Friday, June 14, 2013

The Public's fear of Small Lenders





Every day I hear clients say, " who are they? I've never heard of this lender. Can't you put me into a bank mortgage?" Yes, I could but I like you and want to do what's best for you.
As a mortgage broker, I offer mortgages from banks, trust companies , credit unions and mortgage companies , sometimes called, "monolines". What is a monoline?. It is a financial company that only deals with one aspect of the financial market, in this case, mortgages. Unlike banks that offer car loans,RRSP's , consumer loans, credit cards and bank accounts, monolines only deal in mortgages.
What does this mean to you? No cross-selling. If you have one product at a bank they will call you, ask you when you visit a branch and mail you literature trying to get you to move all your banking business to them. This can be annoying and you do not always get the best products but you have it all in one place, which is what they want. Why? You are less likely to shop around and to move it to another institution if you have all you banking stuff in one place. You now are paying more for the same mortgage than your neighbour, just for the convenience of having your stuff in one place. Here's another trick. You know the mortgage insurance that banks try to sell you? It is non-transferable. When you move your mortgage you have to re-apply. If you are older and now have per-existing conditions, , it can be expensive and may not be available any more. Interestingly, the insurance companies that offer this product to the banks offered to make it transferable and the banks declined the offer. , hmmm. In who's best interest is that?
Many people worry about monolines being small. Why? They worry that if the monoline were to go bankrupt they could lose the mortgage. No worries, the mortgages are sold in bundles to insurance companies and banks. As Boris Bozic of Merix Financial says, "Why are you worried? you are not depositing your money with us, we are giving you the money?"
As you can see, there are no disadvantages in dealing with a mortgage company rather than a bank and there are plenty of advantages. Who needs a bank marketing department calling them at supper time 2 times a month to try to sell insurance, RRSP's or trying to get you to open another bank account?

      Banks have limited choices and they can not offer you the best rates , nor will they. They are interested in cross selling and will try to year after year. It's in your best interests to consider a monoline lender and to consult a mortgage broker to see who have the best product for you. 
Let me finish by offering you this video on monolines. It's an eye opener for consumers. 
Enjoy the video.
If you have any questions, pop me a line at davidcooke.ca 


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