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naheekim

TheSpec - Average Canadian family $100,000 in the red - 0 views

  • The average Canadian family has joined the $100,000 club, but it’s one they most likely don’t want to belong to.
  • Average Canadian household debt has hit $100,879. That’s close to twice as much as we owed 20 years ago, according to a study by the Vanier Institute for the Family
  • At the same time, the rate at which Canadians save has dropped
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  • In 2010, that savings rate has dropped to 4.2 percent — about $2,500 per household.
  • the recession has shaken out the labour market. “We’re experiencing a gain in jobs, but people are now in jobs that paid less than what they did.
  • Mortgages account for about two-thirds of the $100,879 owed by the average household, or about $63,126 per household, with 55 per cent holding mortgages and 45 per cent mortgage-free. The other third is consumer debt, which includes credit cards and personal loans.
  • “The debt-to-income ratio is concerning … but recently, (mortgage) credit demand has slowed and consumer credit demand has slowed considerably as well. It’s now at less than 5 per cent, which is half of what we saw in the previous five years on average.”
  • Personal debt consolidation and restructuring expert Jim Ferguson said the most common reason people are getting into overbearing debt is the ease of availability of credit
  • Canadian debt levels, relative to income, are still meaningfully below peak U.S. levels, but that a further sizable increase would be worrisome.
  • “Household financial assets are also growing fast due to the strong stock market, which dampen concerns about the debt, but assets can vanish more quickly than debts.”
naheekim

Canadian household debt swells to $1.3 trillion - CBC News - 1 views

  • Canadians are increasingly relying on credit cards and credit lines to finance day-to-day expenditures, and the total national household debt in Canada has reached an all-time high of $1.3 trillion,
  • The survey found that 42 per cent of respondents said their personal debt was rising in the past three years, and 21 per cent said they couldn't manage their debt
  • Some 58 per cent of respondents said that day-to-day living expenses are the main cause for the increasing debt.
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  • The survey interviewed 2,014 people and had a margin of error of 2.2 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
  • Third of non-retired Canadians report not saving
  • Many Canadians are not aware of how the economic downturn has impacted their financial situation and continue to load up their credit cards and lines of credit
  • The report finds that 32 per cent of non-retired respondents said they were not devoting any funds toward saving, even for retirement, up from 25 per cent in 2007
  • Of those making under $35,000 a year, 49 per cent surveyed reported that their debt levels rose in the last three years. In comparison, 42 per cent of those making $35,000 to $75,000 a year reported their debt levels rose, while 38 per cent of those making over $75,000 annually reported an increase
  • Personal lines of credit expanded to a new high of $181 billion outstanding in April, an increase of 6.2 per cent year-to-date, and up 20.4 per cent from a year earlier. This type of debt has bloated from $100 billion five years ago and less than $50 billion at the start of the decade.
  • Personal loans from banks totalled $48.5 billion, up 8.1 per cent from a year earlier, and bank credit-card receivables were up 8.9 per cent at $51.5 billion.
Steven Iarusci

The Canadian Press: Canadian borrowing grows 4.5 per cent in first quarter from year ago - 0 views

  • Canadians' average non-mortgage debt grew 4.5 per cent to $25,597 in the first quarter compared to a year earlier, signalling that consumers aren't necessarily clamping down on borrowing even as they rein in spending.
  • Total debt per consumer, including credit cards, car loans and lines of credit but excluding mortgages, was up from $24,497 in the same quarter of 2010,
  • most in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, with debt rising by 7.8 per cent in both provinces, while British Columbians had the highest average consumer debt at $36,649
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  • consumer debt rose in all provinces
  • the trend still remains modest compared to the double-digit, pre-recession levels
  • Average credit card debt
  • sign of troubled credit health, the national credit card delinquency rate — the ratio of credit card accounts that are 90 days or more overdue — grew 11 per cent from the first quarter of 2010.
  • consumers are focused on consolidating debt after borrowing heavily during the recession
  • Lines of credit are the most popular form of consumer debt
  • more than 41 per cent of outstanding debt at the end of the first quarter
  • consumers should take care to rein in their borrowing
  • consumer spending slowed during the first quarter, to just 0.1 per cent growth
  • average borrower debt on auto loans was also up in the quarter — by 12.4 per cent to $16,189 from $14,402 in the first quarter of 2010
  • higher energy and particularly gasoline prices are taking a bigger bite out of household budgets, leaving less for other forms of expenditures
  • high levels of indebtedness are expected to weigh down purchases going forward
naheekim

