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Pat Sawler
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Final Mortgage Insurance Guarantee Parameters.
On Friday, September 19, 2008 the Department of Finance issued its final mortgage insurance guarantee parameters and accompanying explanatory notes. The final guidelines follow the initial announcement on the financial guarantee for mortgage insurance providers issued July 9, 2008 by the Department of Finance. There are two noteworthy changes from the draft parameters: 1. Elimination […]
Court turns down ABCP appeal!
The Supreme Court of Canada has denied an appeal of the plan to rescue $32-billion of stranded asset-backed commercial paper, clearing the way for thousands of individuals and companies to start reclaiming investments that have been frozen for 13 months. A group of Canadian companies holding about $600-million of notes had challenged the ABCP bailout […]
Another one bites the dust!
If you enjoy a good train wreck, then watching the financial markets of the past few days should have given you plenty to watch. For those of you who have not kept a roll call then here is a brief summary, Lehman Brothers the large brokerage house has filed for Bankruptcy protection, Merrill Lynch brokerage house was bought out […]
Who owns your ass(ets)?
If you are like the average family, you probably have 2.5 kids, a house, a car or two and maybe even a cottage. You are most likely both working and counting down the years till you can kiss your nine to fiver good bye. You may even have a company pension and contribute to the Canada Pension […]
Housing market continues to cool.
I just read this article in the Globe and Mail, you can read it here. If not here is my take. Current stats seem to indicate that we are slowly changing from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. The change is sweeping us from West to East. As the market was at it’s hottest […]
Give yourself some credit!
It can reach the point where you don’t want to pick up the mail or answer the phone. There isn’t anything to look forward to anyway, who writes letter’s anyway? The daily mail invariably consists of a few pieces of colorful junk mail and yet another pesky bill to pay. Believe it or not, those […]
Lesson's from the US housing crisis!
I just read this article here. The Americans have got them selves in a pretty sticky situation. As with every challenge there is a learning experience. So what can we learn from this? 1) Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you can not afford it with out the use of “creative” financing […]
Are you sitting on a “Gold Mine”?
“A penny saved is a penny earned”, or so the old proverb goes. Of course, the value of a penny has changed somewhat from the time when your mother offered her wisdom on the value of keeping what you earn. Today, you could save thousands of dollars by simply making the right mortgage decision. If […]
How to use your home equity to feather your nest!
More than a decade ago, trendsetters began to tell us about the future trend of “cocooning”. They predicted that decoration magazines, home renovation businesses and luxury home fashions and furnishings would see a big boom. However recently we continued to look outside our home for entertainment, and the idea of nesting at home seemed unlikely. […]
Fast Tracking to “mortgage free”!
Just imagine as you are going through your favorite coffee drive through this week, that a well dressed gentleman stops and offers you $12K for your grande non fat no whip extra hot chi latte. Would you do it? I would take it even if it was the last coffee on earth! It’s a no […]
Mortgage Brokers are helping more and more people!
When it comes to mortgage financing, more and more Canadians are choosing to work with a professional mortgage broker. According to a study conducted by CMHC, over 25% of mortgages were originated by mortgage brokers. Canadians are just catching up with our American neighbors, who are far less likely to just walk into their neighborhood […]
Add a mortgage broker to your team!
For most Canadians, buying a home is the largest financial decision they will make in their lifetime. Yet, consumers across the country are more likely to painstakingly review dozens of investment possibilities for their portfolios than to scrutinize their mortgage choices. The mortgage world like the investment world can sometimes be confusing. There is a […]
Why should you use a Mortgage Broker anyway?
For most of us, our ideas about mortgages have been installed by years of past experience with traditional products in traditional institutions. Long held beliefs sometimes include the idea that mortgage brokers are only for people who have less than perfect credit or have been turned down by a bank. Unfortunately, anyone with this kind […]
Topping up your RRSP with cheap money!
Right now, your house is the best piggy bank you’ll ever own. Even in our current market conditions. If you’ve got some money in that piggy bank, you may want to take some out for your RRSP. Get it before the RSP season is upon us and you are pulling your hair out wondering how […]
Fixed or Variable Rate Mortgage?
“Wow”! You say to your wife as you hit the bakes on the car. “Did you see the mortage rates those guys are advertising”? Your worries are over you’re thinking. Just lock in a rate like that for the next 10 years and you’ve got it made! Not so fast. That rate may not […]