Devil's in the details*

The myth that all mortgages are created equal is slowly unraveling.

In fact, when it comes to mortgages, one of the only things Canada's big  banks can seemingly agree on is the interest rate. Everything else varies significantly between them.

Consumers, in turn, are slowly starting to figure out every bank has its own idiosyncrasies that may not be immediately apparent.

Based in Calgary, Jeff James is vice-president and head of TD's Commercial Real Estate Group for the Prairies. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, James is also a black belt and instructor in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is currently in the process of opening his own school, which will focus on teaching an anti-bullying program for kids aged nine to 15. CREBNow recently sat down with James to discuss everything from the current market to what he thinks is Calgary's best-kept secret.

CN: Could anyone have predicted the current market?

JJ: If you look back at the economic forecasts from the last 12 months, you can see that no one was predicting oil would drop from approximately $100 to $50 per barrel. In addition, the Bank of Canada's decision to drop interest rates in January took most economists by surprise. So I think it's safe to say people were caught off guard.