• New rules proposed by the federal government to curb financial risks associated with the country’s hot housing markets could make it more difficult to secure a mortgage.

    The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions’ new guidelines proposed Thursday include stress tests for uninsured mortgages — loans secured with a deposit of at least 20 per cent on the value of the home.

    Those homebuyers will now have to show that they can withstand a two per cent increase on their contractual mortgage rate. This would apply to variable and fixed-rate mortgages, regardless of term.

    Using a million-dollar home as an example, buyers looking to secure a mortgage with a 20 per cent down payment at a three per cent interest rate would have to prove they could pay up to $4,652 per month instead of the $3,786 on their contract — a difference of $866 per month.

    The changes come as the Bank of Canada looks set to increase interest rates as soon as next week for the first time in seven years.

    “Persistently low interest rates, record levels of household indebtedness, and rapid increases in house prices in certain areas of Canada (such as Greater Vancouver and Toronto), could generate significant loan losses if economic conditions deteriorate,” OSFI wrote in a public letter.

    But those working in and studying the real estate market say those changes aren’t likely to make a difference, especially given that those uninsured mortgages tend to be less risky because owners have already proved they have access to capital for a down payment.

    What experts say will have a greater effect on housing markets is the office’s proposal to ban co-lending arrangements, or bundled mortgages, that sidestep rules designed to clamp down on risky lending.

    The regulator said it is considering “expressly prohibiting co-lending arrangements that are designed, or appear to be designed, to circumvent regulatory requirements.”

    Mortgage brokers might be concerned? Continue reading: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ofsi-mortgage-rules-1.4194012

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