Canada's top banking regulator is on a fact-finding mission to gauge the scope of foreign investment in residential real estate.
Industry sources say the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions is sizing up the market, most likely as part of its active campaign to "stress test" the country's big banks to measure how they would be affected by volatility in various market segments.
OSFI is taking a broad look at bank exposure to household debt and how the financial in-situations are monitoring loan portfolios amid growing concerns over the ability of Canadians to handle their debt load.
In the case of the housing market, sources point to global trends that could affect investment in Canada -like China's recent policies to curb speculative real estate investment in that country -as evidence that Canada is operating in a fast changing market that could be adversely affected by decisions made in other countries.
They suggest OSFI wants to know how big a factor foreign investment in Canada's housing market is, and how big it is likely to become, so the regula-tor can measure the potential impact on banks if demand were to dry up.
"It's something they are trying to get information on," said a source close to the situation. "It's not something they can find out so easily."
Sincerely, your friend in the real estate business,
Roland Kym
Remax Select Properties
Cell : 604 970-0393
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