Mortgage default insurance protects the lender against certain losses if the borrower defaults. It does not replace life insurance, disability insurance, property insurance or title insurance, and it does not pay the borrower’s mortgage because the borrower experiences financial hardship.
FCAC and CMHC both describe mortgage default insurance as protection for the mortgage lender rather than the borrower.
Why default insurance exists
A high-LTV mortgage leaves the lender with a smaller equity cushion.
If the borrower defaults and the property must be sold, the sale proceeds may be reduced by:
Market decline
Interest arrears
Property-tax arrears
Legal costs
Real-estate commission
Repairs
Property management
Enforcement delay
Default insurance transfers eligible insured loss from the lender to the insurer, subject to the policy.
This protection can enable eligible borrowers to purchase with less than 20% down and can affect the lender’s funding and pricing.
Canada’s three principal mortgage insurers
The homeowner mortgage-insurance market includes:
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Sagen
Canada Guaranty
FCAC directs consumers to all three insurers for premium and program information.
CMHC is a federal Crown corporation. Sagen and Canada Guaranty are private insurers. The federal mortgage-insurance framework applies to government-backed insured mortgages, but each insurer maintains products and underwriting policies within that framework.
A lender may work with one, two or all three insurers. A program shown on an insurer’s website is not necessarily offered through every lender.
When insurance is generally required
For federally regulated lenders, a residential purchase mortgage above 80% LTV is generally required by law to be insured. A mortgage at 80% LTV or lower is not required by that law to carry insurance, although a lender may insure it through other arrangements.
This creates the common distinction:
High-ratio mortgage: generally more than 80% LTV
Conventional or low-ratio mortgage: generally 80% LTV or less
“Conventional” does not mean automatically approvable or low risk. A conventional mortgage can still have credit, income, property or documentation weaknesses.
Insured, insurable and uninsured
These terms are related but not identical.
Insured mortgage
The mortgage is covered by mortgage default insurance.
This can include:
A borrower-paid high-ratio mortgage insured at origination
A mortgage insured by the lender through portfolio or other permitted insurance arrangements
OSFI’s definition of insured mortgage includes both individual transactional insurance and portfolio insurance.
Insurable mortgage
“Insurable” is common industry shorthand for a mortgage that meets the relevant government, insurer and lender criteria for insurance, even where the borrower is not directly paying a high-ratio premium.
The precise requirements depend on the insurer, lender, LTV, amortization, transaction purpose, property and current federal rules.
Uninsured mortgage
No mortgage-default insurance covers the lender’s risk.
This can occur because:
Insurance is not required
The lender elects not to insure
The transaction or property does not meet insurance criteria
The purchase price or lending value exceeds the insured limit
The purpose is outside the relevant insurance product
The amortization or property type is ineligible
The borrower does not satisfy insurer requirements
An uninsured mortgage is not necessarily a subprime mortgage. Many conventional mortgages are uninsured.
Current insured purchase-price and down-payment rules
For CMHC homeowner purchase insurance:
The maximum purchase price, lending value or as-improved value must be below $1.5 million
One- and two-unit owner-occupied properties may be insured up to 95% LTV
Three- and four-unit owner-occupied properties may be insured up to 90% LTV
Minimum equity for one- and two-unit properties is 5% of the first $500,000 and 10% of the remainder
Minimum equity for three- and four-unit properties is 10%
Sagen and Canada Guaranty programs must be checked separately. Lenders may impose narrower requirements than an insurer permits.
Current insured amortization framework
Under CMHC’s standard purchase product, the maximum amortization is 25 years unless the borrower and transaction qualify for CMHC Home Start.
CMHC Home Start permits a maximum 30-year amortization where at least one borrower meets its first-time-homebuyer definition or the property is an eligible newly built home. The product is for high-ratio owner-occupied loans and has its own premium schedule.
An uninsured mortgage may permit a longer amortization under a lender’s own policy, but availability, pricing and qualification vary.
Premiums
The borrower-paid premium is calculated as a percentage of the base mortgage amount and generally increases as LTV rises.
