Why you shouldn’t be loyal to your bank

When it comes to your relationship with your bank, you should be flirtatious. That’s the takeaway from a recent report by the Bank of Canada, which concludes that “loyal consumers pay more” when negotiating a mortgage rate with their bank. If you have three or more products with the same bank (such as a bank account, credit card and insurance), the bank “interprets your loyalty as reason to believe you are less likely to shop around, making you less price sensitive,” writes RateHub, a Toronto real estate startup that noticed the report.

The Bank of Canada’s study found that new clients receive a rate discount of 0.1 per cent more than existing clients. Based on the average value of Canadian homes on the market, which is currently around $370,000, that translates into savings of about $6,000 on a 25-year mortgage at a 4 per cent rate. It’s a substantial price to pay for loyalty.