Here we go, again. The economy is generating more jobs, a handful of banks raise mortgage rates and all of a sudden you’re being advised to lock-in your mortgage before the bank doors slam shut. In fact, some say you’d better hurry-up and buy a...
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. is taking the unusual step of publicly challenging its critics, defending its reputation and its business model amid mounting calls for change. On Monday, the Crown corporation e-mailed to the news media copies of letters that its vice-president had sent to...
That is Taco Bell’s slogan. It’s meant to remind us that fast food doesn’t end with hamburgers. Tacos are pretty tasty in their own right. In the lending world, the closest equivalent to “the bun” is the 5-year fixed mortgage. Like hamburgers are to fast food,...
A stronger economy will offset the effects of higher mortgage rates and keep Canadian house prices stable over the next two years, according to the Royal Bank of Canada. In a market update that has the bank forecasting price gains of 0.5 per cent in 2011...
MONTREAL - Your current lifestyle may impact your retirement more than you think. Can it be sustained? How much money will it take to maintain the standards you're used to? What will it take in RRSPs, investments, savings and private and government pensions once retired? "Understand how...
Canadian home sales this year will be better than previously thought, helped by improving consumer confidence that will partially offset the anticipated deterrent of interest rate hikes, the Canadian Real Estate Association predicts. CREA released a revised forecast Tuesday that estimates there will be 439,900 existing...
A 45-year-old Hamilton woman has pleaded guilty to six charges in connection with the use of false documents to defraud local financial institutions of more than $200,000 in mortgage funds. Lauren Paolini is believed to be one of six accused involved in the scheme that saw...
There are inherent challenges that come with a home office. Distractions, difficulty in separating work from personal life, and creating a true professional feel are just a few. You should give careful thought and planning to a home office, and if you already have one, there...
The federal government should limit taxpayer exposure to potential problems in the housing market by reducing the role of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. in the provision of mortgage insurance, CD Howe Institute said in a report Monday. The CMHC has a pervasive presence in...
People who remember the days when there was only one type of mortgage -- with interest fixed at five per cent annually for the entire 25 years -- will also remember the cartoon character Pogo saying: "I have met the enemy, and he is us." Indeed,...