Author: Jordan

SummaryApart from borrowers’ need for cash, falling costs are a major factor now driving reverse mortgage adoption. For example, the lowest rate for a standard 5-year fixed reverse mortgage is now just 3.99% for the first time ever. That’s all the way down from 5.74% a year ago.Just be careful not to get too hung up on rates. If you choose Equitable’s 3.99% Lump-sum reverse mortgage because of its lower rate, but you don’t need all the money at once, you’re paying interest needlessly. You may very well pay more with that lower rate than you would at HomeEquity Bank’s…

Brown Advisory, an investment management company, released its “Brown Large-Cap Growth Strategy” for the first-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter is available to download here. The Brown Advisory Large-Cap Growth Strategy experienced a decline in the first quarter of 2026, modestly trailing the Russell 1000 Growth Index. Despite negative absolute returns amidst volatility, relative performance improved significantly as the quarter progressed. Initial pressures stemmed from weaknesses in the software sector, affected by concerns over AI disrupting traditional models. Conversely, sectors like Industrials and Consumer Discretionary positively contributed to performance, while Information Technology and Health Care were the largest…

The lender said the cuts are designed to support first-time buyers, home movers and remortgage customers, with reductions applying across a broad range of loan-to-value (LTV) bands. HSBC UK has reduced mortgage rates across its residential and buy-to-let (BTL) ranges by up to 0.16%, with the latest changes taking effect from today, 3rd July. The lender said the cuts are designed to support first-time buyers, home movers and remortgage customers, with reductions applying across a broad range of loan-to-value (LTV) bands. Within its first-time buyer range, HSBC has reduced its 2-year fixed product at 60% LTV by 0.15% to 4.32%.…

Ryco Properties has purchased Marlborough Mall, the Calgary-based commercial real estate and property development firm announced earlier this week.The company is calling the northeast shopping mall, located just north of Memorial Drive by 36th Street N.E., the flagship property in its commercial property portfolio and one of the “true regional destinations” of the city.Marlborough Mall first opened in 1971, according to Ryco, and was most recently owned by Primaris REIT.Over the last five-plus decades, the mall has become a landmark destination in northeast Calgary, attracting shoppers from communities across the quadrant.The property boasts 385,000 square feet on 19 hectares of…

As the conflict in the Middle East drives sovereign spreads wider and disrupts capital flows, a deeper vulnerability is being exposed: the need to raise capital in an efficient manner. Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Gulf Cooperation Council economies have been affected by the conflict in different ways, with countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia suffering from rising oil prices, and the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia sustaining physical damage to ports, hotels and infrastructure. Investing in energy diversification for the former, and reconstruction for the latter, requires market infrastructure that can deliver trusted capital. Innovations in…

Dear Urban Diplomat, A few months back, I won courtside seats to a Raptors playoff game, which included access to the Platinum Club. When my date and I arrived, the maître d’ told us we’d have to order a meal even if we sat at the bar, which seemed bonkers. We were prepared to shell out $34 apiece for an old fashioned, but $130 for a strip loin seemed a bit rich. We left in a huff and got some dirty looks. Were we out of line? —Pay to Play, West Queen West Entertainment is outrageously expensive in this city.…

The migration of traditional equities onto blockchain infrastructure is shifting from experimentation into institutional reality, and according to RegTech firm TAINA Technology, the industry is overlooking a critical consequence: tax compliance.Regulatory momentum, including the SEC’s proposed Innovation Exemption and the UK’s wholesale market reforms, is preparing markets for round-the-clock trading and tokenised settlement. Yet, as TAINA highlights, while attention centres on capital efficiency, a structural challenge lurks beneath. Once blue-chip equities are issued and traded in tokenised form, identifying and tracking beneficial owners becomes far harder, complicating both capital gains reporting and the correct application of withholding tax on dividends.Historically,…

Test your knowledge of the biggest Watchdog consumer stories of spring 2026, from credit card fees and Lotto Texas to data centers and water bill surcharges. Answers at the bottom.a) Debit cards should not have credit card processing fees attached to them because the money is immediately withdrawn from an account.b) Governments must charge fees on all payments.c) Complaints about violators should go to the county treasurer’s office.a) Politics has nothing to do with me with regard to what projects I work on.b) Keeping Michael Morris out of this political situation is the best strategy for me.c) His 300-page master plan…

HSBC UK has reduced mortgage rates by up to 0.16%, benefitting first-time buyers, home-movers and those seeking to remortgage.  In is first-time buyer range, a two-year fixed rate at 60% LTV has reduced by 15bps to 4.32%. The product comes with a £999 fee and £250 cashback, increasing to £600 for energy efficient homes. A two-year fix at 90% LTV has reduced to 0.10% to 4.72% with a £999 fee and a five-year fix at 75% LTV is down to 4.64% with no fee. Both products come with £350 cashback, rising to £700 for energy efficient homes. In…

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