What an insured mortgage means in Canada and how it differs from high-ratio mortgage language.
An insured mortgage is a mortgage backed by mortgage default insurance. The insurance protects the lender if the borrower defaults.
Insurance status affects the lender’s risk, the pricing available to the borrower, and the eligibility rules around purchase price, down payment, amortization, and documentation.
In everyday consumer language, “insured mortgage” usually means a purchase mortgage with less than 20% down that must carry mortgage default insurance. In industry language, lenders may also talk about insured or insurable low-ratio mortgages in funding or underwriting contexts.
That is why high-ratio mortgage and insured mortgage overlap but are not perfect synonyms. High-ratio describes the leverage level. Insured describes the existence of mortgage default insurance.
A borrower buying with 10% down on an eligible owner-occupied property will usually end up with an insured mortgage. The insurance premium is often added to the mortgage balance rather than paid in cash at closing.
Borrowers often think the insurance protects them. In Canadian mortgage default insurance, the protection is for the lender, not the homeowner.
It is also common to confuse insured mortgage with regular homeowner insurance. They are completely different products.
Insurance eligibility depends on current federal rules, the home’s price, occupancy, property type, and lender or insurer policy.