Canadian banks raise prime rate to 6.95% after Bank of Canada hike

Canadian banks announced they were raising their prime lending rates after the Bank of Canada surprised markets by hiking it benchmark interest rate on June 7. Royal Bank of Canada, TD Canada Trust, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Bank of Montreal,National Bank of Canada and Bank of Nova Scotia all said they were increasing the prime rate by 25 basis points to 6.95 per cent from 6.70 per cent, effective June 8, 2023. Desjardins Group and Equitable Bank also announced it would raise its Canadian prime rate by the same amount.

The Bank of Canada surprised markets and observers when it raised its benchmark policy rate by a quarter percentage point to 4.75 per cent earlier in the day.

The central bank has raised its rate nine times, and 4.5 percentage points, since March 2022, and the commercial banks’ prime rate has moved in lockstep from 2.7 per cent to 6.95 per cent. Full Credit to https://financialpost.com/real-estate/mortgages/rbc-raises-prime-rate-after-bank-of-canada-hike