Canada Pension Plan, Shapoorji Pallonji Tie Up For Real Estate Investments In India

Mumbai: Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and real estate developer Shapoorji Pallonji Group on Thursday announced an alliance to acquire foreign direct investment (FDI)-compliant office buildings in large Indian cities.

CPPIB will own 80% of the venture with an initial equity commitment of $200 million, said a statement released by the partners.

The venture will target FDI-compliant office buildings that are leased out and offer good scope for returns from asset management. It will be supported locally by the Shapoorji Pallonji Investment Advisors team led by Rajesh Agarwal.

CPPIB was advised by Vikram Gandhi, founder of VSG Capital Advisors.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Shapoorji Pallonji to launch our first real estate venture in India focusing on stabilized office properties in major urban centres,” said Mark Wiseman, president and chief executive officer, CPPIB.

“India is a key growth market for CPPIB and, as a long-term investor, we believe there are attractive investment opportunities across various sectors. We look forward to working alongside Shapoorji Pallonji, a well-aligned and experienced operator and developer in India,” Wiseman said.

Investment bankers say pension funds can make up for a shortage of fund raising avenues to companies at a time when the initial public offering (IPO) market is largely comatose and equity and currency markets volatile in the face of subdued economic growth.

In a recent interview with Mint, Kaku Nakhate, the India head of Bank of America Merrill Lynch said, “The capital market should be developed in order to lure different pockets of finance. For instance, pension funds from world over should be able to come in.” Nakhate said pension funds can provide long-term finance as well.

On 21 October, Mint had reported that Canadian pension funds had expressed keen interest in investing in the proposed infrastructure trust funds modelled on the real estate investment trusts (REITs) in Singapore to open a new refinancing facility for India’s fund-starved infrastructure sector.

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24 Sussex Drive Worth $7.2 Million, U.S. Real Estate Firm Says

OTTAWA - Call it fake estate.

An American real estate company has done a fictional listing for 24 Sussex Dr.

California-based national brokerage Movoto says the home of Canada’s prime minister is worth $7.2 million.

Movoto does legitimate work for publications such as Forbes, but its fake listings are gaining in popularity. Previous faux listings have included Wayne Manor in Gotham City, Superman’s fortress, Sesame Street and The White House.

The firm is clearly familiar with Canadian stereotypes. The 24 Sussex “listing agent” is identified as “The Mountie” with an accompanying photo. It also includes a testimonial quote from Stephen Harper.

"The Mountie was always there when I needed him, hot poutine at the ready!"

Funny, eh?

Local elite real estate agent Marilyn Wilson of Dream Properties claims 24 Sussex is worth far more — as long as the home is torn down first.

Looking over the municipal property assessment, Wilson figures the property itself — minus the buildings — would go for $12 million even though it’s assessed for $7.9 million.

"It would be worth more as vacant land," she said. "A buyer would want their own style. It’s not formidable, it’s lacking great bones. It wasn’t built to be a prime minister’s residence."

She says the cost to renovate would be prohibitive.

"It would be cheaper to demolish it and perhaps reuse the stone," she said. "Do it over in a new style, to 2014 standards."

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Canadian Real Estate Market Is Not In A Bubble, Poloz Says

OTTAWA - Canada’s housing market is not in a bubble and not likely to suffer a sudden and sharp correction in prices unless there is another major global shock to the economy, Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz said Wednesday.

The central banker, testifying before the Senate banking committee on his latest economic outlook, said he believes the most likely scenario is a soft landing where home prices stabilize, although he acknowledged that an imbalance in the market and high household debt remain key risks.

Poloz used the testimony to pointedly disagree with a couple of forecasting organizations that weighed in this week on the Canadian situation — the Fitch Rating service that judged Canada’s housing market as 21 per cent overpriced, and an OECD recommendation that he start raising interest rates in a year’s time.

"Our judgment is (the housing market) is a situation that is improving, this is not a bubble that exists here that would have to be corrected," he said. "If there is a disturbance from outside our country that’s another analysis."

Poloz said most of the fundamentals surrounding the housing market appear headed in the right direction. The prospects for the economy is improving, he noted, which should create more jobs.

As well, he said banks are now demanding higher credit scores from new borrowers and added that he does not believe there has been serious overbuilding in the housing market.

"It looks expensive," he said of home prices. "But which markets are expensive? Well those markets have been expensive my whole life,"he said, noting that Toronto and Vancouver both absorb high rates of immigration.