Household debt continues to rise - Business - CBC News - 2 views

  • Household liabilities grew by 6.5 per cent in the fourth quarter, compared with the same period a year ago, the slowest annual growth rate since the fourth quarter of 2002.
  • The average debt-to-personal disposable income ratio edged down to 146.8 per cent in the quarter, but only because a 1.8 per cent gain in average personal disposable income outpaced a gain in credit market debt.
  • But the rate at which Canadians piled on debt slowed, with nonmortgage credit, such as credit cards, slowing the most, at 5.8 per cent from a year ago.
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  • Overall household liabilities grew by 6.5 per cent from the same period a year ago levels.
  • Household net worth per capita increased from $178,200 in the third quarter to $181,700 in the fourth quarter.
  • The rate of growth in net worth, after rebounding from the recession, has stayed in a range of between five and six per cent. That compares with a pace of between nine to 10 per cent in the five years leading up to the recession.
  • "Once interest rates start to rise over the latter half of 2011, the debt-service ratio is expected to climb substantially."
  • Measuring all debt — government, business and family — national net worth edged up 0.3 per cent to $6.3 trillion in the fourth quarter, the slowest quarterly growth of the year.
Maria Li

Canadians keep loading up on debt | Personal Finance | Financial Post - 1 views

  • Add another $1,1oo to the average Canadian debt load — and that’s not even considering mortgage loans
  • average Canadian debt, not counting mortgages, climbed to $25,597 in the first quarter, up from $24,497 a year earlier for a 4.5% increase
  • debt was down $112 from the fourth quarter which is in line with seasonal trends
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  • Canadians are doing a better job of managing their credit card debt which was down $25 on a year over year basis to an average of $3,539 at the end of the first quarter
  • irst quarter data shows a continued increase in the total debt per consumer, although the trend still remains modest compared to the double digit, pre-recession levels
  • Lines of credit continue to drive debt and are the largest contributor after mortgages, accounting for 41% of the outstanding debt in Canada at the end of the first. Delinquency longer than 90 days were .21%
Heshani Makalande

Canadian debt load: $26,000 - excluding mortgages - Moneyville.ca - 0 views

  • Already at record levels, Canadians now owe just under $26,000 on average on their lines of credit, credit cards and auto loans, according to credit rating agency, TransUnion.
  • That’s an increase of 4.5 per cent, or another $1,000, over the same period last year.
  • The fear is that higher rates could push more consumers beyond their ability to repay their loans
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  • Debt growth in Canada is slowing from the double-digit pace seen before the recession
  • And total borrowing, including mortgages, typically the biggest household loan, is slowing, major Canadian banks said recently in their quarterly reports.
  • The Bank of Canada’s trend-setting overnight lending rate is just 1 per cent. But with inflation running at 3.3 per cent, above the central bank’s ideal range, Carney is under pressure to start raising lending rates to dampen demand.
  • Total debt per consumer increased to $25,597 in the first three months of this year,
  • Among types of loans, TransUnion said credit card debt, usually the most expensive to carry, barely budged from a year ago, falling $25 to an average of $3,539.
  • In a sign some borrowers may already be struggling, the national credit card delinquency rate rose 11 per cent. The rate measures the ratio of consumers who take 90 days or more to pay their bill.
  • The average line of credit, the most popular loans for their low cost and high flexibility, rose 5.9 per cent to $33,762 compared to last year. However, total line of credit debt declined for the first time in five quarters.
  • One noticeable shift was the decreased use of lines of credit, Higgins said. The category is the largest among consumer loans, making up 41 per cent of the total, and even more in Ontario, at 57 per cent
  • The study found debt loads rose in all provinces, led by Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. British Columbians had the highest load at $36,649.
  • Lines of credit are the most popular form of consumer debt, excluding mortgages, accounting for more than 41 per cent of outstanding debt at the end of the first quarter. Debt on lines of credit stood at an average $33,981, up 5.9 per cent from $31,867 in the first quarter of 2010.
Maria Li

