10/01/2024
OSFI to eliminate stress test for uninsured mortgage switches starting November 21
OSFI has confirmed that it will remove the requirement for lenders to apply the Minimum Qualifying Rate (MQR) to straight switches of uninsured mortgages.
Superintendent Peter Routledge confirmed that OSFI will formally announce this change on November 21, 2024, as part of the regulator’s quarterly release pilot, with the change coming into effect that same day.
This change will make it easier for borrowers to switch lenders at renewal without having to prove they can afford their mortgage at a higher rate.
The stress test, introduced in January 2018 under OSFI’s B-20 Guideline, required borrowers with uninsured mortgages—those with a down payment of 20% or more—to qualify at the higher of the Bank of Canada’s five-year benchmark rate or their mortgage rate plus 2%. This policy aimed to ensure borrowers could handle potential future rate increases.
The upcoming change applies specifically to straight switches of uninsured mortgages, where borrowers move to a new lender but maintain the same loan amount and amortization schedule.
Bryan Jackson
Mortgage Agent - Level 2
Mortgage Simplicity
License # 13524
A 120-19027 Leslie Street, Sharon, ON, L0G 1V6
M 289-716-4812
E [email protected]
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