# Do you have a bank holding,which is your largest



## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

I recently purchased RY now holding ,it is my only bank in canada,BAC outside canada


----------



## martinv (Apr 30, 2009)

CM, TD, BNS. BNS is my largest investment. Buying BNS since 2001. BNS now represents approx. 35% of my total equities.
The dividend yield is nearing 4.5%. may buy some more here or wait for 5%. Can't make up my mind.
14 years of dividends. Thank you to all who deal with BNS. The dividends are most appreciated!


----------



## amack081 (Jun 23, 2015)

I currently hold RY.

I owned BMO for a long period of time. I purchased it at $69/share and sold half my position when it hit $84. The other half I sold last week at $73.80 . I think BMO is good value at around $69 per share.


----------



## gardner (Feb 13, 2014)

I hold almost all the banks (BMO, BNS, CM, CWB, LB, NA, RY). By book, I have about 24% of my dividend stock portfolio in banks. As of this morning, BMO is my largest single bank position at ~4.2% of book.


----------



## Fraser19 (Aug 23, 2013)

CWB is my largest holding bank outside of mutual funds though work.
208 shares around the $26 mark. That makes up about 40% of my TFSA. In a few months I will add in a Telus and that will balance my TFSA a bit more. TFSA is 100% Cdn with 40% bank 20% oil, 20% transport.

RRSP is indexed 30/30/30/10, for Cdn equity, US equity, Int equity, bonds.


----------



## newfoundlander61 (Feb 6, 2011)

CWB is my only bank stock holding currently. Various purchase prices from $23.01 up to as high as $28.85.


----------



## jaybee (Nov 28, 2014)

Yup These 4 banks make up approximately 10 percent of my equity portfolio. In order by position size:

TD
BAC
BNS
BMO


----------



## thepitchedlink (Feb 17, 2014)

CWB is my only bank that I hold individually, but my major Can Equ is XIC, so that is 30% banks ....to me right now , CWB is the best buy right now....might look at some others if the prices dip.....what do you guys think?? which is the best bank deal right now?


----------



## Freedom45 (Jan 29, 2011)

I hold BMO in my RRSP. It makes up about 7% of my portfolio currently.


----------



## birdman (Feb 12, 2013)

50% of my stocks are in Banks with my largest % in RY and TD, and followed by BMO and CIBC. Also hold Bank covered call ZWB.


----------



## jamesko (Aug 13, 2015)

Bns and NA for me


----------



## godblsmnymkr (Jul 15, 2015)

I dont understand the fascination with investing in canadian banks on this board. besides the dividends they have been dead money for 3-4 years. I am waiting for a bounce from their oversold levels, and them I am getting out ASAP. I'm all ears for someone to present a bullish case on them...
http://business.financialpost.com/n...nadian-bank-earnings-as-oil-downturn-persists

at the moment, i guess if you are invested in canadian banks, you think the recent hit to share price due to fear of their loans in the energy sector are overblown. anyone have insight on what happened in 2009 to the banks loans to oil companies when oil prices came tumbling down?


----------



## godblsmnymkr (Jul 15, 2015)

anyone have an opinion on FIE-A.to ? ishares canadian bank etf. yields over 7% could be a better way to play the banks. mer is a little high @ .85%


----------



## treva84 (Dec 9, 2014)

godblsmnymkr said:


> I dont understand the fascination with investing in canadian banks on this board. besides the dividends they have been dead money for 3-4 years. I am waiting for a bounce from their oversold levels, and them I am getting out ASAP. I'm all ears for someone to present a bullish case on them...
> http://business.financialpost.com/n...nadian-bank-earnings-as-oil-downturn-persists
> 
> at the moment, i guess if you are invested in canadian banks, you think the recent hit to share price due to fear of their loans in the energy sector are overblown. anyone have insight on what happened in 2009 to the banks loans to oil companies when oil prices came tumbling down?


It depends on what you're looking for I suppose. I own RY and CWB and I purchased them because they both have a multi year history of raising dividends. 

Of note I'm a core and explore investor - my largest holdings are index funds but on occasion I buy stocks following a dividend growth strategy.


----------



## martinv (Apr 30, 2009)

godblsmnymkr said:


> I dont understand the fascination with investing in canadian banks on this board. besides the dividends they have been dead money for 3-4 years.


Dead money?
The share price was 53.28 on Aug.17, 2012. It is now 61.10
Share increase is about 14.6% which is 4.8% per year for the last three.
Dividends about 4% (much higher for me as I bought at a much lower cost).
So the total return for the past three years on BNS is about 8.8% per year ( dividends plus increase in share value ).
I would never call 8.8% dead money, especially in this very low interest rate environment.
Now if I could only get an 8.8% return on all my equities!


----------



## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> I hold almost all the banks (BMO, BNS, CM, CWB, LB, NA, RY).


 Similar here  Hold all 6 "big" .... recently added to NA (was the cheapest one)... TD is the biggest holding among banks. In Total big banks is close to 20% of our combined portfolio, on 2nd place telcos (bot CDN and US), O & G sector also had big allocation until recently... not any more


----------



## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Own 7 CDN banks, all DRIPping with BMO largest holding of banks at ~5% of market value.


