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The Mortgage Renewal Wave Just Peaked — Here's What the Data Actually Shows

Published August 30, 2026 For three years, "the mortgage renewal wall" has been the scariest phrase in Canadian personal finance — the idea that a flood of ultra-cheap, pandemic-era mortgages would come due at much higher rates and trigger a wave of forced sales. That wall is now mostly behind us. Two new 2026 surveys, one from Royal LePage and one from Rates.ca, show what actually happened when it hit. The short version: it hurt, budgets tightened hard for a lot of people, but the mass default many feared simply didn't show up. The last big group is renewing right now Royal LePage's 2026 Mortgage Renewal Survey, released August 19 and based on a Leger poll of 1,127 Canadians renewing this year, pins down where things stand: about 12% of all outstanding Canadian mortgages are five-year, fixed-payment loans taken out during the 2020–2022 ultra-low-rate window, and this is their last major renewal wave. The Bank of Canada's overnight rate sat at just 0.25% through m...

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Money Laundering and How to Protect Yourself from It

 


Money laundering is the illegal process of making large amounts of money generated by criminal activity, such as drug trafficking or terrorist funding, appear to have come from a legitimate source. The process of laundering money typically involves three steps: placement, layering, and integration. There are many ways to launder money, from the simple to the very complex. One of the most common techniques is to use a legitimate, cash-based business owned by a criminal organization. For example, if the organization owns a restaurant, it might inflate the daily cash receipts to funnel illegal cash through the restaurant and into the restaurant’s bank account. After that, the funds can be withdrawn as needed. These types of businesses are often referred to as “fronts”.

To prevent money laundering, most financial companies today have anti-money-laundering (AML) policies in place. The prevention of money laundering has become an international effort and now includes terrorist funding among its targets. Banks are required to report large cash transactions and other suspicious activities that might be signs of money laundering.

If you want to protect yourself from money laundering, here are some tips:

  • Be wary of unsolicited emails or phone calls asking for personal information or money.
  • Do not share your personal information with anyone you do not know or trust.
  • Be cautious when investing in new or unfamiliar financial products.
  • Keep your financial information secure and monitor your accounts regularly.
  • If you suspect that you have been a victim of money laundering, report it to the appropriate authorities immediately.


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