Canadian consumer debt rises $1,000 per person - 1 views

  • The average debt load per Canadian consumer rose 4.5% this quarter over last year, according to new figures compiled by TransUnion
  • That works out to $1,000 per person and excludes mortgage costs.
  • Credit card, line of credit and auto-loan debt jumped most in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador with gains of 7.8% in both provinces. Quebec's total average debt load per consumer stood at $18,025 for the quarter. Newfoundland's was $23,372. The national average is now $25,597.
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  • Lines of credit are the largest category of consumer debt in the country accounting for 41% of all outstanding debt though delinquency rates are very low. Line of credit debt was up 5.9% in the quarter over last to an average of $33,981. When compared to the final quarter of 2010 however, line of credit borrowing is down for the first time in several years.
  • This may be “an early sign that Canadians are shifting to a more conservative and restrictive form of financing to manage their debt loads,”
Steven Iarusci

Canadians load up on mortgages, cut card debt - 0 views

  • The bank set aside $145million in provisions for credit losses, down $104-million as more customers repaid their loans.
    • Steven Iarusci
       
      BMO is the bank in question.
  • consumer credit-card balances are declining as bank customers start to heed warnings about taking on too much debt
  • On the residential mortgage side, Mr. Downe said he expects to see growth start to "soften" in the coming months
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  • record household debt levels have left this country vulnerable to economic shocks
  • the Canadian banks will report a slight increase in profit for the quarter as they contend with the impact of declining consumer borrowing, moderating capital markets activity and other headwinds.
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  • With domestic household debt levels hovering close to where they were in the United States prior to the financial crisis, many observers are warning that Canadians need to start paying down debt if the economy is remain on level footing
  • anadian consumers continue to pile on mortgage debt despite repeated warnings that they need to crank back on borrowing if this country is to avoid a painful real estate correction
  • Canadian consumers continue to pile on mortgage debt despite repeated warnings that they need to crank back on borrowing if this country is to avoid a painful real estate correction
  • growth in the overall home loan market "is continuing to be more robust,"
  • Canada's fourth-largest lender on Wednesday kicked off second-quarter bank earnings season with a 7.5% increase in profit on the back of lower provisions for bad loans
Linda Lei

Executives should monitor household debt - Ivey Business Journal - 0 views

  • Household debt is the personal and mortgage debt of Canadian consumers.  It has been on a tear.  According to Statistics Canada, Canadian household debt reached a record 148 percent of disposable income in the third quarter of 2010 before closing the year at 147 percent.  It was 50 percent in 1990 and 110 percent in 2000
  • The Bank of Canada estimates home equity lines of credit and loans may be up as much as 170 percent in the last decade while mortgage debt at is about half that rate.  Home-equity lines of credit and loans are now about 12 percent of household debt and often end up financing non-housing related purchases like vacations and vehicles.  At the margin, too many Canadians are living off their homes.
Linda Lei

Consumer debt and home equity | Direct Talk with Peter Aceto - 0 views

  • Here are some facts. In this low interest rate environment, Canadians’ debt levels – including credit cards, loans and mortgages – have grown much faster than their incomes. Debt levels are now about one and a half times disposable income, an even higher level than the debt-to-income levels of Americans. Total consumer debt in Canada now exceeds a staggering $1.4 trillion. The Bank of Canada and the Finance Department have expressed concern about personal debt, specifically about what would happen if interest rates were to rise and Canadians discovered they could not afford to be carrying these debt levels.
Steven Iarusci

Consumer fatigue an ominous sign for economy - The Globe and Mail - 1 views

  • Consumers typically account for 60 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, and rising living costs along with elevated debt levels suggest they won’t be much help this year
  • Gross domestic product expanded at an annualized 3.9 per cent in the first quarter, the fastest pace in a year, led by business investment and manufacturing, Statistics Canada said
  • that pace will be cut by almost half in the second quarter, while Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters Monday he’s anticipating “more modest” growth in the rest of the year
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  • In the near term, households are under pressure as rising food and energy costs cut into their budgets
  • “I will never, never do that again. I want to have the money up front before I buy something, because I don’t want to get into that trouble again,” said Ms. Thornton
  • In the longer term, high debt levels could restrain spending for years
  • Kim Thornton, for example, is one fatigued consumer. The mother of four says her family ran up about $50,000 in debt in prior years on credit card spending
  • the household debt service ratio – debt payments to disposable income – jumped to a three-year high of 7.8 per cent from 7.2 per cent
  • Canadians are getting the message about whittling down debt, and that is translating into fewer purchases of discretionary goods
  • reduced hours and leaner wages – a legacy from the recession – mean many families have less money with which to service their debt, he added
dani tav