CMHC’s current standard premium schedule is:
| Base LTV | Standard premium on total loan |
|---|---|
| Up to 65% | 0.60% |
| 65.01%–75% | 1.70% |
| 75.01%–80% | 2.40% |
| 80.01%–85% | 2.80% |
| 85.01%–90% | 3.10% |
| 90.01%–95% | 4.00% |
| 90.01%–95% with qualifying non-traditional down payment | 4.50% |
CMHC Home Start uses a higher premium schedule for its 30-year insured amortization, including 4.20% from 90.01% to 95% LTV and 4.70% where an eligible non-traditional down payment applies.
Premiums and program rules can change. The applicable insurer and product must be confirmed for each application.
Worked example — Standard insured purchase
Using the earlier illustrative $900,000 purchase:
Purchase price: $900,000
Minimum down payment: $65,000
Base mortgage: $835,000
Base LTV: 92.78%
CMHC standard premium rate at that LTV: 4.00%
Premium:
$835,000×4.00%=$33,400
Mortgage after capitalizing the premium:
$835,000+$33,400=$868,400
The borrower pays interest on the capitalized premium because it becomes part of the mortgage balance.
Ontario also applies provincial sales tax to the insurance premium. That tax cannot be added to the mortgage and must be paid separately at closing.
Same transaction with an eligible 30-year CMHC Home Start mortgage
At the current 4.20% premium:
$835,000×4.20%=$35,070
Mortgage after capitalizing the premium:
$835,000+$35,070=$870,070
Additional premium compared with the standard 25-year schedule:
$35,070−$33,400=$1,670
This does not determine whether the 30-year mortgage is suitable. The borrower must compare the lower payment with slower principal repayment, additional premium and greater long-term interest.
The lender and insurer make separate decisions
An insured transaction usually requires:
Lender approval
Insurer approval
Fulfilment of the lender’s and insurer’s conditions
Acceptable property valuation
Confirmation that the transaction remains unchanged at closing
OSFI expects the lender’s file to contain evidence of the insurer’s commitment where insurance is required.
A lender may decline a file even if it appears to fit the insurer’s public criteria. The lender remains responsible for its own credit decision and may have stricter policies.
Default insurance does not eliminate borrower risk
The borrower remains exposed to:
Loss of the down payment and accumulated equity
Legal and enforcement costs
Credit damage
Potential remaining debt after sale, subject to the applicable facts and law
Moving and disruption
Higher future borrowing costs
Default insurance should not be understood as protection against an unaffordable mortgage.
Portability and premium credits
An existing insured mortgage may sometimes retain insurance benefits or receive a premium credit when transferred, ported or increased, depending on:
Insurer
Lender
Timing
Increase in loan amount
New property
New LTV
Borrower qualification
Whether the original insurance can be recognized
The detailed analysis belongs in the renewal, transfer and portability chapters. Borrowers should not assume that a prior premium can simply be refunded or transferred dollar for dollar.
Common misconceptions
“CMHC approves my mortgage.”
CMHC may insure the mortgage, but the lender makes its own lending decision and may use Sagen or Canada Guaranty instead.
“The insurance protects me if I lose my job.”
Default insurance protects the lender. Creditor, disability or life insurance are separate products.
“Once the mortgage balance falls below 80%, the premium is refunded.”
The original premium is generally not automatically refunded merely because the balance later declines.
“A 20% down payment guarantees that no insurance is involved.”
A borrower-paid high-ratio premium is generally not required at 80% LTV or below, but a lender may obtain portfolio insurance or require transactional insurance in particular circumstances.
“Every mortgage below $1.5 million is insurable.”
The price threshold is only one condition. Borrower, property, purpose, amortization, credit, income, occupancy and lender requirements still apply.
“The lowest-down-payment option is automatically best.”
A smaller down payment can preserve liquidity, but it produces a larger mortgage and an insurance premium. A larger down payment can reduce debt, but using every available dollar may leave the borrower without adequate closing or emergency reserves.
The suitable decision depends on total cost, liquidity, affordability and risk—not only the minimum permitted amount.
Scope boundary
This chapter explains the default-insurance framework. Detailed insurer program comparisons, portability calculations, premium-credit rules and live underwriting policies should remain in dedicated insurer, purchase and renewal resources rather than being reproduced throughout the pillar guide.
Explore this subject further
Stage 2 drafting status: Chapters 6–12 are complete in publication-copy form. The Mississauga appraisal-shortfall case remains intentionally incomplete pending confirmation of the final financing structure.