Plain-language guides to credit, lending, and the markets, written by working credit professionals and reviewed for accuracy.
85 articles
Home loan underwriting runs 1 to 3 weeks inside a 37-day purchase timeline. See the stage-by-stage calendar, FHA and VA gaps, and the 3-day federal floor.
Most HELOC lenders publish a 620 floor, but 680 is the practical bar and 740+ gets the best rate. Here is what lenders actually require, and why.
The Fed has held rates at 3.50%-3.75% since December 2025 and its own June 2026 median now points slightly up. Here is what the forecasts are worth.
Canada's average secured line of credit is 3.96% and unsecured 8.40% as of May 2026. How the rate is set, and why secured lines sit below prime.
Canadian law, not vendor generosity, is what makes your credit rating free. Here is what each province guarantees you and how to claim it.
In Canada a perfect rating means R1 on an account, 900 on your score, or AAA for an issuer. Only one applies to you, and it is commoner than you think.
No. In Canada, APR adds mandatory lender fees to the interest rate, but eight charges are excluded by law, including CMHC premiums. Here is what counts.
Know the payment but not the rate? Solve for it with a spreadsheet RATE formula, trial and error, or a lookup table, plus the Canadian compounding rule.
An interest rate is the yearly price of borrowing money. See what Canadian banks charge by product, why a 5% mortgage costs more than 5%, and the legal ceiling.
The fastest way to raise your credit rating is to cut card utilization before your statement closes. See the math, a 30/60/90-day plan, and what works.
Improve your credit score in Canada by pulling the levers that move it fastest. Lower reported utilization in one billing cycle and see how long each fix takes.
An excellent credit rating in Canada is roughly 760 to 900. See the tier table, what R1 to R9 mean on your report, and what excellent credit is worth.