Huh. Even with high oil prices and rock bottom rates homeowners in Alberta don’t seem to all be paying their bills on time:
Homeowners in the province are nearly twice as likely to fall behind than those in the rest of Canada. And the proportion struggling to make mortgage payments is the highest it has been since at least 1990, according to fresh data from the Canadian Bankers Association.
The rising rate of delinquency comes as economists warn that Canadians are under increasing pressure when it comes to servicing their debts.
As interest rates move higher in the coming months, many could find it even harder to make their monthly payments.
The main problem for the province has been Calgary’s housing market, which has struggled since a boom at the start of the decade caused massive price gains in a short period. In 2005, prices were up 10 per cent. The following year, home prices surged another 50 per cent.
The gains came to a halt five years ago, when the market began to weaken. Then, when the recession hit in 2008, panicked homeowners rushed to sell in near-record numbers, flooding the market with inventory and putting renewed pressure on prices.
This issue also seems to be negatively affecting Genworth.
