Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced significant changes* to our industry
which included new securitization rules and qualification requirements. These changes forced
lenders to adjust their pricing models to account for the increased costs of doing business and
those costs have been handed down to you the borrower. Prior to that announcement I had a
nice simple rate sheet that told me what every lender was offering. Now my rate sheet could
easily be 5 pages long and it would still be incomplete. Credit scores were once the driving
factor in your interest rate, now Mortgage Brokers should be asking you a laundry list of
questions to determine what mortgage is best suited for you long before they tell you the best
rates.
Here are some questions you need to be prepared to answer before you can start asking about
the interest rate. Is this a purchase or refinance? What is the loan to value percentage? What
term and amortization would you like? What type of property are you wanting to
mortgage? Can you prove your income? Can you stomach the idea of a very large penalty if you
need to break the term? These are just a few of the questions your Mortgage Broker needs to
ask when you to properly evaluate what the best rate for you is.
Do you want to know where you fit into the new world of mortgage rates? Please give me a call
or send me an email and I would be happy to help.
*Industry Changes: Department of Finance and Article from the Globe and Mail
Mortgage Tip: Do you know what is on your credit report? Check your report for free.
Who are the working women in Canada's top 1%?
Even though working women are now more educated than working men, they are still outnumbered in top income groups, accounting for one in five workers in the top 1% in 2015.
Research shows that characteristics such as education, work experience and occupation continue to leave a substantial portion of the overall gender earnings gap unexplained. Some analysts point to the underrepresentation of women in top earnings groups as a further factor contributing to the overall gap. This study provides the first gender-based analysis of workers in the top 1% in Canadathose employed with a total income of $270,900 or more, based on the 2016 Census of Population, and provides new information on the socio-economic characteristics of women who have broken through the glass ceiling. The results of this study will be updated as new information becomes available.
Working women in the top 1% are younger and more educated than their male counterparts
Working women in the top 1% in 2015 were relatively younger than their male counterparts, and had higher levels of education. Specifically, 74.2% of women had obtained a bachelors degree or more, compared with 70.0% of their male counterparts. Further, women were more likely than their male counterparts to have studied in fields such as health or related fields, social and behavioural sciences and law.
Conversely, women in the top 1% were less likely than men to have studied architecture, engineering and related technologies and business, management and public administration.
Bank of Canada maintains overnight rate target at 1 ¾ per cent
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 per cent.
The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 per cent. The global economic expansion continues to moderate, with growth forecast to slow to 3.4 per cent in 2019 from 3.7 per cent in 2018. In particular, growth in the United States remains solid but is expected to slow to a more sustainable pace through 2019. However, there are increasing signs that the US-China trade conflict is weighing on global demand and commodity prices.
Global benchmark prices for oil have been about 25 per cent lower than assumed in the October Monetary Policy Report (MPR). The lower prices primarily reflect sustained increases in US oil supply and, more recently, increased worries about global demand. These worries among market participants have also been reflected in bond and equity markets.
The drop in global oil prices has a material impact on the Canadian outlook, resulting in lower terms of trade and national income. As well, transportation constraints and rising production have combined to push up oil inventories in the west and exert even more downward pressure on Canadian benchmark prices. While price differentials have narrowed in recent weeks following announced mandatory production cuts in Alberta, investment in Canadas oil sector is projected to weaken further.
