Supreme Court Of Canada Decides That Substance Trumps Form In The Application Of The Section 8 Interest Act Prohibition On Higher Default Interest To An Incentive Rate Mortgage

In Krayzel Corp. v. Equitable Trust Co., 2016 SCC 18 ("Krayzel"), the Supreme Court of Canada held that an interest rate increase that was structured as a lower rate in the absence of default infringed Section 8 of the Interest Act (Canada). In its analysis, the majority decision looked at whether mortgage loan that offered a lower rate of interest where there was no default is in substance the same as imposing a higher interest rate after a default. It ultimately found that framing the higher rate of interest as part of an incentive to avoid a...