Get The Best Bank Rates Today
We have helped countless Canadians find the best mortgage rate for their needs. Bank mortgage rates are one of the most popular and traditional financing options for homeowners in Canada. Choose a rate on this page or fill out the online mortgage application form for more information on current bank mortgage rates and to get free bank rate quote.
Bank Rates Vs Broker Rates
As you may have noticed, bank mortgage rates are almost always higher than those of mortgage brokers. That is because mortgage brokers have access to rates from multiple banks and credit unions, as well as insurance and trust companies. That means they can essentially “shop around” for you. Brokers also receive discounts from lenders based on the high volume of their business, which they can pass along to you.
As a result, itâs unlikely that a bank will post a lower rate than a mortgage broker. However, if you present the lowest market rate to your bank as part of the negotiation process, they may offer to match it. That said, we donât recommend pitting the banks and brokers against each other to compete for your business. What we do recommend is comparing broker mortgage rates and bank mortgage rates alongside each other, and deciding which offer is best for you.
What Are Prepayment Options
Prepayment options outline the flexibility you have to increase your monthly mortgage payments, or pay down your mortgage principal as a whole. The monthly prepayment option is a percentage increase allowance on your original monthly mortgage payment.
For example, if your monthly mortgage payment is $1,000 and your prepayment allowance is 25%, then you can increase your monthly payments up to $1,250. The lump sum prepayment option on the other hand, applies to the original mortgage amount. So, if your lump sum prepayment allowance is 25% on a $100,000 mortgage amount, then you can pay $25,000 off the principal every year.
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Whats The Difference Between A Fixed And Variable Rate
- A fixed interest rate will not change during your mortgage term.
- A variable interest rate can change during your mortgage term.
Having a fixed rate means that your mortgage rate will not change until your mortgage term is over. You can choose to get a fixed-rate mortgage for a long term length if you think rates will increase soon, or for a short term length if you think rates will stay the same or decrease. The 5-year fixed rate mortgage is the most popular mortgage type in Canada.
On the other hand, avariable mortgage ratecan change at any time. Your mortgage payments will still stay the same, but what changes is the percentage of your payment that goes towards paying off the mortgage principal. If rates decrease, a larger amount of your monthly payments will be going towards your principal. This means that if interest rates decrease, youll be able to pay off your mortgage faster with a variable rate.
If interest rates rise, a larger amount of your monthly payments will go towards your mortgage interest. Your monthly payment amount is fixed for the duration of your term, so you wont have to pay more money if rates rise. However, your mortgage payments must be enough to cover at least your monthly interest cost. If interest rates increase significantly, where your mortgage payment no longer covers the interest cost, then your mortgage payment amount will need to be increased.
How Much Does Getting A Lower Mortgage Interest Rate Matter In Ontario
Ensuring that the mortgage you get for your new Ontario house has a low interest rate will save you thousands of dollars in interest over the lifetime of your mortgage. But getting the lowest interest rate possible isnt the only important aspect you should keep in mind when shopping for the best mortgage. Talk to an Ontario mortgage agent about negotiating these features into your contract.
Prepayments: You can save money on your mortgage by making sure your contract includes prepayment privileges. This allows you to pay extra money toward your mortgage. For example, say you were to inherit money from a relative. You could use the inheritance money to make a mortgage prepayment, which would reduce your mortgage principal and amortization period and lead to savings on the cost of interest.
Portability: Another feature to consider is making your mortgage portable. A few years from now, you may decide its time to move or maybe you have to sell your home and move due to a job transfer. Whatever the case may be, a portable mortgage means you can take your current mortgage contract with you and apply it to your new home. This will save you money because youll avoid charges that would occur if you had to break your mortgage early and apply for a new one.
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Should I Get An Open Or Closed Mortgage In Ontario
With an open mortgage, you can pay down as much of your principal as you want in a given year without restriction. However, open mortgage rates are higher. So you are essentially paying more for flexibility.
With a closed mortgage, prepayments are restricted and interest penalties are enforced on any overpayment, but your rate will be lower than an open mortgage rate.
In Ontario, closed mortgages are the more popular option as most people donât expect to pay more than their monthly mortgage payment. However, an open mortgage could be a good choice if youâre planning to move soon or expect to receive a lump sum of money during your mortgage term.
Should I Choose A Fixed Or Variable Rate
Variable rates allow you to take advantage of future decreases in interest rate. On the other hand, fixed rates are preferable if interest rates rise in the future. Unfortunately, long-term fluctuations in the prime rate are difficult if not impossible to predict.
However, a2001 studyfound that between 19502000, choosing a variable interest rate resulted in lower lifetime mortgage cost than a fixed rate up to 90% of the time. According to the study, if you are comfortable with the risks involved, a variable rate may reduce your long-term mortgage cost.
