As banks get fined for money laundering activity, everyday people are finding it harder to secure a mortgage. Most recently, TD Bank was hit with a hefty $9.2 million fine for failing to report fishy transactions. To dodge fines, banks are scrutinizing customer transactions more closely, which means regular folks have to jump through more hoops to get a mortgage from a bank. You’ll need a mountain of paperwork and account for every dollar of your down payment. It's a time-consuming and pricey process, often requiring paid advisors. And it’s about to get even trickier — come October, mortgage brokers will have to scrutinize clients just as intensely. Money laundering isn’t just a headache for banks. It also drives up housing prices. In Ontario alone, $30 billion in dirty money flooded the real estate market in a decade. Our advice? Set yourself up for success by keeping good records of everything you need to speed up your mortgage approval process.
