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Canadian Mortgage News
Blog
The Future of 85% LTV Bundles
| Posted on October 11, 2013 at 10:34 AM |
Federally-regulated lenders cannot lend more than 80% of a home’s value without the borrower getting mortgage insurance. But a few banks have developed a way around that. What they do is loan the borrower 75-80% loan-to-value as a first mortgage. Then they facilitate a 5-10% LTV second mortgage with a separate private lender. This allows for financing totalling 85% LTV with no insurance fee. Optimum Mortgage,
a division of Canadian Western Bank, had just such a product—until
recently. It was called the Opti-85 Bundle, and here’s why it was pulled
from the market. According to Lester Shore, Vice President, Optimum Mortgage:
Brock Kruger, a spokesperson for banking regulator OSFI,
says that OSFI does not prevent combo mortgages in general. He adds
that mortgage combinations totalling 85% LTV “could technically be
onside, but this is highly dependent on other conditions. For example,
one must also verify whether the principles laid out in (regulation) B-20 are being met in their entirety.” Equitable
Bank is another lender offering an 85% LTV bundle mortgage. We haven’t
heard any talk whatsoever about it pulling this product. Indeed, given
Equitable’s conservative nature and prudent underwriting, one has to
assume that it believes it is in full compliance with B-20 as written. Home Trust
used to offer an 85% bundle but stopped a while back. “We were being
prudent from a risk standpoint,” says President Martin Reid. (Home Trust
does, however, allow second mortgages behind its first mortgages.) Interestingly,
Reid notes that 85% bundle mortgages actually perform better
statistically than standalone 80% LTV mortgages. That’s because “the
lender in second position tends to keep the mortgage current.” The
second mortgage lender doesn’t want the borrower to default, in which
case the first mortgage lender would have priority if the property was
foreclosed on. In any case, hopefully Optimum puts its Opti-85
mortgage back on the market. It would be sad to see these products
regulated out of existence. 85% bundles offer a valuable alternative for
borrowers who don’t qualify for traditional insured mortgages, and who don’t have a 20% down payment. The truth is, these products are not a hazard. They are carefully underwritten and the bank or trust company (who’s lending against the first mortgage) does not incur a meaningful degree of extra risk. It is the second mortgage lender, which lends its own uninsured
capital, that takes the brunt of the risk. And, as mortgage
professionals all know, second mortgage providers tend to be extra
vigilant risk-conscious lenders. Rob McLister, CMT |
Categories: McLister
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