Asked to put odds on his soft landing scenario, Poloz said he would place it in the 60-to-80 per cent probability range.

Poloz was asked about the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s advice this week that the Bank of Canada start moving off its one per cent policy rate by the end of 2014 and keep hiking until it reaches 2.25 per cent by the end of 2015.

In unusual clarity for a central banker, Poloz said he respectfully disagreed. In his analysis, he said, there remains plenty of slack in the Canadian economy and inflation, at 1.1 per cent, is well south of the central bank’s two per cent target.

"Those things together give us the judgments we reach and obviously they differ in a material way from what the OECD is saying … and it’s our job to reach that final conclusion," he told the senators.

Last month, Poloz surprised markets by dropping the central bank’s official tightening bias and moved to a more neutral stance, which signals that the bank is as likely to cut as to raise interest rates in the future.

Analysts interpreted the move as the bank telling markets it won’t likely start raising borrowing costs until the first or second quarter of 2015. Markets reacted to that assessment by selling off the loonie.

On the overall economic outlook, Poloz said he believes the global economy is “healing” and that Canadian growth will start picking up next year as the U.S. recovery intensifies.

The bank’s official forecast is for 2.3 per cent growth in 2014, following a lacklustre 1.6 pace this year, and for 2015 to see the economy speed up to 2.6 per cent.

The testimony before the banking committee was the first for Poloz, who took charge of the central bank in June, and senators took the opportunity to question him on a wide range of topics, including the dearth of women on the new currency.

Poloz repeated previous remarks that he was “wide open” to the idea of finding images that include more women in the next roll-out of bank notes, but cautioned that won’t happen overnight — the current new bills took eight years to develop.

On the issue of Dutch disease — the theory that a commodity bubble such as oil exports pushes up the value of a nation’s currency and undermines manufacturing — Poloz said that while generally a “myth,” there was a certain element of truth to the theory.

He said oil exports helped maintain the Canadian economy during the recession and did contribute to the loonie’s appreciation, increasing competitive pressures on the manufacturing sector.

But he said the collapse in global demand also was a major factor and overall, revenues from the oil exports were a net benefit to Canada

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MBS RECAP: Bond Markets Improve On Weak Data, Friendly Fed

MBS Live: MBS Afternoon Market Summary

Fed speakers will be an ongoing theme this week as market participants refine their outlook for potential December policy changes. While we heard from several Fed members today, it was really only Dudley whose comments noticeably correlated with market movement. The opening salvo of Dudley newswires contained a slightly more optimistic stance than he usually conveys. This counteracted some of the gains that followed the weaker-than-expected NAHB Housing Market Index.

Dudley later qualified his apparent optimism, saying he anticipated that monetary policy would be accommodative for a considerable period of time due to low inflation and high unemployment. This restored the bid for bond markets--which had only wavered slightly at first. MBS and Treasuries are now coasting toward 5pm at the best levels of the day--albeit in fairly low volume.

Afternoon Reprice Alerts and Updates

Below is a recap of instant Reprice Alerts and updates issued via email and text alert to MBS Live subscribersthis afternoon.

3:59PM : Bond Markets At Best Levels; Some Positive Reprice Potential

We've seen scattered positive reprices so far today and the possibility remains as the day winds down. Fannie 3.5s are up 14 ticks at 101-29 and 10yr yields are down to 2.664. Volume has been light all day and the movement doesn't owe itself to any significant event or headline. As for positive reprices, we'd emphasize potential over likelihood, due primarily to the lateness in the session. We may see a few, but they're by no means guaranteed.

Live Chat Featured Comments
A recap of the featured comments from the MBS Live Dashboard's Live Chat feature, utilized by hundreds of industry professionals each day.

Matthew Graham : "http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/data/30-year-mortgage-rates.aspx"

Jeff Fullmer : "Does anyone know where I can get a good graph showing average mortgage rates for the past 5 to 10 years? I'm working on a presentation and I need o find one. Thanks in advance."

lhefner : "REPRICE: 1:07 PM - Quicken Loans Wholesale Better"
Ross Miller : "I got the same call"

Bryce Schetselaar : "They tried to do the same thing with me. Said that volume currently was 10% of last year at this time. With the drop in volume, their competitive advantage in pricing goes out the window due to fixed costs...economies of scale"

Edgar : "And they closed our account with 24 hours of going below a certain level (even though we were Tier 1 for years). If they waited 2-3 more days then several loans that closed would have brought us back to where we needed to be."

