I was speaking with a colleague last week about TD Bank’s switch to collateral-charge mortgages and the anticipated affect it would have on TD’s mortgage business. Would this monumental change increase the banks mortgage portfolio or would the lender become out of favour with independent mortgage brokers who may look at this move as an attack on their business model? “I don’t know I replied” and truthfully, I don’t much care. What I mean by this is that as a respected real estate professional my focus is on my client and their needs. New products that a bank comes out with to increase their business is good for competition. Competition leads to choice, and more choice is better in the end for the consumer. I get this and I think its great. We all are consumers in one way or another on a daily basis. Part of what I do as a real estate professional is to make sure I am up to date with current finance options that are available to my clients and that would be of the ultimate benefit to them. Personally I get my mortgage information from two sources and neither one is the newspaper. The first is a very well connected mortgage broker whom I’ve been associated with for over 15 years. The other is a personable and connected bank manager whose employer doesn’t use the services of outside mortgage brokers. Both are active committed professionals in their fields and communicate regularly with me on the goings on in the mortgage finance world. There is too much information coming at us on a daily basis that it would be impossible for anyone to try and master the many areas of complexity that make up the entire real estate market. But by working with an active, committed real estate professional (yes I mean me) who has aligned them self with like minded mortgage brokers/banks, real estate lawyers, home inspectors and various other trade professionals the consumer can be assured that all areas they need advice and guidance in when buying or selling a home, is covered in an exceptional way.