Two Types of Mortgage Insurance
“There Are Two Type of Mortgage Insurance That Can Relate To Your Residential Mortgage Application”
In the residential mortgage financing world, the term mortgage insurance is used in two totally different connotations, namely mortgage life insurance that insure the life of the borrower and insured mortgage programs that insure the actual mortgage against default.
In the case of mortgage life insurance, basically any type of life insurance program can name the mortgage lender as the beneficiary in the event of borrower passing whereby the amount to be received from the life insurance policy would be applied to the outstanding mortgage balance. This can also include disability insurance to cover the mortgage payments in the event that the borrower is disabled from earning a living for a period of time.
There are also life insurance programs specifically designed for mortgage amortization whereby the borrower or borrowers are only ever insured for the amount of principal outstanding on the mortgage at a given point in time. The premiums are also specifically calculated to allow for the declining coverage balance over time. Mortgage life insurance is typically an option provide to the borrower at the time time the mortgage commitment is issued.
An insured mortgage in contrast is insurance that is provided by one of the three mortgage insurers in Canada to insure the mortgage against loss with the mortgage lender once again being named as the beneficiary.
The regulations governing tier one and two banks in Canada restrict mortgage lending above 80% of the property value unless mortgage insurance to insure the actual mortgage is in place.
For a home purchase, a new mortgage can be issued up to 95% of the property value under an insured mortgage program, provided that the applicant or borrower meets all the requirements of the mortgage lender as well as the mortgage insurer.
There are different rules in place for insured mortgages used for refinancing a residential home mortgage and still other specific rules related to insured mortgages for rental properties.
Mortgage life insurance and mortgage disability insurance are more of a benefit to the borrower to protect their family from having to deal with an outstanding mortgage balance if they were to pass on expectantly.
The insured mortgage programs are effectively providing the opportunity for a greater percentage of the population to be able to purchase a home with very little money down.
To get more information on both types of mortgage insurance, we suggest that you give us a call and book a time to speak directly to a member of our team and get all your Toronto mortgage insurance questions answered.