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Factor: The Home Value
Home values under $1 million often fetch better rates. Thats because:
- theres less competition for $1 million+ mortgages
- theres no way to default insure them , and
- there are fewer ways to raise capital for such super-jumbo mortgages.
As a result, those loans cost incrementally more.
Rate Tip: Your home value is always confirmed with an appraisal or the lenders automated valuation tool.
What Is A Mortgage
A mortgage is a loan thats used to purchase a property. Mortgage terms generally range from five to 35 years.
Unlike most other loans, a mortgage is whats called secured lending. This means your lender takes your property as security against the loan. In other words your lender will legally own your property until the mortgage that you took out to buy it has been fully repaid.
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Lowest Mortgage Rates In Alberta
Alberta is one of the provinces where mortgage shoppers can find the most competitive mortgage rates. This is due in part to the higher incomes that traditionally came from the oil and gas sectors. They allow for bigger mortgages, which are more highly coveted.
Rates are also sharp thanks to the competitive mortgage broker market in the province, as well as competition from brokers outside of Alberta.
Some say the higher income per capita in the province, as well as lower educational levels , make Albertans slightly less rate sensitive than other provinces. But we think this is a generalization that does not reflect our readership. We encourage all to aggressively research the lowest mortgage rates possible.
Can I Switch My Mortgage To Another Bank
You can switch your mortgage providing you meet certain criteria. Each bank has its own set of criteria, and if your financial circumstances have changed for the worse since you qualified for your initial mortgage, you may have problems switching. In general you must consider factors such as:
- The outstanding balance on your mortgage: The average minimum mortgage accepted by Irish banks for someone switching is around 30,000 to 40,000.
- Whether you have a fixed-rate contract with your current lender: You may be charged penalty fees for switching out of a fixed-rate contract early.
- Your credit rating: You must still have a good credit rating. A credit check will be carried out by the lender youre trying to switch to and if youve taken out loans or used credit cards and had difficulties repaying these, you may have problems switching.
- How much equity is in your house: You wont be able to switch if you are in negative equity and most lenders will want you to have at least 20% equity in your home.
- The term remaining on your mortgage: You may not be able to switch if you only have a few years remaining on your mortgage.
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What Are The Different Types Of Mortgages Available In Canada
In Canada, there are a number of different ways to structure a mortgage.
Mortgages can vary depending on the term length, rate type and whether the mortgage is open or closed. Regardless of whether you have a fixed-closed, fixed-open, variable-closed or variable-open mortgage, term lengths can range from anywhere between one year and 10 years. The most common term length in Canada is five years.
Fixed-closed mortgage: A fixed-closed mortgage is a mortgage contract where the rate is fixed and the homeowners are not allowed to pay off their mortgage loan early without incurring a penalty.
Fixed-open mortgage: A fixed-open mortgage is a contract where the rate is fixed, but the homeowners are allowed to pay off their mortgage early without incurring a fee.
Variable-closed mortgage: A variable closed mortgage refers to a mortgage contract where the homeowners have a variable mortgage rate but cant pay off their mortgage early without incurring a prepayment penalty. This type of mortgage rate fluctuates with market conditions.
Variable-open mortgage: Lastly, a variable open mortgage allows homeowners to pay off their mortgage early without incurring a prepayment penalty. However, their rates will fluctuate with market conditions.
Best Mortgage Rates December 2021
With growing speculation the Bank of England will raise the base rate this month, mortgage lenders are continuing to increase rates. Its time to check you’re on the best mortgage deal. Read on for the best rates, including fees, best remortgaging deals, and more.
Finding the best mortgage rates in a sea of mortgage deals is hard work. So every month well be showcasing the best deals for you, with input from the mortgage experts at L& C.
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What Affects Your Mortgage Rate In Canada
There are a few different types of mortgage interest rates in Canada: Fixed interest rates, variable interest rates, or a hybrid combination of the two. These mortgage rate options will affect how your interest rate changes over time. Your mortgage rate will also be affected by certain factors that your mortgage lender will look at.
What Is A Mortgage Ratehold
Rateholds allow you to hold today’s current mortgage rates for 60-120 days, depending on the lender. This can be done prior to renewal or closing, to lock in a favourable rate. This protects you if rates rise, and if rates fall, your lender will typically honour the lower rate.
Remember that if you opt for a variable rate, youâll be locking the rateâs relation to prime, not the rate itself. Also note that while youâre guaranteed a rate for a given amount of time, your final mortgage approval is not guaranteed.
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Historical Canada Mortgage Rates
Looking at historical mortgage rates is a good way to understand which types of mortgage attract higher rates. They also make it easier to understand whether weâre currently in a low or higher rate environment, relatively speaking.
