The home owner or consumer may turn out to be the winner as new predictions for the mortgage industry in 2014 point to new or emerging players in the market that may serve their interests more. These two players, according to an article published in The Globe and Mail, are credit unions and online mortgage brokers.
Credit unions are flexing their muscles and going online, taking advantage of their more flexible non-regulatory nature. They will focus on marketing their lending guidelines, which are less restricted than the banks that are federally regulated, to reach out to a bigger share of the market.
The internet is making the playing field level for other players. Mortgage brokers that do a huge share of their business online are reaching the consumers directly, taking a cut in commissions if this means getting more accounts and business. Prices will lower, leading to significant consumer discounts, and increasing competition to a new level.