Op-Ed: Canada's deflating economy - 1 views

  • The reason for the minimal GDP growth that we had was government spending increased over this period and government debt increased by about $139 billion.
  • Government Debt
  • The government is in a dilemma now. Despite the rosy forecasts they like to create showing how well our economy is doing there are reasons for major concerns.
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  • Government spending cannot continue to increase especially when it is financed by debt. The recession was started by economies overloaded with debt. Rather than deal with the imbalances government decided to increase spending "grow the economy" and create more debt. Now we are in a predicament that there are no tools left for governments to throw at the economic problems.
  • Canada's net debt had grown to $582 billion, up from $516 billion two years earlier.
  • The government's attempt to continue economic growth by borrowing has failed. Canada's economy is going nowhere and we are farther behind because of government debt. The future does not look much better for Canada's economy.
  • government borrowing huge amounts of money to bolster the economy
naheekim

Canada's mortgage debt surpasses $1T for first time - CTV News - 3 views

  • Canadians are carrying more mortgage debt than ever before, with the total crossing the $1 trillion threshold for the first time
  • Canada's total outstanding mortgage debt was $1.0008 trillion as of August 2010.
  • "Over the past 15 years, the volume of outstanding residential mortgages has expanded by 194 per cent, or a growth rate of 7.5 per cent per year,"
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  • From 2004 to 2008 Canada's mortgage debt was growing at a rate of 10 per cent per year, but eased off as a result of the recession and hit 7.6 per cent in the most recent 12 month period
  • The report paints a positive picture of Canada's mortgage market, saying Canadian homeowners are comfortable with their mortgage debt, have "significant equity" and could even handle an increase in their interest rate.
  • In terms of interest rates, the report found that the average rate is 4.22 per cent, down from 4.55 per cent a year earlier. Among those who have financed or renewed a mortgage in the past year, the rate is 3.75 per cent.
  • Accordin g to the survey, 84 per cent of Canadians could afford an increase of $300 per month or more.
  • About 6 per cent of homeowners would have trouble with an increase of less than 1 per cent of their interest rate payment, and a further 5 per cent would have trouble with an increase of between 1 and 1.49 per cent
Linda Lei

Stats Canada discusses household debt | The Economic Analyst - 1 views

  • Recent research suggests that if interest rates rise by three percentage points, the debt-to-income ratio needs to fall to between 125% and 130% for interest payments on the debt to remain the same
  • Interestingly, note the rise in mortgage debt which started in 2003.  This is the year that the price ceilings were removed by CMHC, meaning that CMHC would insure any mortgage no matter how high.  This, combined with a loosening in down payment requirements, is quite likely the largest driver in house price increase and debt expansion.  Some economists in Calgary recently calculated that the changes in CMHC insurance requirements have been responsible for 40-70 percent of all house price increases since 2004.
Linda Lei

A warning for Canadian consumers, household debt could spark 'made in Canada' recession... - 1 views

  • “One scenario is that interest rates rise, house prices drop, and more people begin defaulting on their credit card debt and mortgage obligations. An equally worrying – and perhaps more likely scenario – is that interest rates go up a little, and more of people’s disposable income goes to repaying their debt, leading to a significant reduction in consumer spending. Since personal spending on consumer goods and services accounts for 58 per cent of the Canadian gross domestic product, this decrease would provoke a ‘made in Canada’ recession.”
  • Total household debt in Canada now tops $1.5-trillion, or three times the national debt, MIT said in a statement outlining the paper by Mr. Dunfield and his colleagues in the Action Canada fellowship. That means that while Mr. Flaherty is being fiscally responsible, many of us may not be following suit.
  • “Canada has also avoided the wide regional performance differences seen in the U.S., where states such as Nevada, California and Florida suffered significantly larger declines than the nation overall,” Mr. Goldin added. “In Canada, house prices in Calgary and Vancouver fell further than those across the nation, but the variance was relatively minor by comparison
Steven Iarusci

