Understanding your Mortgage

Fixed Interest Rate

• Interest rates in a fixed rate mortgage are guaranteed and will remain the same for the entire duration of the term
• Fixed rate mortgages make it easy to know how much your payments will be and how much of your mortgage will be paid off at the end of your term

Variable Interest Rate

• Haventree Bank does not offer a variable rate mortgage product
• Interest rates in a variable rate mortgage fluctuate when the prime rate changes
• If your interest rate decreases, your payment amount remains the same, but more of your mortgage payment is applied to the principal balance owing
• If your interest rate rises, your payment amount remains the same, but more of your monthly payment is applied to the interest owing

Long-Term Mortgage

• A Long-Term mortgage is usually 3 or more years

Short-Term Mortgage

• A Short-Term mortgage is usually 1 or 2 years

Open-Term Mortgage

• Allows for the prepayment of the loan, or a portion of the loan, at any given time throughout the term without penalty

Closed-Term Mortgage

• Full prepayment is permitted upon payment of the prepayment charge being the greater of:
  1. Three (3) months’ interest at the interest rate of the mortgage calculated on the mortgage amount being prepaid; or
  2. The Interest Rate Differential (“IRD”) which is equivalent to the difference between your existing interest rate and the current posted interest rate for a term that is the same or the closest to the remaining term of your mortgage, multiplied by the amount being prepaid and multiplied by the time that is remaining on the term.
• Allows for prepayment, once in each year, without prepayment charges (see prepayment options section for more detail).

Prepayment Privilege

You may exercise the following prepayment options, once a year on the anniversary date of your mortgage advance*:

• Increase the principal and interest portion of your original mortgage payment by up to 20%, and/or
• Make a lump sum payment towards your outstanding mortgage balance of up to 20% of the original mortgage amount. The prepayment must be a minimum amount of five hundred dollars ($500).

Prepayment Charge Calculations

• Payment timing, payment amount and interest rate changes can have a big impact on your prepayment charge calculations. Use the prepayment calculator to see how changes can impact your prepayment charges. Chris and Anne have thirty-six (36) months remaining on the term of their mortgage. They have a remaining mortgage balance of $200,000 and are paying an interest rate of 5%. They have recently sold their home and would like to pay off their outstanding mortgage balance. The current posted interest rate for a term that is the same or the closest to the remaining term of their mortgage is 4%. In this example, Chris and Anne estimate that it would cost them $6,000 to pay off their mortgage before the maturity date, since the IRD amount is higher than the three months’ interest costs.
  
  In addition to the penalty, a fee is charged for the administration of the discharge.

By reducing the principal balance of your mortgage, you will reduce the balance on which the IRD or 3 months’ interest is calculated. There are a number of ways in which to reduce the prepayment charges that may be applicable. Some examples of how you can achieve this are:

2. Estimate The Cost Of The Interest Rate Differentials

Step 1

• Existing interest rate (expressed as a percentage) 5% (A)
• Current posted interest rate for a term that is the same or the closest to the remaining term in their mortgage 4% (B)
• A – B = C, the difference between their existing interest rate and the current posted interest rate, written as a decimal 0.010 (C)
• Amount Chris and Anne want to pay off $200,000 (D)

Step 2

• Number of months remaining on the term of their mortgage 36 months (E)
• C x D x E divided by 12 = F (.010[C] x 200,000 [D] x 36 [E] divided by 12 = $6,000[F]) $6,000 (F)

Increase in prepayment charges can occur:

• As the remaining principal balance increases
• As current posted interest or reinvestment rates decrease (only where IRD is applicable)
• As the remaining term increases (only where IRD is applicable)