He thinks this mortgage lender has a dividend that is growing and trades at a low PE ratio.  It is not a low risk company, as it makes loans to non-conventional borrowers.  At this point in the market cycle, with high consumer debt, he would prefer to own a bank with larger market cap and higher liquidity.  Yield 1.5%.  

(A Top Pick Jun. 26/17, Down 5%)  They are now the largest in the industry.  They are extremely well managed.  They had record results and raised the dividend several times since he recommended it.  It is trading below book value.  It is a great value investment and is growing well despite the new mortgage rules.  Customers wanting to take mortgages elsewhere are subject to the new stress tests. 

Canadian Banks? He looks favourably on Canadian banks in general, because he likes the backdrop for energy. This is his favourite, and is actually the smallest of the group. Trades at the lowest valuation of the entire group. Trades at 1X Book compared to the National Bank (NA-T) at 2X. The Canadian bank trade should continue to drift higher.

There is nothing wrong with this company’s balance sheet. The overwhelming problem with the group was the issue of whether lenders, the people who bought the GICs, etc., wouldn’t freak out and panic when some of the US hedge funds started Shorting.

It was caught up in the HCG-T issues.  The short sellers started pouncing on these players.  They secured loans at very low interest rates.  They pre-empted potential contagion in the industry. They are getting so much new business that they can cherry pick their new customers.  It is trading just above book.  (Analysts’ target: $62.00).

(A Top Pick July 5/16. Down 15%.) Believed that the model was very good. He began selling it at $60, and by the time he was done it was trading at a little above $48-$49.

Very similar to Home Capital (HCG-T) in how they run things. The issue a lot of these companies face is that they are borrowing money at a retail level, which has hurt them a fair bit. Everybody worries about the mortgages, but those are probably fine. The problem is, they have to be funded and the funding is the bad part. If somebody doesn’t trust you when you are funding things, it becomes very difficult. That is exactly what happened in the US in 2008. (CEO just stated that there was no material decline in deposits, and they have just lined up a $2 billion standby credit facility, just in case.)

(A Top Pick July 2/15. Down 12.9%.) An alternative mortgage lender. A segment that people love to hate at the moment. There is concern that the housing market, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver, are going to explode and that mortgage lenders are going to be like the ones in the US, left for dead on the battlefield. A terrific opportunity to buy a quality company.