Plain-language guides to credit, lending, and the markets, written by working credit professionals and reviewed for accuracy.
98 articles
Denied at mortgage renewal? Your lender owes you 21 days notice. Here is the timeline, what a lower payment really costs, and the options that still work.
Debt consolidation combines several debts into one payment. What it costs in Canada at current Bank of Canada rates, when it saves money, and when it does not.
Your bank's chargeback is one route. Ontario and Quebec give you a second written one with legislated deadlines. Both explained, with the rules cited.
Cancelling a card takes three steps with your issuer. What it does to your credit score, which card to close, and what keeps billing after you close it.
Most Canadians hold two or three cards. What really decides the right number for you, how card count moves your credit score, and when one card is enough.
A consumer proposal is a binding offer to settle unsecured debt through a Licensed Insolvency Trustee. How it works, who qualifies, what you pay.
Never paying a collection agency is not a rule, it is a myth with a real fact behind it. Here is what a payment does to the limitation clock in each province.
Decode a Canadian credit report line by line: what every trade-line field means, what the R codes say, and how long Equifax and TransUnion each keep an item.
The highest credit rating is R1 on an account, 900 on a Canadian score and AAA for an issuer. See which scale applies to you and what the ceiling is worth.
The Bank of Canada cut 275 basis points since 2024, but only floating-rate debt got it. Here is what the cuts did to each kind of Canadian loan.
The underwriter's review takes days. Your financing condition sets the real deadline. Here is the day-by-day Canadian mortgage underwriting calendar.
A lender-ordered rapid rescore updates a US credit file in 2 to 5 business days. Here is how it works, what every other fix takes, and what no one can remove.