Why an International Consulting Service Specializing in Housing Finance, Housing Market Analysis and Housing Policy?

Building a successful housing system demands highly specialized knowledge and skills. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation offers services to both governments and businesses seeking creative solutions to their housing and housing finance challenges.

For more than half a century, Canada and other industrialized countries have explored opportunities in laws and regulations, policies and programs, lending institutions and financing products to encourage homeownership for families of all income levels.Today, that expertise is making its way around the world to help millions of people in developing and newly industrialized nations attain their dream of homeownership.As governments in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas look for ways to capitalize on the lessons learned in other jurisdictions, they are turning to the experts for answers — tried-and-true solutions that will propel their emerging housing and housing finance sectors forward.

A Solid Track Record

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is Canada’s national housing agency. Established as a government-owned corporation in 1946 to address Canada’s post-war housing shortage, the agency has grown into a major national institution with US $19 billion in corporate assets. CMHC is Canada’s premier provider of mortgage loan insurance,mortgage- backed securities, housing policy and programs, and housing policy research.

CMHC’s mission is to enhance the quality, affordability and choice of housing in Canada.The Corporation works to enhance Canada’s housing finance options, assist Canadians who cannot afford housing in the private market, improve building standards and housing construction, and provide policymakers with the information and analysis they need to sustain a vibrant housing market in Canada. CMHC has helped one in three Canadian households acquire housing.

CMHC has US $177 Billion in mortgage loan insurance in force, payment guarantees on US $46 Billion in mortgage securities. CMHC’s 1900 employees across Canada also support the operations of some 650,000 housing units for low-income households and share the results of timely housing and market research and information.

During the last half-century, CMHC has:

• improved housing conditions and accessibility for lowincome earners, seniors and people with disabilities
• promoted a strong supply of affordable rental units
• underwritten hundreds of billions of dollars in mortgage loans
• facilitated the introduction and evolution of Canada’s primary and secondary residential mortgage markets
• helped build a world-renowned Canadian housing industry
• created training programs for appraisers, credit officers and underwriters
• encouraged local-level regulatory reform