The quantity of mortgage debt taken on by Canadians set a recent file in 2021, eclipsing the earlier file set the yr earlier than.

File dwelling value will increase over the course of the yr translated into file borrowing that amounted to $187.5 billion in new mortgage debt, Statistics Canada reported in its nationwide steadiness sheet information. That’s properly above the earlier file of $118.9 billion in 2020 and $79.6 billion in 2019.

Within the fourth quarter alone, $46.3 billion in mortgage debt was added, although that was down from the height of $60.1 billion reported within the second quarter.

Whole mortgage debt now stands at $1.95 trillion, whereas non-mortgage debt makes up one other $701 billion.

StatCan’s information confirms that variable mortgage charges continued to be the popular mortgage product for a lot of debtors in 2021. The share of mortgage debtors with a variable price rose to twenty-eight.1 as of the top of the yr, up from 18.5% a yr earlier.

The worth of residential actual property soared $2.5 trillion since 2019

Quickly rising dwelling costs drove up the whole worth of residential actual property in Canada to a staggering $8.7 trillion final yr. That’s up $1.5 trillion from 2020 and $2.5 trillion greater in comparison with 2019.

“For the reason that finish of 2020, the worth of residential actual property has grown 23.0%, accounting for 65.4% of the rise in family internet value over the identical interval,” StatsCan mentioned. “Previous to the onset of the worldwide pandemic, annual progress within the worth of residential actual property had reached 14.8% at its peak in 2006.”

The worth of actual property as a proportion of family disposable earnings additionally continued to develop, rising to $562% as of This fall, up from 538% in Q3.

Family financial savings price on the decline

Whereas family debt rose, the nationwide financial savings price continued to fall from its peak reached on the peak of the pandemic.

“Family disposable earnings was down 1.3% within the fourth quarter, the second consecutive quarterly decline, primarily due to an 11.9% lower in authorities transfers to households, whereas compensation of workers grew 1.9%,” StatsCan reported.

This left households with smaller internet financial savings, ensuing within the financial savings price falling to six.4% in This fall. That’s down from 9% within the third quarter and a peak of 27.2% recorded within the second quarter of 2020.