----------



## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

gibor said:


> Similar here  Hold all 6 "big" .... recently added to NA (was the cheapest one)... TD is the biggest holding among banks. In Total big banks is close to 20% of our combined portfolio, on 2nd place telcos (bot CDN and US), O & G sector also had big allocation until recently... not any more


Will be buying more O&G this fall and winter...low prices...stuff is on sale gibor! Sales don't last forever...


----------



## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

My Own Advisor said:


> Own 7 CDN banks, all DRIPping with BMO largest holding of banks at ~5% of market value.


which one #7?! LB or CWB?


----------



## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

My Own Advisor said:


> Will be buying more O&G this fall and winter...low prices...stuff is on sale gibor! Sales don't last forever...


I though that "on sale" was 3-4 months ago  
and if CVX didn't increase dividends after 30+ years of increases ... I'm a bit scary.....


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

godblsmnymkr said:


> I dont understand the fascination with investing in canadian banks on this board.


I don't understand it either but I suspect it has to do with the current "dividends" fad (a consequence of zero interest rates). People are obsessed with dividends, and banks pay big dividends. Because share prices have performed very well ever since the government bailout of the Big Five, people have gotten the impression that banks will offer both high returns and high dividends.

Also people have a natural tendency to fall in love with their top performers. Banks have performed well, so they have naturally become exceedingly popular.

I don't own a single bank stock and I have no intentions to buy any


----------



## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> I don't own a single bank stock and I have no intentions to buy any


 you also don't own any other stocks


----------



## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

godblsmnymkr said:


> anyone have an opinion on FIE-A.to ? ishares canadian bank etf. yields over 7% could be a better way to play the banks. mer is a little high @ .85%


I bought a little a while back, but sold it. It is a very poor performer. A part of that yield is a return of your own capital. Try entering it in the link below and check Total Return. Then try entering the individual banks. For those who don't think banks ahave performed, you will find that over say 10 yeras, they have had double digit returns - certainly outperformed the overall market.

http://longrundata.com/


----------



## Moneytoo (Mar 26, 2014)

We bought two Canadian bank stocks last fall, Bank of Nova Scotia and TD, because:

a) we bank with them
b) most BNN analysts recommended them
c) I chickened out to buy Element Financial (and kept watching it rise as "two of the best banks in the world" fell or remained flat) 

As an experiment (and also based on BNN analyst's recommendation), I bought a bit of U.S. regional bank, BankUnited (which also fell at first, but jumped up the moment I wanted to double down) 

And have been averaging down (or rather up) on XLF, US Financials ETF (added on a recent pullback - just in case interest rates will start climbing some time this century lol)

The largest position is BNS (and the only one DRIP-ing), was gonna add to TD this fall (to have enough shares for a DRIP), but maybe will sell it instead...

At current market values they're ~6% of our total portfolio (plus of course whatever percentage in broad market index ETFs - mostly U.S. and international as we only have ~1% in Canadian one):




% of portfoliotickerreturn (excluding dividends)2.27%BNS-12.1%1.93%XLF-N+6.7%1.25%TD-3.6%0.61%BKU-N+15%


----------



## Afp (Mar 19, 2013)

1980z28 said:


> I recently purchased RY now holding ,it is my only bank in canada,BAC outside canada



Do I have a bank holding? Yes. RY is my largest.

I said this before in another topic, an investor with 10k of dividend income from RY in year 2000, now it has grown to 90k annually (without any extra $$$ add in). RY is one of my core holding and I plan to keep this stock for the rest of my life.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

gibor said:


> you also don't own any other stocks


Not true, I hold around $24 K in stocks: BRK.B, CEF.A, and this portfolio. No banks.


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

one bank is OK, 2 are better, 3 are good.

imho it's useless for a retail investment portf - less than $1M - to own more than a trio of canadian banks. They compete vigorously among themselves so if one bank falls behind in, say, US investment banking or domestic retail banking, it will always work hard to catch up during the next couple years.

recently i've begun selling OTM puts in BNS, though, as it's been the performance laggard. Scotia would be my 4th bank. Barring global collapse, i'd take up & pay for the BNS shares in the remote chance the puts would be exercised.

as Afp says, banks are to hold for the rest of one's life. Selling a few options on banks sweetens the porridge, since they don't tend to be frantic velocitiy movers.

(to james4) is it possible that very recent years or talk in this forum have put across the notion that banks are only a passing hi-dividend fad whose time will end soon?

i for one don't subscribe to this view. Banks are a dominant canadian industry along with resources, these 2 sectors are the historic infrastructure for most institutional funds including ETFs. Just because resource stocks are in the pits right now & bank stocks might presently be slipping does not mean that these 2 critical sectors have been wiped out of this country.


----------



## Killer Z (Oct 25, 2013)

I own TD, RY and BNS, and plan to continue adding to them over the next 30+ years. 

My investing horizon is long terms with these 3 positions thus I rarely pay attention to their short term performance. Each year I add to these positions to maintain a certain weighting, and simply collect the dividends.


