OSFI Assesses Impact of Revised Guideline on Mortgage Underwriting
OSFI published an information sheet that assesses the impact of the revised Guideline B-20, which sets out the expectations for prudent residential mortgage underwriting practices and procedures. The document provides information on the role of OSFI in maintaining a safe and sound Canadian financial system, includes a brief history of the guideline, reports on the impact the revised Guideline B-20 has had on the uninsured mortgage market in Canada, and identifies areas for review. OSFI had issued an update to the Guideline B-20 in 2017 and the revised guideline came into effect in January 2018. In a speech, Ben Gully of OSFI emphasized that Guideline B-20, which is a broader risk management guide, is "having the desired effect of improving sound mortgage underwriting at banks."
The application of B-20 to mortgage renewals has remained consistent since the introduction of the guideline in 2012. The information sheet reveals that revisions to B-20 are working, strengthening mortgage underwriting across Canada and improving the resilience of the Canadian financial system to future shocks. While improvements have been made, OSFI will continue to monitor lender practices, particularly in the area of income verification, and will be proactive with lenders when it identifies areas requiring attention. The data representing uninsured mortgages from the top 19 federally regulated mortgage lenders, who hold more than 95% of all mortgages subject to OSFI regulation and supervision, show that since the B-20 revisions were put in place, lenders are approving fewer mortgages for the most highly indebted or over-leveraged borrowers. However, OSFI has recently observed an uptick in mortgage approvals for highly indebted borrowers, seeing a rise from 14.0% to 17.5% in 2019. This increase has been partially supported by a decline in the mortgage rates. OSFI will monitor this area closely.
Additionally, concerns have been raised that the stress test could limit a borrower's ability to obtain competitive rates at renewal. OSFI indicated it would be monitoring this closely and data from OSFI regulated lenders show that, following the introduction of the revised guideline, the difference between renewal and new mortgage rates for uninsured five-year fixed and variable rate mortgages has remained largely unchanged.
Related Links
Keywords: Americas, Canada, Banking, Residential Mortgage Underwriting, Credit Risk, Guideline B-20, OSFI
Previous Article
MAS Amends Notice 610 on Reporting Templates for Banks in SingaporeRelated Articles
EBA Updates List of Validation Rules for Reporting by Banks
EBA issued a revised list of validation rules with respect to the implementing technical standards on supervisory reporting.
EBA Responds to EC Call for Advice to Strengthen AML/CFT Framework
EBA published its response to the call for advice of EC on ways to strengthen the EU legal framework on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).
NGFS Advocates Environmental Risk Analysis for Financial Sector
NGFS published a paper on the overview of environmental risk analysis by financial institutions and an occasional paper on the case studies on environmental risk analysis methodologies.
MAS Issues Guidelines to Promote Senior Management Accountability
MAS published the guidelines on individual accountability and conduct at financial institutions.
APRA Formalizes Capital Treatment and Reporting of COVID-19 Loans
APRA published final versions of the prudential standard APS 220 on credit quality and the reporting standard ARS 923.2 on repayment deferrals.
SRB Chair Discusses Path to Harmonized Liquidation Regime for Banks
SRB published two articles, with one article discussing the framework in place to safeguard financial stability amid crisis and the other article outlining the path to a harmonized and predictable liquidation regime.
FSB Workshop Discusses Preliminary Findings of Too-Big-To-Fail Reforms
FSB hosted a virtual workshop as part of the consultation process for its evaluation of the too-big-to-fail reforms.
ECB Updates List of Supervised Entities in EU in September 2020
ECB updated the list of supervised entities in EU, with the number of significant supervised entities being 115.
OSFI Identifies Focus Areas to Strengthen Third-Party Risk Management
OSFI published the key findings of a study on third-party risk management.
FSB Extends Implementation Timeline for Framework on SFTs
FSB is extending the implementation timeline, by one year, for the minimum haircut standards for non-centrally cleared securities financing transactions or SFTs.
