Reliant Financial Service Corp. (RFNS)

[santa]

Finally ....


.... "Of course, the big question for Canadians is: will the malaise spread to the Canadian housing market? As it turns out, there are some good arguments that the downturn will be more moderate here.

First, interest rates were not hiked as much in Canada. Second, mortgage financing is more conservative in Canada (and not tax-deductible), so Canadians have not been as aggressive taking on debt and bidding for houses. Third, affordability indexes, while climbing, are still at reasonable levels in most parts of Canada — even in Alberta where lower taxes and utility costs are offsetting recent price escalation."