ZT-BMO study says variable-rate mortgages better deal for borrowers most times

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Fri Oct 23, 5:12 PM
By The Canadian Press
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- `1 W. J; C! p( X6 @* cTORONTO - Fixed mortgage rates may help you feel secure in your budgeting, but the Bank of Montreal (TSX: BMO.TO) says the more volatile variable rate mortgages will save you money in the long run.

3 }# j( H. S% L7 g& EThe bank put out a report Friday showing that, over the past 30 years, variable-rate mortgages have been more cost-effective about 82 per cent of the time. That may come as a surprise to some after studies have shown many Canadians prefer a fixed-rate mortgage.
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" y, A2 h9 |: `* @% bA fixed rate locks the borrower into a set interest rate for a certain period of time.

That gives many borrowers peace of mind knowing how much money to set aside each month for their mortgage payment.
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  [% D5 k) ~1 [8 o2 s+ gVariable rates change along with interest-rate moves.
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  s' v* A/ I" b4 i$ v: PBMO said the Bank of Canada's overnight lending rate is at its lowest possible point now, which could mean there are fewer benefits to a variable rate in the foreseeable future.
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# R6 ]* @4 E0 y( }& S+ ^2 ?. N0 _BMO highlighted two historical periods when fixed rates were considered beneficial - in the late 1970s and late 1980s - and both were just before interest rates started rising again.

  ~, W0 L, d% dThe bank added that the current interest environment is similar to both of these periods.

"Short-term rates are at extreme lows and pressure is likely to build for higher rates in the year ahead," said deputy chief economist Doug Porter in the report.

6 M4 r8 d2 h; w9 W"The question of whether to lock in to a longer-term fixed mortgage rate or stay in a variable rate has become an increasingly complex and important issue."
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- {' d- f6 m: H; y5 K8 LCanada has been in a long-term declining rate environment since the early 1980s, the bank suggested.
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As a result, the spread between five-year fixed mortgages and variable mortgages has been pushed wider in recent years, and is now near an all-time high.

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