Deferred Mortgage Payments: A Credit Score Gamble?

Last week, the President of the Canadian Bankers Association announced that all six major banks would offer deferral payments on their mortgages and other credit products. Just like many public announcements over the last couple of months, many were left with more questions than answers. One question that still has yet to be answered is, how deferred mortgage payments might affect your credit score? Equifax recently announced, “In the event that a [lender] makes a credit relief or payment deferral program available to its consumers to opt out of making monthly payments during the pandemic, Equifax’s expectation is that the [lender] would take actions on its system to ensure that it does not report any derogatory/missed payment information to the credit bureaus that is misaligned with the program it has implemented.” Scott Hannah, B.C.-based CEO of the non-profit Credit Counselling Society, was quoted in the Globe and Mail as saying, “I don’t see creditors punishing consumers for being as responsible as they can under circumstances beyond their control.” Many financial professionals have been posting messages online and sending emails to reassure the public and their clients that a deferral payment will not affect their credit score.

I agree that Canadians should not have their credit affected by deferred payments, although I predict a much different reality for consumers starting April 1. Lenders update the payment history of each credit account electronically to Equifax and TransUnion. In order for these deferred payments to not be reported to the credit reporting agencies as late, as Equifax alluded to, the lender would need to “take actions on its system to ensure that it does not report any derogatory/missed payment information to the credit bureaus.” Lenders big and small have been bombarded with phone calls that have put pressure on their personal and electronic systems. Are you willing to gamble your credit score and assume that every lender has updated its reporting system? Millions of Canadians have found errors in their credit reports. For over a decade, I personally have received thousands of calls from consumers stating that a customer service rep told them one thing, only to find out that it was reported incorrect on their credit report. In reality, it doesn’t matter what the customer service rep, the government, or what the industry experts tell you. If the lender’s internal system sees it as a late payment, that is how it will report. No one will know for sure if all these deferred payments will report correctly or not. We can all agree that the amount of deferred payments over the coming months is unprecedented. For this reason, I expect an increase in the amount of mortgage, loan and credit card payments reporting incorrectly on Canadian credit reports. Even with the chance that a deferred payment will show up as a late payment, many Canadians will still need to take advantage of such programs being offered by banks.

For those that don’t really need to defer their payments this month, I suggest you wait until it is necessary. A deferred payment is not free money. You will have to pay the lender back with interest. Any delay is just going to increase the amount on future required payments. My hope is that, going forward, underwriters or those reviewing credit applications will be lenient on any late payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I am positive that the credit scoring system will not show much sympathy. On average, one late payment will drop your score 20 to 40 points. A low credit score, regardless if it was caused by an error or not, will make it much more difficult to qualify for best-rate financing, renting, some employment opportunities and discounted insurance premiums. This is not to say your life will be over, but it will take at least 6 to 12 months for your credit to recover. For those who have no choice but to request a deferred payment, here are some ways to protect your credit.

1. Request electronic or written confirmation that the payment is being deferred.

2. Ask for the employee number or service rep’s name that confirmed your deferred payment.

3. Write down the day and time you talked to the customer service rep.

4. Place all supporting documentation and record keeping in a safe place where you will actually remember where to find it.

5. Track both your Equifax and TransUnion credit reports for at least the next few months.

6. If you do see an error, reach out to your lender and the credit reporting agencies to open up a dispute.

I’m sure the thought of making another call might be overwhelming for the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have already spent hours on the phone to request the deferred payment. For anyone who has something better to do than to spend hours listening to the annoying automated voice and elevator music, I suggest you start with suggestion number three. I don’t want to create panic or be like Chicken Little saying the sky is falling. The point I sincerely want to get across is that reporting errors are common and always have been. It is unrealistic to think there won’t be any errors as a result of the increased demand for deferred payments. Regardless of what happens, now is the perfect time to monitor and learn how to better protect your credit.