Here are some of Canadaâs mortgage rates for different types of mortgage over the past five years.
| 2016 |
Are Interest Rates And Apr The Same
Interest rates and APR are not the same. An annual percentage rate reflects additional charges associated with your mortgage, which includes the interest. The interest rate reflects the cost homeowners pay to borrow money. These fees include charges such as origination fees and discount points, which is why the APR is typically higher than the interest rate.
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What Happens At The End Of A Term
At the end of each term, you have the option to renew or refinance your mortgage.
- Renewing your mortgageinvolves signing for another term with your existing lender. Your monthly payment and mortgage interest rate may change.
- Refinancing your mortgageinvolves signing a new term agreement, possibly with a different rate or lender. Refinancing allows you to take advantage of lower mortgage rates or better options not offered by your current lender. You can also borrow more money by using your home equity and receiving it in cash.
Your mortgage lender might not reassess your credit score or debt service ratios if youre renewing at the same lender. If youre switching to a new lender, youll need to be reassessed and you may need to pass the mortgage stress test.
Why Canadians Use Lowestratesca To Compare Mortgage Rates Online
With LowestRates.ca, youll be able to compare the best mortgage rates from the best mortgage lenders in Canada. Want to know what the current mortgage rates are in Canada right now? LowestRates.ca aggregates live mortgage rates all day every day. Next, we connect you with mortgage brokers who get rates from a variety of lenders. All you have to do is fill out the form above to try our free, no-obligation service and you could be on your way to saving big on your next home.
In fact, LowestRates.ca mortgage rates average more than two whole percentage points lower than the bank rate. People who use our service have the potential to save thousands of dollars each year on their mortgage payments.
With numbers like that, its no surprise that Canadians are increasingly using comparison sites to find the lowest mortgage interest rates in the country.
Our mortgage rate comparison service is Canada-wide and provides quotes from 75+ banks and brokers. So whether you live in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec or anywhere in between, our mortgage rates are tailored to your needs.
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Should You Remortgage Now
While the above deals are available now, they may not be around for long. So its essential to check your mortgage rate now and see if you can lock in a better deal. Its important to find out if youll need to pay any fees such as an early repayment charge if you switch. However, even if you do have fees to pay if you switch deals, you could still save money in the long run. But it will depend on your circumstances so speak to a broker to chat through your options.
How Do I Know Im Getting The Lowest Rate
We have a strong selection of lenders on LowestRates.ca including the big banks and many independent providers. This ensures were always delivering you a competitive rate. Even if youre not ready to commit to anything, you can use our site as a starting point for research .
The better informed you are, the more likely you’ll negotiate a better deal for yourself. And, really, thats what we care about the most.
LowestRates.ca Staff
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Understand The Cfpb Loan Estimate
Once youve seen some attractive rates from a few lenders, ask each for a Loan Estimate. This is a standard document designed by the CFPB to help you compare mortgages. You can even use it to compare different types of loanssay, a 30-year fixed loan and a 10-year adjustable-rate mortgage.
To get a Loan Estimate, youll need to provide documentation of your income and assets, among other items. And youll need to supply your Social Security number so the lender can research your credit history.
Get Loan Estimates from as many lenders as you can. Multiple inquiries on your credit records will not lower your credit score as long as they all come within a 45-day period and are for the same producta home mortgage, for instance. Theyre all considered one inquiry under these circumstances, the CFPB says, letting you shop around without damaging your credit.
If possible, get all the Loan Estimates on the same day, so you can make accurate comparisons. The Loan Estimate offers three key figures you can compare among lenders: the annual percentage rate, the interest rate and principal accrued after the first five years of the loan, and the total interest percentage, that is, the total amount of interest youll pay over the loan term as a percentage of your loan amount.
Tobie Stanger
How Are Mortgage Rates Set In Canada
Each mortgage lender sets rates based on its own relationship to the prime lending rate. But whats the prime lending rate?
The prime lending rate is influenced by the Bank of Canadas interest rate, which currently sits at 5.04%. Each bank has its own prime lending rate. The prime rate currently sits at 2.95%. Your lender will give you an annual interest rate on your mortgage thats based on the prime rate. When the Bank of Canada raises its overnight rate, it gets more expensive for Canadian banks to borrow money. In response, they raise their own prime rates to cover the additional expense.
Other kinds of loans that are affected by the prime rate include car loans, lines of credit and some credit cards.
When you agree to a fixed-rate mortgage, youll select a rate based on what lenders are offering at the time and youll agree to pay that rate for the duration of your mortgage term. A variable rate, on the other hand, is usually determined by adding or subtracting a certain percentage from the prime lending rate. Each lender will determine this percentage on their own. When the prime lending rate goes up or down, the mortgage rates of homeowners who have variable mortgage rates will also go up or down.
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