Mortgage Terms
A
Agreement of Purchase and Sale - A legal agreement that offers a certain
price for a home. The offer may be firm (no conditions attached), or
conditional (certain conditions must be fulfilled before the deal can
be closed).
Amortization Period - The time over which equal payments would pay
off the mortgage. This is normally 25 years for a new mortgage.
Appraisal - The process of determining the value of property, usually
for lending purposes. This value may or may not be the same as the purchase
price of the home.
Appraisal Value - An estimate of the market value of the property.
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B
Blended Payments - Payments consisting of both a principal and an interest
component, paid on a regular basis (e.g. weekly, biweekly, monthly)
during the term of the mortgage. The principal portion of payment increases,
while the interest portion decreases over the term of the mortgage,
but the total regular payment usually does not change.
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C
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) - The National Housing
Act (NHA) authorized Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
to operate a Mortgage Insurance Fund which protects NHA Approved Lenders
from losses resulting from borrower default.
Certificate of Location or Survey - A document specifying the exact
location of the building on the property and describing the type and
size of the building including additions, if any.
Certificate of Search or Abstract of Title - A document setting out
instruments registered against the title to the property, e.g. deed,
mortgages, etc.
Closed Mortgage - A mortgage agreement that cannot be prepaid, renegotiated
or refinanced before maturity, except according to its terms.
Closing Date - The date on which the sale of a property becomes final
and the new owner usually takes possession.
CMHC or GEMICO Insurance Premium - Mortgage insurance insures the lender
against loss in case of default by the borrower. Mortgage insurance
is provided to the lender by CMHC or GEMICO and the premium is paid
by the borrower.
Conditional Offer - An offer to purchase subject to conditions. These
conditions may relate to financing, or the sale of an existing home.
Usually a time limit in which the specified conditions must be satisfied
is stipulated.
Conventional Mortgage - A mortgage that does not exceed 75% of the
purchase price of the home. Mortgages that exceed this limit must be
insured against default, and are referred to as high-ratio mortgages
(see below).
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D
Debt-Service Ratio - The percentage of the borrower's gross income
that will be used for monthly payments of principal, interest, taxes,
heating costs and condominium fees.
Deed (Certificate of Ownership) - The document signed by the seller
transferring ownership of the home to the purchaser. This document is
then registered against the title to the property as evidence of the
purchaser's ownership of the property.
Deposit - A sum of money deposited in trust by the purchaser when making
an offer to be held in trust by the vendor's agent, broker, lawyer or
notary until the closing of the transaction.
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E
Equity - The interest of the owner in a property over and above all
claims against the property. It is usually the difference between the
market value of the property and any outstanding encumbrances.
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F
Fire Insurance - Before a mortgage can be advanced, the purchaser must
have arranged fire insurance. A certificate or binder from the insurance
company may be required on closing.
Firm Offer - An offer to buy the property as outlined in the offer
to purchase with no conditions attached.
Fixed-Rate Mortgage - A mortgage for which the rate of interest is
fixed for a specific period of time (the term).
Foreclosure - A legal procedure whereby the lender eventually obtains
ownership of the property after the borrower has defaulted on payments.
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G
Gross Debt Service (GDS) Ratio - The percentage of gross income required
to cover monthly payments associated with housing costs. Most lenders
recommend that the GDS ratio be no more than 32% of your gross (before
tax) monthly income.
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H
High Ratio Mortgage - If you don't have 25% of the lesser of the purchase
price or appraised value of the property, your mortgage must be insured
against payment default by a Mortgage Insurer, such as CMHC.
Holdback - An amount of money required to be withheld by the lender
during the construction or renovation of a house to ensure that construction
is satisfactorily completed at every stage.
Home Equity - The difference between the price for which a home could
be sold (market value) and the total debts registered against it.
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I
Inspection - The examination of the house by a building inspector selected
by the purchaser.
Interest Rate Differential Amount (IRD) - An IRD amount is a compensation
charge that may apply if you pay off your mortgage principal prior to
the maturity date or pay the mortgage principal down beyond the prepayment
privilege amount. The IRD amount is calculated on the amount being prepaid
using an interest rate equal to the difference between your existing
mortgage interest rate and the interest rate that we can now charge
when re-lending the funds for the remaining term of the mortgage. For
more information, click on compensation amounts.
Interim Financing - Short-term financing to help a buyer bridge the
gap between the closing date on the purchase of a new home and the closing
date on the sale of the current home.
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M
Maturity Date - Last day of the term of the mortgage agreement.
Mortgage Critical Illness Insurance - Mortgage Critical Illness Insurance
is available as an enhancement to Mortgage Life Insurance.¹ Mortgage
Critical Illness Insurance is underwritten by the Canada Life Assurance
Company. Complete details of benefits, exclusions and limitations are
contained in the Certificate of Insurance. It is recommended for all
mortgagors. It can pay off your TD Canada Trust mortgage -- up to $300,000
-- if you are diagnosed with life-threatening cancer, heart attack or
stroke.²
Mortgagee and Mortgagor - The lender is the mortgagee and the borrower
is the mortgagor.
Mortgage Life Insurance - A form of reducing term insurance recommended
for all mortgagors. If you die, have a terminal illness, or suffer an
accident, the insurance can pay the balance owing on the mortgage. The
intent is to protect survivors from the loss of their homes.
Mortgage Term - The number of years or months over which you pay a
specified interest rate. Terms usually range from six months to 10 years.
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O
Open Mortgage - A mortgage which can be prepaid at any time, without
penalty.
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P
P.I.T. - Principal, interest and taxes. Together, these make up the
regular payment on a mortgage if you elect to include property taxes
in your mortgage payments
Porting - This allows you to move to another property without having
to lose your existing interest rate. You can keep your existing mortgage
balance, term and interest rate plus save money by avoiding early discharge
penalties.
Prepayment Option - The ability to prepay all or a portion of the principal
balance. Prepayment charges may be incurred on the exercise of prepayment
options.
Prepayment Penalty - A fee charged by the lender when the borrower
prepays all or part of a closed mortgage more quickly than is set out
in the mortgage agreement.
Principal - The amount of money borrowed for a new mortgage.
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R
Refinancing - Renegotiating your existing mortgage agreement. May include
increasing the principal or paying out the mortgage in full.
Renewal - At the end of a mortgage term, the mortgage may "roll
over" on new terms and conditions acceptable to both the lender
and the borrower. This is known as renewing a mortgage. Otherwise, the
lender is entitled to be repaid in full. In this case, the borrower
may seek alternative financing.
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S
Security - In the case of mortgages, real estate offered as collateral
for the loan.
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T
Term - The length of the current mortgage agreement. A mortgage may
be amortized over a long period (such as 25 years) with a shorter term
(six months to five years or more). After the term expires, the balance
of the principal then owing on the mortgage can be repaid or a new mortgage
agreement can be entered into at the then current interest rates. Visit
our Renewal site.
Total Debt Service (TDS) Ratio - The percentage of gross income needed
to cover monthly payments for housing and all other debts and financing
obligations. The total should generally not exceed 37% of gross monthly
income.
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V
Variable Rate Mortgage - A mortgage for which the rate of interest
may change if other market conditions change. This is sometimes referred
to as a floating rate mortgage.
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1 Mortgage Critical Illness and Life Insurance provides life and critical
illness coverage, underwritten by the Canada Life Assurance Company,
and accidental coverage, underwritten by TD Life Insurance Company.
Complete details of benefits, exclusions and limitations are contained
in the Certificate of Insurance.
2 Refer to Definitions of Critical Illness in the Certificate of Insurance.
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