Ten ways the new mortgage rules will shake up the lending market

T-minus 76 days and counting until Canada's banking regulator launches its controversial mortgage stress test. It'll be squarely aimed at people with heavier debt loads and at least 20 per cent equity – and it will be a tide turner.

Given where Canada's home prices and debt levels are at, this is easily the most potent mortgage rule change of all time. Here are 10 ways it's going to shake up Canada's mortgage market for years to come:

1. It's like a two-point rate hike: Uninsured borrowers can qualify for a mortgage today at five-year fixed rates as low as 2.97 per cent. In a few months that hurdle will soar to almost 5 per cent. If you're affected by this, you could need upward of 20 per cent more income to get the same old bank mortgage that you could get today.

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