OPEN vs. CLOSED

An open mortgage is 100% open for prepayment at any time throughout the term of the loan. This means that you have the option to repay any or all of the mortgage balance at any time without penalty. This type of mortgage may be important to you if you can foresee repaying your mortgage loan in the near term. For example, you may be planning to sell your home within the term of the mortgage and paying it out in full, or you may be expecting other money that will allow you to make large prepayments to mortgage loan. A closed mortgage has restrictions on how much of the principal you can repay without penalty within the term of the loan. Most closed mortgages will allow you to repay a certain portion of the principal amount every year without penalty. The amount you can prepay depends on the lending institution but usually ranges from 10% to 25% of the original principal amount per year. There may be restrictions on when these prepayments can occur and how many times per year you can make a prepayment. For example, you may be able to only make prepayments once throughout the year on the anniversary date of the mortgage or the prepayment may need to coincide with a payment date. Your mortgage professional will discuss these policies with you as each institution’s policies can vary widely.