http://www.isnare.com/?s=author&a=Bruce+Owens Finances Bruce Owens Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=277183&ca=Finances Doomsayers, prompted by a continual stream of bad news from the United States about the U.S. housing and mortgages market, continue to predict that Canada is next on the hit list of countries to be sucked into a mortgage and housing crisis triggered by events south of our border. Many of these sober... Finances Bruce Owens Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=268738&ca=Finances If you are a Canadian buying your first home, it is hardly surprising if you feel overwhelmed by the bombardment of daily news and advice that seems to impact on your home purchasing decisions. If it is not more dire news coming out of the United States about their ongoing housing crises, it seems t... Finances Bruce Owens Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=268745&ca=Finances Self-employed consumers looking to access the equity that has built up in their homes – whether for investment purposes, to access capital for their small business enterprise, or merely to consolidate debts at a lower interest rate– quickly run into the sometime perplexing requirements to qualify fo... Finances Bruce Owens Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=275239&ca=Finances Mortgage brokers across Ontario came under the regulation of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (“FSCO”) on July 1, 2008 when Ontario’s Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act, 2006 came into effect. The new Act and regulations was put into place in order to protect consumers a... Finances Bruce Owens Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=275249&ca=Finances On July 9th, the Department of Finance moved to tighten Canada’s mortgages markets by announcing changes to the requirements for federally-backed mortgage insurance. The changes set minimum credit scores that home purchasers must meet to qualify for mortgage insurance on so-called ‘high-ratio mortg... Finances Bruce Owens Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=275266&ca=Finances Home equity loans provide solution for home owners in Canada to get household financing planning back on track. That is, unless you have a rich uncle to smooth out the stresses of the accumulation of debt, high interest rates, and/or needing some extra cash for education opportunities or a much need... Finances Bruce Owens Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=269092&ca=Finances Construction loan mortgages can turn a vacant piece of land – whether in a not-as-yet developed suburban tract, or the wilds of a favourite rural escape – into a person’s dream home, chalet or vacation retreat. Because these loans are the vehicles that turn a person’s vision of where they would like... Finances Bruce Owens Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=273932&ca=Finances Understanding what mortgages are and how they work can be mystifying for first-time homebuyers faced with the need to get financing to purchase their first home. Technically, the type of mortgage that home buyers use to get a loan to purchase a home is a contractual instrument that gives the lender... Finances Bruce Owens Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=271988&ca=Finances Mortgage renewals are becoming a hot topic as Canadians weighing their home refinancing and mortgage renewal options continue to wrestle with a wealth of information about the economy, the housing markets in Canada and where interest rates are headed. The Canadian economy and world economies, in gen... Finances Bruce Owens Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=272004&ca=Finances Home owners face a perennial refinancing decision each time the term on their existing home mortgage expires. Do you renew your mortgage with your existing bank or lender, or should you shop around to see if better rates and terms are available from another lender? Most banks and institutional lende...