More Canadian consumers turning to brokers for their next mortgage

[mortgagebrokernews.ca]

A growing number of Canadians are opting to use mortgage brokers instead of going to the bank branch, a recent study said.

According to Maritz Research, which conducted the study on behalf of CAAMP, the mortgage broker channel handled 23 per cent of all mortgage activity in 2008. This number was higher in Western Canada, (34 per cent in Alberta and 27 per cent in British Columbia), as well as amongst females (26 per cent), who were more likely than men (20 per cent) to deal with brokers.

"In the past, the first or only place a person would go when looking for a mortgage was to their local bank, however more and more Canadians are now seeking out the services of Mortgage Brokers to help them navigate the biggest purchase of their lives," said study author Rob Daniel, managing director, Maritz Research Canada, to the Financial Post.

Another strong demographic for mortgage brokers was with young Canadians. In the 18 to 34 demographic brokers represented a 28 per cent share. With 53 to 54 year olds this decreased to 24 per cent, and with the 55 and older crowd it was even lower, at just 17 per cent.

One oversight in the Financial Post article in which the results were published was the author's statement that "mortgage brokers will charge fees. In one case, a low risk $240,000 mortgage on a $320,000 home in Toronto brought $3,200 in fees."

Nowhere does it mention that brokers take their fees from lenders.