Bryce Schetselaar : "Yeah, they are REALLY hurting"

Edgar : "Anyone else get hit up by Provident recently about re-opening a broker relationship with them? We have not used them in 2-3 years, and they contacted us a few weeks back about doing business again. Their sales pitch? How we cost them SO much money because of 2 locked loans falling out but if we basically beg them to let us back in they'll consider re-opening the account. Isn't that nice of them? They must really be hurting if they need to go back 3 years and hit hip a small broker for biz. "

Matthew Graham : "Dudley is highly regarded as well. It would be different if it were Plosser (which it will be at 1:30). Even then, they say far more that's ignored than traded. Given what's at stake surrounding QE, such snippets become something other than 'random opining' sometimes. "

Drexel Hill Mortgage, Inc. : "right BB...the crystal ball for late 2014 and 2015...anything could still happen one way or another...but just that kind of speak all of sudden prompts DEC taper...not likely"

Brent Borcherding : "I think it speaks to the general uncertainty and unknown of the market that one individual "opining" can do so, at date. "

Michael Gillani : "It's amazing how random opining by different Fed members can sway the market as a whole on any given day."

Ted Rood : "If it shows not eligible on those two sites (and you're entering address as shown on mortgage statement), prob not harp eligible, Lynn."

Lynn ONeal : "any ideas to determine if a current wells fargo is harp eligible other than fannie and freddies site (or telling them to call wells)?"

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Canadians Deeper In Debt Than Ever: Average Non-Mortgage Debt Hits $27,355

TORONTO – A new study shows that non-mortgage debt is continuing to rise in Canada, but at a relatively modest pace, and that low delinquency rates indicate Canadians have so far been able to handle the increase.

The study by credit reporting agency TransUnion says that the average consumer debt load, excluding mortgages, increased $225 to $27,355 in the third quarter.

It says the quarterly increase of 0.83 per cent was in line with the rise observed in second quarter, after a significant decline of two per cent in the first. On a year-over-year basis, total debt increased 2.19 per cent from $26,770 at the end of the third quarter in 2012.

Despite the increase, two of the country’s largest cities —Toronto and Vancouver — both experienced quarterly and yearly declines in average consumer total debt.

Montreal, the country’s second-largest city by population, saw minimal rises on both a quarterly and yearly basis, while the only major city to experience a rise in debt greater than the national average was Edmonton, with total debt rising 4.6 per over the past year.

Meanwhile, TransUnion says delinquency rates, or failure to make good on debt repayment, remains low across all credit products, from credit cards to auto loans.

“The relatively low delinquency levels observed in the third quarter are a positive sign that Canadian consumers are managing their greater debt loads,” said Thomas Higgins, TransUnion’s vice-president of analytics and decision services.

“Credit card delinquencies saw the biggest decline on a percentage basis in the last year, which is a positive as we embark on the final three months of the year when credit card usage tends to pick up.”

Meanwhile, the study showed that the increase in average debt varied throughout Canada, with provinces experiencing year-over-year changes from a low of minus 0.4 per cent in British Columbia to a high of 15.49 per cent in Saskatchewan.

Elsewhere, consumer debt levels fell 0.03 per cent in Ontario, while rising 2.72 per cent in Quebec and 7.46 per cent in Alberta. The report did not give figures for other provinces.

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What is the “Best Mortgage Rate” ?

It’s not synonymous with the “lowest mortgage rate.”

The best mortgage rate corresponds to the mortgage and advice that saves (and in some cases makes) you the most amount of money long-term.

Mortgage professionals routinely advise, “It’s not all about the rate.” To some, that sounds like evil sales-speak meant to boost commissions. The reality is that mortgage flexibility, contract restrictions and advice all have a definitive impact on borrowing costs. And most people don’t discover how much impact until after their mortgage closes.

That said, consumers are obliged to negotiate the very best deal they can. Three years ago, we asked ourselves, what kind of mortgage comparison website would we want if we were shopping for a mortgage ourselves? We thought up RateSpy.com.

RateSpy’s edge is data, lots and lots of rate data — more so than most other Canadian rate comparison sites combined.

Now, why on earth would someone need access to 3,000 mortgage rates and 300+ lenders, you ask? It boils down to probability.

