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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TORONTO - 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.

The 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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% w+ D. W3 S% C. P; t. \, K, M- mA fixed rate locks the borrower into a set interest rate for a certain period of time.
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7 m5 N" V- ^( h( CThat gives many borrowers peace of mind knowing how much money to set aside each month for their mortgage payment.
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, N. V9 J+ Q+ k( V2 b2 L; M" aVariable rates change along with interest-rate moves.

BMO 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.

$ A  E7 _0 f( c% E! fBMO 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.

: C7 ^0 F5 U2 C5 a* B) D/ Y5 k( a* VThe 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 A. K( k. I( n) y"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."

Canada 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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