Canadians deferred $1B worth of mortgages each month amid coronavirus: CMHC

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says that about $1 billion worth of mortgage payments were deferred each month this spring amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The calculation is based on Equifax Canada’s estimate that the average monthly mortgage payment in Canada is $1,333.

By the end of the second quarter relatively few people were defaulting on their mortgages, although CMHC says it is expecting an increase in delinquent mortgages as deferral programs come to an end this fall.

CMHC says that it also expects fewer Canadians to get ahead on their mortgage payments this year, compared with 2019, a trend that will add to the national level of mortgage debt by the end of this year.

After interest rates were cut this year, variable rate mortgages gained popularity in April and May of this year, according to CMHC.

CMHC says that as of April, 20 per cent of consumers surveyed said they were mulling moving their mortgages to a different lender — depending on how the lender accommodated them during the COVID-19 pandemic.