Variable rates had some of their largest increases on record

Canada’s newest variable rate mortgage borrowers are paying some of the highest average interest rates in at least half a decade, according to the central bank.

Data from the Bank of Canada covering the third quarter of 2019 at the latest indicated that the average variable interest rate for new mortgages stood at 3.89% in September, which was 1.57% larger on a monthly basis.

This was also a massive 25.89% higher compared to the same month in 2018, “the highest the rate has been in the central bank’s recent records,” Better Dwelling stated in its analysis.

“The 12-month growth in September is higher than anything seen in the data prior to May 2019,” the real estate information portal added. “The rate itself is also the highest going back at least 4 years, but likely goes back much further. The years 2016-2017 were the cheapest mortgage funds available in Canadian history.”

Lower loan interest rates, which started becoming apparent last year, might actually become the new normal, BoC data showed.

Between October and November, the effective interest rate went up by 0.27% to reach 3.70%.

“The rate is lower than [2018], but the longer-term movement is still towards higher rates,” Better Dwelling wrote in a separate analysis, also noting that any recent declines have been more than offset by the gains seen over the previous years.

“[In 2018], rates during the same week were up 14.53% from a year before. The year before that, they increased 14.29% from the year before. Overall, rates are 9.79% higher over the past 5 years,” the site added. “Before 2018, you would have to go back to 2011 to find rates this high.”