Our committment to thought leadership
We have assembled a collection of thought provoking articles, reports, surveys, industry information, and other interesting content for your enjoyment.
by Yvonne von Jena | March 18, 2016
For good insights into the expectations for the U.S. economy, it is worth looking at the US Federal Reserve’s 2016 Supervisory Scenarios Supervisory Scenarios for its Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) requirements document. The document also provides good insights into the testing used by the Fed to assess whether the largest bank holding companies operating in the U.S. have sufficient capital to continue operations throughout times of economic and financial stress.
by Yvonne von Jena | March 18, 2016
Federally regulated mortgage lenders are going to continue to feel pressure on their margins this year from likely regulatory changes that see lenders paying a deductibles on mortgage insurance, higher securitization fees and increased capital requirements.
by Yvonne von Jena | March 15, 2016
Taken together, a report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer and a presentation by the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada provide a good overview of household debt, concentrations of household vulnerability and the implications that they have on house prices, the financial system and our economy.
by Yvonne von Jena | March 14, 2016
The Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (the Ombudsman) has released its 2015 Annual Report, and this provides good insight into the types of mortgage complaints that are common in the industry.
![[Equifax] Delinquencies Increased by 25% in Alberta and 14% in Saskatchewan](https://www.rpsrealsolutions.com/img/blog/2016/03/Consumer-credit-card-debt1.jpg)
by Yvonne von Jena | March 11, 2016
Equifax’s Q4 2015 Report on Canadian Consumer Credit Trends provides insights into the significant regional differences between delinquency rates across the country. Nationally, the delinquency rate is at its lowest level in seven years. However, delinquency rates grew by 21.3% in Edmonton, 20.5% in St. John’s and 17% in Calgary while they fell by 7% in Toronto and Vancouver.
by Yvonne von Jena | March 10, 2016
The Federal Reserve started raising official interest rates in December but in the stress tests that large U.S. banks have to undergo, the central bank is hypothesizing that short-term Treasury yields could drop below zero. Though negative U.S. interest rates are for now only in the Fed's worst-case scenario, they are becoming a plausible downturn assumption.
by Yvonne von Jena | March 9, 2016
According to the Wall Street Journal, more U.S. mortgage lenders are offering digital portals in which home buyers can apply for a loan, submit documentation and track the approval progress online. And the lenders that are creating these one-stop tracking applications run the gamut from online-only SoFi to Wells Fargo, the nation’s largest jumbo lender.
![[Torys] Canada's New Rules on Financing of Insured Mortgages](https://www.rpsrealsolutions.com/img/blog/2015/10/Change-ahead1.jpg)
by Yvonne von Jena | March 9, 2016
![[Equifax] Canadian Millennials Most Likely Targets for Fraud](https://www.rpsrealsolutions.com/img/blog/2016/03/Millennials.jpg)
by Yvonne von Jena | March 8, 2016
A recent study from Equifax Canada provides interesting insights into the amount of fraud in Canada and what demographic segments are most targeted.
![[Sotheby's] Luxury House Prices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgar...](https://www.rpsrealsolutions.com/img/blog/2016/03/Luxury-Home-Sothebys.jpg)
by Yvonne von Jena | March 7, 2016
Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, in a recent forecast of the high-end market, says it is seeing price increasing in the markets it reports on, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The exception is Calgary where prices are moderating.