At any given time, different mortgage providers are motivated to offer more heavily discounted rates. They may have:

Surplus liquidity (e.g., a credit union with excess deposits),
A need to replace assets in securitization programs (which is why we see big discounts on mortgages with odd terms, like 3.4 years), or
Internal volume targets that haven’t been met, thus encouraging more competitive pricing.
By definition, the more lenders and brokers one has to compare, the higher the probability of finding a lender motivated to discount below the market.

Of course, once you find a low-rate provider, that doesn’t mean its rate entails the lowest borrowing costs. Asking the right questions is mandatory to ensure the mortgage balances renewal risk with interest savings, and lets you make changes down the road—penalty free. This mortgage rate & features checklist can serve as a guide in that respect.

For these reasons, the interest rate alone can be a misleading number. If your lender or mortgage broker is quoting you a rate 10-15 basis points higher than what you’ve found online, it means nothing until you compare the features, restrictions and speed/quality of service from both providers

Our responsibility
Mortgage shoppers are, and will continue, flocking to rate comparison websites. But the information on these sites is vastly inadequate at the moment. Why, for example, don’t rate comparison sites speak to the penalty facing consumers if they break the mortgage early? Variations in penalty calculations can, and do, cost borrowers thousands more than small rate differences.

We have a responsibility to help consumers find the best overall deal, not just the best rate. The best deal factors in things like term selection, penalty cost, refinance restrictions, porting flexibility, advice on properly structuring an application, advice on building equity and so on.

Every Canadian rate comparison site I’ve seen underperforms in these areas. Even ours…for now. Our mission is to address these information deficiencies so consumers can identify the right combination of rate savings, flexibility and advice in an objective forum with no sales pressure.

Thereafter, we have to make it easier for folks to find competent mortgage professionals for a second opinion. Think about it. If you don’t have a trusted referral, where do you look to find a great broker or banker? How do you know the person you’re calling has the tenure, experience, qualifications and competitiveness to serve you best? Most existing advisor directories help you screen by little more than company, province or city.

Expect mortgage comparison sites to significantly evolve along these lines in 2014.

Sidebar: Rate comparison sites, in their present form, cater only to AAA fully-qualifying clients. Subprime,business-for-self and investor clients are a whole different conversation. There is currently no good mortgage comparison site for these customers, making knowledgeable mortgage advisors even more essential.

Visit Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Village to consult a mortgage professional.

3 Ways To Use A Mortgage Calculator

1. Planning to pay off your mortgage early.

By the time a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is paid off, the typical mortgage holder will have made total interest payments significantly larger than the original principal on the loan.

Use the “Extra payments” functionality of Bankrate’s mortgage calculator to find out how you can shorten your term and net big savings by paying extra money toward your loan’s principal each month, every year or even just one time.

To calculate the savings, enter a hypothetical amount into one of the payment categories (monthly, yearly or one-time) and then click “Show/Recalculate Amortization Table” to see how much interest you’ll end up paying and your new payoff date.

2. Decide if an ARM is worth the risk.

The lower initial interest rate of an adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM, can be tempting. But while an ARM may be appropriate for some borrowers, others may find that the lower initial interest rate won’t cut their monthly payments as much as they think.

To get an idea of how much you’ll really save initially, try entering the ARM interest rate into the mortgage calculator, leaving the term as 30 years. Then, compare those payments to the payments you get when you enter the rate for a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage. Doing so may confirm your initial hopes about the benefits of an ARM — or give you a reality check about whether the potential plusses of an ARM really outweigh the risks.

3. Find out when to get rid of private mortgage insurance.

You can use the mortgage calculator to determine when you’ll have 20 percent equity in your home. This percentage is the magic number for requesting that a lender wave private mortgage insurance requirement.

Simply enter in the original amount of your mortgage and the date you closed, and click “Show/Recalculate Amortization Table.” Then, multiply your original mortgage amount by 0.8 and match the result to the closest number on the far-right column of the amortization table to find out when you’ll reach 20 percent equity.

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Apply With More Than One Mortgage Lender?

Unlike applying for a credit card or auto loan, there is little benefit in applying to more than one lender for a mortgage loan. You might believe you are increasing your chances of getting the best available deal or giving yourself “insurance” that you will receive an approval. But, there are reasons that it is usually not in your best interest to do this.

• In addition to filling out lots of paperwork, it will cost you money to apply (credit report, property appraisal, and, possibly, an application fee).
• A full credit report, usually a “tri-merge” (reports from all three major credit reporting agencies) is required. This will cost you money (around $15) and also bring down your credit score, as each inquiry takes some points off.
• You will end up paying for more than one property appraisal (from $200 to $450).
• You may be required to pay one or more application fees (around $200 each).
• If you want to lock (guarantee) a rate at application and a fee is involved, more than one application will involve multiple fees, only one of which will benefit you.

