MortgageConsultant.com : Your source for a Canada Mortgage
Ask an Expert! IT'S FREE!
Gregory Stanley, CFP - Canada Mortgage BrokerAsk our expert a question without any obligation to borrow.


Mortgage Insurance

Reasons why you need to insure your Canada Mortgage with Creditor Mortgage Insurance

It is important to have insurance to protect your mortgage obligation. Most households require two incomes to qualify for a mortgage. And the banks know that if one spouse dies then it will be almost impossible for the surviving spouse to make payments. Or, if you suffer from disability and with the lost income and increased medical bills resulting from your illness you could lose your home because of your financial inability to pay the mortgage payments. If your home goes into foreclosure there will be accelerated interest payments and prepayment penalties. You could lose thousands of dollars lost equity due to 'forced sale' proceedings and untold stress. To protect your investment in your home and your sanity you must have insurance coverage.

Don't feel obligated to buy insurance from your bank.

Often when one goes to a bank for a mortgage you may feel obligated to purchase insurance coverage to cover their mortgage payments or loan due to a death or disability. The loans officer may promote creditor life or disability insurance that has many restrictions. Sometimes you may feel that if you don't buy creditor insurance coverage from the bank you may not get your loan. But, did you know that you are not obligated to buy insurance from the financial institution that gives you a mortgage? Did you know that it is against the law to tie the sale of insurance coverage with your loan? It is true. It is an unlawful practice and no financial institution should use such pressure. In fact, there are laws to protect your right to keep your insurance separate from the bank. We want you to know that we do offer insurance coverage - because we think it is important to own it - but you are not obligated to purchase it. We want you to be informed of its value and then let you make the decision whether or not it is right for you and your family.

It is better to buy insurance separate from the bank, trust company or credit union. There are 5 reasons why you should use separate insurance that we call the Mortgage Insurance Program:
Q. What are the main advantages of the Mortgage Insurance Program?

A. Here's the TOP FIVE list of advantages:

1. Portability
Coverage portable from one property to another or from one lender
to another. This is unlike almost all other creditor insurance programs.

2. Affordability
· Versus other lender products - WE ROCK! We are extremely competitively priced (non-smoker rates are best in the market)
· Versus other term products - level term life premiums up to 2 ½ times as expensive over 25 year coverage period. And our premiums stay level for the duration of coverage unlike others where premiums increase every 5 or 10 years.

3. Simplicity
· Coverage is automatic on mortgages up to $200,000 and with answers of "no" to health questions on the application form

4. Flexibility
· Range of coverage options including Life with Disability and Critical Illness riders (Critical illness coverage not available from most lenders);
· The Mortgage Insurance Program can insure up to four parties to the mortgage loan
· Have option to obtain either coverage prior to mortgage closing date or free accidental death until the mortgage closing date
· Lump sum coverage reductions available

5. Reliability
· Partnered with the largest Insurer in Canada - Great-West Life - client can have confidence in the insurer's brand.
· Committed team of GWL representatives provide toll free customer service to both clients and brokers
· Broker kept informed of application receipt and final decisions made, and communicated, to the client


OBTAIN AN INSURANCE QUOTE HERE

Explanation of Common Insurance Terms

Hospital and Home Recuperation - Cash direct to you and generous home recuperation benefits, 3 times the number of days hospitalized. Maximum $100 a day up to 365 days with each accident or sickness. Guaranteed issue. No one turned down. No medical questions. No age limit. 18 years and over.

Extended Health Coverage - Dental, prescription drugs, vision, hearing aids, extended medical (chiropractors, osteopaths, naturopaths, physiotherapy, etc). Some coverages guaranteed issue. No age limit. Family coverage.

Term Insurance - Most commonly used for short term insurance needs i.e.. cover short term debts, protection a spouse's earning power, cover a mortgage. It is usually 'cheap' premium cost wise and the amount of coverage usually stays the same over the 'term' or time that the policy is in force. Most plans offer premium guarantee for 10 or 20 years. Benefits on term insurance are only paid if the person insured dies during the term of the policy. Most policies will 'end before you do' at ages 75 or 80. Some, that are very popular, guarantee that a premium will never increase in cost and will last all the way to age 100 (called Term to 100). Term insurance does not have any cash value savings or growth. And in Canada the death benefit is tax-free. When you renew the policy for, say, another 10 years, the premium will increase because your cost is more because you are now older. That's because as you age, your chances of passing away are greater. Again, term insurance is best suited to cover short-term expenses like mortgage payments or education tuition.

