Knowledge centre
Because mortgage brokers, administrators and lenders are reporting entities under Canada’s anti-money-laundering framework and must verify people and entities for specified mortgage records and transactions.
Many prescribed mortgage-sector records must be retained for at least five years, although the starting date varies by record. Privacy, brokerage and other legal retention requirements may also apply.
Yes. Suspicious Transaction Reports are based on reasonable grounds to suspect specified financial-crime activity, not on reaching a fixed dollar threshold, and attempted transactions can also be relevant.
No. FINTRAC’s 24-hour rule can aggregate multiple cash transactions that total $10,000 or more, and suspicious-transaction obligations are not limited to a $10,000 threshold. Deliberately splitting transactions can itself create concern.
No. FINTRAC creates identity, recordkeeping, monitoring and reporting obligations, but it does not prescribe one universal 90-day down-payment statement rule. Ninety days is commonly an insurer or lender documentation period.
Because mortgage brokers and lenders must take reasonable measures in prescribed circumstances to identify politically exposed persons, heads of international organizations and certain family members or close associates.
Mortgage-sector reporting entities have third-party determination duties for specified records and reports. They may need to understand whether the named client is acting for someone else or whether another person controls the transaction.
Yes. Since October 1, 2025, reporting entities can have obligations to report material discrepancies involving the federal beneficial-ownership registry when specified high-risk conditions are met.
Because identifying the individuals who ultimately own or control an entity helps prevent anonymous companies, trusts or partnerships from hiding who is behind a mortgage transaction.
FINTRAC recordkeeping rules require mortgage-sector information records to include a person’s occupation or a sole proprietor’s principal business, and entity records must include the nature of the entity’s business.