If you locate an experienced, honest mortgage professional and provide him/her with the correct information, he/she will advise you of the best available terms for which you qualify. Therefore it is usually unnecessary and always costly to make more than one application with multiple mortgage lenders.

Information You Need to Apply for a Mortgage
Since the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) purchase the majority of home loans in the U.S., their standards are followed by most mortgage loan buyers. 

This means most lenders will require the same information from you. The differences relate to either the type of property being financed or the specific type of loan being used. The most common information all lenders require:

• Credit report : The mortgage source will get your report, but you should get one of your own BEFORE you apply so you know your current status in advance.
• Income verification : Keep your pay stubs for at least two months prior to making application. Also have copies of your last two years’ personal income tax returns in the event you need them, including W-2’s. If you earn overtime or other additional compensation, be prepared to prove that it is regular and consistent over time. To verify this, you will need more pay stubs, as many as you can collect. The same rules apply if you earn a significant portion of your income from commissions and fees. You must justify the level of income you wish to get credit for.
• Liquidity (Cash) : Regardless of the type of mortgage you receive or the property you’re financing, there will be costs to close your new loan. In all cases, you will need third party verification of the cash you claim to have. Have your bank or credit union statements for the past twelve months handy. Also gather up all information on investments, mutual funds, and other “cash equivalents”. If some of your cash is coming in the form of a gift, have the giver sign a “gift letter”. You can find appropriate wording from the Internet or you can probably get a demo letter from your mortgage source. Be aware that most lenders will allow a gift letter ONLY from an immediate family member (mother, father, sister, brother, son, or daughter).
• If you’re buying a property, you will need a Purchase & Sale Agreement : Once you make an offer that is accepted, your real estate broker will prepare a formal agreement to purchase the property. Most lenders will require this agreement before they will accept a formal application, since there is no deal without it.
• If you’re refinancing a property, have your current tax bill, hazard insurance information or policy, a copy of your deed and/or legal description of your home: This will greatly facilitate the processing of your application and result in a faster approval.
• If you’re purchasing or refinancing a condominium : Have your condominium documents (e.g., bylaws, budget, master insurance policy declaration page, homeowner’s dues information, etc.) ready.

There may be some other information you need to provide for different lenders but your mortgage source will make you aware of anything further they want.

Visit Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Village to consult a mortgage professional.

Clients Less Willing To Renew Early… For Now

Following historically low lending rates, clients are less likely to opt to renew early, leaving few opportunities for independent brokers to try to entice clients to switch lenders… for now, at least.

“Clients (were) getting 2.79- 2.89 five year mortgages and there is no incentive for clients to jump ship earlier and opt to renew early,” Lee Welbanks of Verico Welbanks Mortgage Group told MortgageBrokerNews.ca. “The banks certainly have the advantage because they can renew four months out and they aren’t charging clients a penalty to renew.”

Nevertheless, clients who signed up for five-year fixed rates five years ago – and whose mortgages are now maturing — will likely look to renew, as rates are lower today than they were when they signed up for the current term.

“The variables rates are in vogue right now and we have high rate fixed rates coming out of maturity and so they’re happy to get in on an early renewal,” Welbanks said.

In many of these cases, clients are usually satisfied to stay with the original lender; leaving few opportunities to entice clients to leave. Though that shouldn’t sway brokers from trying.

“We’re trying to find the deals where the clients need more funds. I have some who like my services but, at the end of the day, clients often opt for the path of least resistance – so they choose to renew with the banks or their current lender even if they have to pay a little more,” Welbanks said. “I think the idea is that we need better incentives in order to switch clients; that may be a cash incentive for the hassle they go through, that may be other products you offer.

“It could be a myriad of things but at the end of the day, we can never stop trying, as long as we are not doing something that acts against the client’s better interests.”

And even if that fails, there is always the knowledge that the future will bring with it a leveler playing field.

“The playing field will be more level in 4.5 years because we won’t see as many early renewals. It’s a brand new deal and they have to play with whatever rates are available,” Welbanks concluded.

How To Beat Banks At Renewal Time

The challenges of the traditionally slow winter season is now being compounded by banks contacting past clients 120 days ahead of renewal – and just out of reach of the brokers’ 90 day rate hold.