Mortgage Insurance - If you have a mortgage your ability to pay your mortgage payments would become extremely difficult if you ever were disabled or if you suffered from a life threatening illnesses (critical illness). A family could even lose their house by not being able to make mortgage payments due to the death of the main wage earner of the family. And, some lenders have even been known to 'call a loan' if any of the above occurrences occurred. Mortgage insurance can provide coverage that makes your mortgage payment for you while you are disabled OR will even pay off your mortgage loan upon you getting a critical illness or upon your death. And in Canada the benefit is tax-free.

Critical illness Insurance - Critical illness insurance attempts to bridge the gap between life and disability insurance. Where life insurance policies pay out upon death or diagnosis of a terminal illness, and disability insurance policies cover lost wages due to an accident or sickness, critical illness policies cover the insured upon diagnosis of a dozen or more illnesses on one policy. The main illnesses covered being cancer, heart disease and stroke, to just name a few covered. You don't have to die to get paid! You usually get a 'lump sum' i.e.. $100,000 within 90 days of diagnosis. And in Canada the benefit is tax-free. Critical illness insurance pays out when the policyholder is diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening illness. Such illnesses are not only life-threatening, they also change your life.

Disability Insurance - A type of health insurance coverage, it provides for the payment of regular, periodic income should the insured become disabled from illness or injury.

Long Term Care Benefits - The cost of staying in a long term care facility in Canada can cost as much as $40,000 per year! And this cost is paid with AFTER TAX dollars. Many families can be financially destroyed when a spouse needs to enter a long term care facility. Statistics say that the average stay is 2 years...sometimes more than 5 years... so the need for this type of coverage is obvious. A special rider or policy offered by some companies that will pay long term or catastrophic health care benefits as a supplemental benefit. These are called living benefit or care riders. Depending upon the policy, benefits may be for nursing home care and/or at home health care needs. All benefits received are tax-free.

Funeral Coverage or Final Expense Insurance - Expenses incurred at the time of a person's death. These include funeral costs, court expenses associated with probating his or her will, current bills or debt, and taxes. Depending on their circumstances, the survivors may also want to pay the outstanding balances of mortgage and loans.

Whole Life Insurance - Life insurance that is kept in force for a person's whole life as long as the scheduled premiums are maintained. All Whole Life policies build up cash values. Most Whole Life policies are guaranteed as long as the scheduled premiums are maintained. The variable in a Whole life Policy is the dividend which could vary depending on how well the insurance is doing. If the company is doing well and the policies are not experiencing a higher mortality than projected, premiums are paid back to the policy holder in the form of dividends. Policyholders can use the cash from dividends in many ways. The three main uses are: it can be used to lower or vanish premiums, it can be used to purchase more insurance or it can be used to pay for term insurance.


 

 

About Mortgage Consultant | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

This site is protected by domestic and international copyright treaties for:
Content Rights © Stanley 2000-08. All Rights Reserved
Layout Design Rights © Didmon 2000-08 All Rights Reserved.
Absolutely no part of this site may be copied or used without written permission of the copyright owner.



Get Approved!

Mortgageconsultant.com gets thousands of visitors. Sometimes over a 1000 visits in one day! Of this number we receive daily questions on our 'Ask an Expert' feature, 'Compare Rates' requests and of course, 'Apply Online' mortgage applications. We want you to give the very best in service and advice.

We are willing to offer this new service of looking up your credit report for serious homebuyers or homeowners who are undertaking new mortgage financing within the next 90 days. There will be NO charge for this service. Learn about Beacon Scores

If your credit rating is 'average' to excellent no mortgage consultant fees will be applicable to all conventional residential 1st mortgage financing.

If your credit rating is poor then consultant/lender fees may be applicable when financing is arranged and completed.