Royal Bank of Canada to increase fixed mortgage rates amid bond market sell-off | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Mostly Cloudy  22.4°C

Kamloops News

Royal Bank of Canada to increase fixed mortgage rates amid bond market sell-off

FILE PHOTO - A Royal Bank of Canada sign is pictured in downtown Vancouver, B.C. Friday, March 20, 2015. Royal Bank is hiking mortgage rates and making it more expensive for homebuyers who want to take more than 25 years to pay back their loan.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

TORONTO - Royal Bank (TSX:RY) is hiking mortgage rates amid a combination of higher bond yields and recent federal mortgage rule changes that have made it pricier for banks to get access to cash.

RBC said Tuesday it's raising its special offer for a five-year fixed rate mortgage to 2.94 per cent, an increase of 30 basis points.

The lender also said it's raising its special offer for a four-year fixed rate mortgage to 2.79 per cent and three-year fixed rate mortgage to 2.69 per cent, increases of 30 and 25 basis points, respectively.

The changes, which impact amortizations under 25 years, take effect Thursday.

Robert McLister, a mortgage planner at IntelliMortgage and the founder of RateSpy.com, said Donald Trump's surprise election victory has caused a sell-off in the bond market, as investors anticipate that his promised tax cuts and infrastructure spending will result in higher inflation.

The sell-off has pushed bond yields, which move inversely from bond prices, higher.

"Mr. Trump has made it more expensive for North Americans to get mortgages," McLister said. "Fixed mortgage rates and bond yields tend to move hand-in-hand."

Mortgage rule changes introduced by Ottawa last month are also likely a factor, although to a lesser extent, McLister said.

The federal government introduced an array of new regulations governing insured mortgages, including expanded stress test requirements and restrictions on when it will provide insurance for mortgages with larger down payments.

Some mortgage brokers have warned that the new rules will make it harder for non-bank lenders to operate and could see Canadians pay higher interest rates.

"We're seeing government rule changes behind the scenes that are making it more expensive to lend," McLister said.

Additional mortgage rate changes being introduced by RBC Thursday will also impact homebuyers who opt for an amortization period longer than 25 years. They will now have to pay higher rates than those with shorter amortization periods.

The special offer rates for three-, four- and five-year fixed rate mortgages are 10 basis points higher than for those with an amortization of 25 years or less.

RBC said it takes a number of factors into account when making changes to mortgage rates, including funding costs and market conditions.

"This includes looking at the bond market, swaps and liquidity in the market, to name a few," Mary Ellen Brown, RBC's senior vice-president of home equity financing, said in a statement.

"Based on current conditions, our rates reflect the right balance between our clients' expectations and our costs of funding mortgages."

The increase by RBC follows a move by TD Bank (TSX:TD) earlier this month to raise the interest rate it charges customers with variable-rate mortgages.

TD increased its TD Mortgage Prime rate to 2.85 per cent from 2.7 per cent. The bank said it regularly reviews its rates and adjusts them based on a number of factors, including the cost that the bank pays to fund mortgages.

Follow @alexposadzki on Twitter.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016
The Canadian Press

  • Popular kamloops News
  • No referendum for $150M Kamloops RCMP building
    Kamloops voters will soon be asked to decide whether to give their blessing for a new Kamloops RCMP building, along with a host of less expensive projects. Similar to the Build Kamloops loan
  • Kamloops RCMP release image of person of interest in dumpster fires
    Kamloops RCMP have released a photo of someone related to an ongoing arson investigation with the hope someone recognizes him. Police were called to a dumpster fire near the 100-block of Vic
  • RV strikes roof at Kamloops hospital entrance
    Royal Inland Hospital took some damage when an RV struck the building Monday afternoon. All entrances to the Kamloops hospital remain open, but signs of an impact remain on the ceiling at th
  • Missing person team fields new tips on Ryan Shtuka's disappearance
    It has been over six years since Ryan Shtuka went missing from Sun Peaks Resort, and while his case remains unsolved, his story is still fresh in the eyes of the public who continue to provide tip
  • Injured mountain biker rescued near Kamloops
    Paramedics and search crews scrambled to pick up an injured mountain biker near Kamloops this past weekend. Emergency crews were called to the Tranquille area for a rider with a suspected sp
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile