As the name suggests, a high ratio mortgage is one that has goes beyond the cut-off point for a usual first loan against a personal property vis-à-vis the quotient of the amount taken as loan and the lending value of the asset, but is covered by a mortgage insurance plan. In simple words, normally the maximum amount sanctioned as loan against a real estate security is 75 per cent of its market value and in the instance of a high ratio mortgage, the sum borrowed by the mortgagor is over 75 per cent of the buying price or assessed worth of the property. In this case, the lesser amount - the buying price or the evaluated market value of the property - is taken into account. It may be mentioned here that in the event of an individual obtaining finance through a high ratio mortgage, he or she usually needs to have a Mortgage Loan Insurance offered either by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) or the Genworth (GE Capital Mortgage Insurance Canada) as a personal insuring agent.
In fact, all high ratio mortgages are obtained from legally authorized credit firms. Earlier, financial organizations in Canada were not permitted to sanction loans against security over 75 per cent of any property's market value or evaluated price. Nevertheless, a federal enactment in 1970 that included the functioning of all financial institutions in the country, including the banks, insurance firms, credit (mortgage) and trusts, were allowed to offer and sanction credit financing over 75 per cent of the property against which they were paid on the condition that they were protected under indemnify.