Readers are debating mortgage debt versus consumer debt after the CMHC released previously confidential remarks about its concern for the housing market, but is it time to finally put that discussion to bed?
Readers are debating mortgage debt versus consumer debt after the CMHC released previously confidential remarks about its concern for the housing market, but is it time to finally put that discussion to bed?
“Mortgage debt represents about 80 per cent of national household debt; consumer debt has no government backing [and] mortgage debt often has government backing. That's the source of the worry,” Ron Butler of Butler Mortgage wrote on MortgageBrokerNews.ca. “Very simple folks: if 20 per cent of the credit cards in this country went into default tomorrow it would be a problem for the banks but a manageable one.
“If five per cent of all the mortgages in this country went into full default it would be a massive problem for the banks, the mortgage insurers, the government and all of us.”
Butler’s comment was in response to a bevy of reader responses calling for the government to focus more on unsecured consumer debt than mortgage debt.
“If the government and CMHC are so very concerned about debt load of Canadians, can anyone answer why they've put so many restrictions on mortgage lending (cheap borrowing costs) and no costs on unsecured lending,” one commenter wrote. “Dollar for dollar, the Banks earn far more on credit cards, loans, & PLC's than they earn on mortgages.”
CMHC admitted this week that it told the finance ministry in 2014 its concerns about increasing high household debt levels and rising prices in a number of urban property markets.
CMHC’s comments were initially confidential, sent in May 2014 through a memorandum.
"We are, however, concerned about reduced household flexibility resulting from elevated debt levels as well as diversion of capital into residential housing investments," the memo last year stated. "Likewise, elevated prices in some urban markets further compound affordability concerns."
This week, CMHC provided Reuters a copy after the Blacklock's Reporter online website first reported it.
The memo also stated CMHC would “look at options for loan-level risk sharing with lenders to reduce risk, increase market discipline and further optimize taxpayer exposure.”
Related:
Brokers question Equifax data
“Mortgage debt represents about 80 per cent of national household debt; consumer debt has no government backing [and] mortgage debt often has government backing. That's the source of the worry,” Ron Butler of Butler Mortgage wrote on MortgageBrokerNews.ca. “Very simple folks: if 20 per cent of the credit cards in this country went into default tomorrow it would be a problem for the banks but a manageable one.
“If five per cent of all the mortgages in this country went into full default it would be a massive problem for the banks, the mortgage insurers, the government and all of us.”
Butler’s comment was in response to a bevy of reader responses calling for the government to focus more on unsecured consumer debt than mortgage debt.
“If the government and CMHC are so very concerned about debt load of Canadians, can anyone answer why they've put so many restrictions on mortgage lending (cheap borrowing costs) and no costs on unsecured lending,” one commenter wrote. “Dollar for dollar, the Banks earn far more on credit cards, loans, & PLC's than they earn on mortgages.”
CMHC admitted this week that it told the finance ministry in 2014 its concerns about increasing high household debt levels and rising prices in a number of urban property markets.
CMHC’s comments were initially confidential, sent in May 2014 through a memorandum.
"We are, however, concerned about reduced household flexibility resulting from elevated debt levels as well as diversion of capital into residential housing investments," the memo last year stated. "Likewise, elevated prices in some urban markets further compound affordability concerns."
This week, CMHC provided Reuters a copy after the Blacklock's Reporter online website first reported it.
The memo also stated CMHC would “look at options for loan-level risk sharing with lenders to reduce risk, increase market discipline and further optimize taxpayer exposure.”
Related:
Brokers question Equifax data