“I’m relatively new so I still don’t get those return clients with renewals (and) this time of year in Ottawa it’s slow because people don’t want to move in in December and January,” Nick Bachusky told MortgageBrokerNews.ca. “The banks are getting to the clients first – 120 days out, the managers get an automatic message saying whose renewals are up and then the specialists contact the clients with the best rates. It’s tough for brokers to compete because we can only offer at 90 days out.”

The banks tend to have the rate advantage and it can be difficult to sway a previous bank client to move the mortgage to the brokerage side.

“The banks go on floors: they don’t make revenue on it, they make more on volume (and) if it’s a war on rates, the banks will usually win it,” Bachusky said. “They can go to upper management and get rate matches and clients are more willing to stick with the bank because no new paperwork has to be done and no new rules need to be discussed.”

However, one way to get a leg-up on the competition is to focus on other areas of wealth management and providing customers a more holistic financial services approach.

“For renewals, what we’re finding, is that with our client base we offer more than just mortgage services,” Patrick Briscoe of Mortgage Alliance told MortgageBrokerNews.ca. “We have a little bit more client dedication in the fact that they come to us first to get an opinion on what they should do.”

Briscoe believes it can be difficult to compete on rate but it’s this other services that help keep the client, in many cases.

“We have seen competition from the banks for sure as they compete for rates, but at the same time by offering other services we have been able to maintain the client,” Briscoe said. “We do investment services, life insurance and income tax preparation.”

Perhaps this approach is the best way to stay competitive during this important time of the year.

“It’s nice to have a niche in what we’re doing but we think it’s necessary for brokers to have the same sort of model if they want to remain competitive,” Briscoe said.

Visit Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Village to consult a mortgage professional.

Flaherty: House Prices A Worry, But No Mortgage Crackdown For Now

OTTAWA - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is taking on the responsibility of averting a housing bubble in Canada that could destabilize the economy, adding he will speak to those in the business to try and keep a lid on rising home prices.

With the Bank of Canada essentially taking itself out of the game by signalling interest rates won’t be raised for some time, Flaherty said Monday after meeting with about a dozen economists that it falls on his department to ensure the market is stabilized.

"It does fall to the Department of Finance to do anything if we’re going to do anything because there’s basically no room for the Bank of Canada to move," he said.

"Some of the economists suggested I have some conversations with people in the building industry because what we’re seeing in certain parts of the country (is) a re-acceleration of housing prices. I do speak regularly to people in the business and I’m going to do more of it now."

Flaherty said he has no intention of acting at the moment, but said he was keeping an eye on the market to see if the current uptick in sales and prices is temporary or the beginning of another hot run.

Most economists see the market slowing after the recent resurgence, including the Bank of Canada. But the central bank also cited the “renewed momentum” as one of three domestic risks to the economy in its October monetary policy report.

"This (the resurgence) would provide a temporary boost to economic activity, but could exacerbate existing imbalances and therefore increase the probability of a correction later on," the bank said. "Such a correction could have sizable spillover effects to other parts of the economy and to inflation."

The minister has been active in the housing market throughout his tenure, at first easing rules but more recently clamping down as Canadians took on ever-increasing debt levels to buy real estate.

The latest measure, which came in July 2012, was followed by a slump in sales and a slowdown in price gains. But the market began picking up again during the summer, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver, with the average home price hitting a new record high of almost $386,000.

Home prices are not Flaherty’s only worry.

The minister told reporters he remains focused on trying to eliminate as much as possible the price gap between the United States and Canada that one recent report pegged at about 10 per cent.

Flaherty said he has been meeting with CEOs of the country’s major retailers to ask for explanations as to why prices for the same items remain elevated in Canada, adding that he is not altogether persuaded by the answers he has been given.

"There are some companies that look at Canada as a relatively small market that is relative well off, (with a) large middle class, and, ‘Let them pay a little more, and they’ll pay it.’," he said of merchant attitudes.

However, Flaherty said he will wait until the results of a study being conducted by the market research firm Nielsen before deciding if anything needs to be done.

"It becomes an interesting question of what the government can do about that … there are always persuasive techniques that can be used to nudge people in the right direction," he said.

The minister has deployed the approach before.

Earlier this year he personally phoned the Bank of Montreal to “persuade” it to raise its five-year fixed mortgage rate after BMO cut it to 2.99 per cent. Flaherty said he was concerned about a race to the bottom on rates that would trigger unsustainable borrowing.