Report cautions that over-indebted consumers can't drive economy - 0 views

  • a rate hike may come in the fall
    • Steven Iarusci
       
      Interest rates
  • the main message is that consumers cannot be the main engines of economic growth over the next couple of years,” the authors conclude. “Instead, the economy will have to rely on other sources of growth, such as exports and business investment.”
  • Canadians have “eased off the debt-accumulation throttle,”
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  • still net borrowers, meaning they borrow more than they save
  • consumer spending will not be the engine of economic growth in the coming quarters and the inevitable future rebalancing of monetary policy will be a shock to many households
  • some of the drop in household indebtedness is explained by strong income gains, not by debt repayment per se
  • sustainable personal growth is likely in a range of 4.0-4.5 per cent. Credit continues to grow at a pace that is two percentage points above that
  • the level of Canadian household debt — which in December officially surpassed those of our neighbours to the south — is unsustainable
  • total consumer debt load is reported to be about $1.5 trillion
  • Data released late last year suggested Canadians owed on average $112,000 — a figure that includes all kinds of debt, including mortgages — and a debt-to-income ratio of 150 per cent means they were spending $1,500 for every $1,000 in take-home pay
  • Factors that will moderate credit growth over the short term include spending fatigue, a soft landing in the housing market, stricter mortgage rules and Canadians preparing for the higher interest rates that are sure to come as the economy recovers.
Linda Lei

The Progressive Economics Forum » Reduce Student Debt to Reduce Household Debt - 0 views

  • As Armine made clear in her presentation, household debt in Canada has steadily risen over the past two decades.  In 1990, the average Canadian household had debt representing just under 90% of its personal disposable income.  Today, that figure stands at roughly 150%.
Susan Cui

The Progressive Economics Forum » Housing on the knife's edge - 6 views

  • On the heels of multiple warnings from the Bank of Canada that Canadians have taken on too much household debt for comfort (we hold the dubious distinction of having the worst consumer debt to financial assets ratio among 20 OECD nations), the federal government announced
  • On the heels of multiple warnings from the Bank of Canada that Canadians have taken on too much household debt for comfort
  • the federal government announced
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  • these federal changes will have the greatest effect on middle class Canadians
  • With these moves, the federal government is starting to take seriously the risk of record-high housing prices and record-high household debt.
  • It will reduce the maximum insurable amortization period from 35 years to 30 years
  • The pessimistic possibility is that trying to reign in mortgage debt and housing prices could burst the housing bubble that simultaneously exists in six Canadian cities.
  • The optimistic possibility is that reverting to pre-2006 regulations could help put a lid on house prices
  • to get back to basics and start saving again.
  • It could also force Canadians
  • Between 1980 and 2001, housing prices in four of the six major markets in Canada (Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal) remained in a tight band of between $150,000 and $220,000 (in today’s dollars).
  • experienced three housing price declines between them brought on by interest rate hikes.
  • Toronto and Vancouver
  • When the bubbles burst, they wiped out in the worst case more than 35% of an average house’s value
  • Today it isn’t just Toronto and Vancouver; it’s all six major Canadian cities that are outside of the safety zone.
  • Canada’s housing market is still on a knife’s edge and isn’t clear which way we’ll fall.
dani tav

Wonkbook: Debt limit vote, part I - Ezra Klein - The Washington Post - 1 views

  • a proposal Tuesday that would increase the nation’s ability to borrow money without also making major cuts in federal spending
  • initial request that the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling be lifted without any accompanying spending reductions
  • politically impossible.
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  • o get my vote on the debt ceiling..Medicare will be a part of it
  • argued against using $80 billion in taxpayer dollars to try to save General Motors Co., Chrysler and many of their suppliers."
  • economists largely predicted the U.S. recovery would ramp back up as short-term disruptions such as higher gas prices, bad weather and supply problems in Japan subsided
  • he ownership rate is now back to the level of 1998, and some housing experts say it could decline to the level of the 1980s or even earlier
  • Cutting tax breaks for retirement won't raise a lot of money;
  • economy
  • medical school free
Kiruban Mahadeva

The Canadian Press: Time for U.S. to deal with debt problem; spillover could hurt Canad... - 1 views

  • concerned about the mounting level of debt in the United States and its potential to slow Canada's recovery
  • when debt exceeds 90 per cent of GDP, economic growth will slow, and that is a situation facing most of Canada's major trading partners, particularly the U.S
  • as markets lose patience with the pace of deficit reduction, the result will be higher interest rates that impact all
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  • It's a transformation that sees emerging markets like China bound forward while advanced countries — Canada's traditional economic partners — muddle along through years of slow growth because of massive debt.
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