----------



## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

"I don't understand it either but I suspect it has to do with the current "dividends" fad (a consequence of zero interest rates). People are obsessed with dividends, and banks pay big dividends."

Well...dividends are just part of the package...

RY return since Oct. 1995 = 16%+ _*annualized*_
TD return roughly same period, same.
BNS since 1999 = 13%+
BMO since 1994 = 12%+

etc...

More than happy to be part of these returns...

From humble:
"i for one don't subscribe to this view. Banks are a dominant canadian industry along with resources, these 2 sectors are the historic infrastructure for most institutional funds including ETFs. Just because resource stocks are in the pits right now & bank stocks might presently be slipping does not mean that these 2 critical sectors have been wiped out of this country."

+1


----------



## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

RY is the only stock of any kind I hold but I also hold all of the big banks in index ETFs.


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

even for rebels like james4, the CPPIB is holding zillions of canadian chartered bank stocks in trust, precisely in order to save & protect his old age .each:


----------



## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

We own TD, RY, BMO and MFC. They're 17% of our unregistered portfolio mkt value. Financials in TDB622 are an additional 4% of portfolio mv. We are living off the dividends of our portfolio (dividends are replacing the FI that is being withdrawn first).


----------



## LBCfan (Jan 13, 2011)

About equal amounts of RY and BMO.


----------



## Ben1491 (Jan 13, 2012)

Call me ignorant and crazy, all eggs in one basket 
TFSA - 100% TD
RRIF - 65% TD, 15% RY
LIF - 100 % TD
RESP - 100 % TD, dripped.

Started 19 years ago with 300 shares of TD at $26/share (equal to $6.50 now). 200 shares of RY at $32/share (equal to $16 now). Of course I added a lot more every year ever since.


----------



## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

30k in TD, 20k in RY and 12k in NA. In RESP and TFSA.


----------



## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

We have 23% of total portfolio in bank stocks (38% of equity). 

Equal amounts in CIBC, RY, BNS and about 1/3 less in BMO, NA and TD. Plus $60 k in PIC split (mostly pfds). They have served us well. Just hope that continues! 

Energy & resources dragging us down. Trying to move to cash or fixed income when I can.


----------



## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Ben1491 said:


> Call me ignorant and crazy, all eggs in one basket
> TFSA - 100% TD
> RRIF - 65% TD, 15% RY
> LIF - 100 % TD
> ...


Not crazy at all...aggressive...yes...but not crazy.


----------



## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

One can make a strong case both for & against the Canadian banks at this time.
My view is that _if you want to play the local Canadian retail/consumer sector_, the banks are a very good way to play it.

They have direct and indirect exposure to pretty much every aspect of Canadian economy - from the energy sector to housing to small business lending.
You automatically get a diversified, hedged, conservatively managed exposure to all aspects of Canadian economy and society.
It is like owning a managed mutual fund, but with 0 fees.

One side note is that Canadian banks own some of the most premium commercial real estate across the country.
Most of the other retail companies have already spun off their real estate holdings into separate REITs, but the 5 banks have not (not yet, at least).

The geographic exposure of Canadian banks (esp. BNS) and US exposure (TD, BMO) is just icing on the cake.

On the other hand, if you believe Canadian retail & consumer sector is going to be in the doldrums for the next little while to come, then don't buy the banks.
If you are betting on a massive real estate crash (not just a 5% - 10% correction), don't buy the banks.

I, personally, do hold 3 banks - RY, BNS, and BMO.
However, most of my buys were from late 2008 - mid 2009 (in fact, I had stepped in a little early in Dec 2008).
A second set of buys was in mid/late 2011 during the US debt-led correction.
Haven't bought anything since then.

P.S. unrelated - another good way to play the local consumer/retail/business sector are the 3 telcos. Pick 1, 2 or all 3 depending on your analysis.


----------



## doctrine (Sep 30, 2011)

I own RY, BMO, BNS, NA and CM. I have been slowly adding shares this summer. I just bought 33 more shares of BNS today at $61.25 and it's my biggest position of the big banks. I think it's a good time to be slowly adding. Oil is down, but we're already 6 months into monetary stimulus - two interest rate cuts and a significant drop in the Canadian dollar. If you wait another year, prices may or may not be lower but if the Canadian economy is picking up then you may be too late.


----------



## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

Nice to see banks are in your future


----------



## londoncalling (Sep 17, 2011)

I own RY and BMO. Hoping to pick up BNS before too long (got greedy a week or so ago and dropped my limit order:livid.
I also hold LLOYD's bank. Would like to add another perhaps Deutsche bank.
More importantly I do need to get some US bank exposure but have a hard time deciding which to buy. Wells Fargo, Bank of America or some small regional. With the exchange rate looking ugly now may not be the best time as I spent my US$ on POT. Have to wait for some more US divvies to roll in.

Cheers


----------



## Killer Z (Oct 25, 2013)

It is certainly tempting to overweight oneself in the banks, but there is no such thing as a bulletproof play. Diversification is still a must.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

humble_pie said:


> (to james4) is it possible that very recent years or talk in this forum have put across the notion that banks are only a passing hi-dividend fad whose time will end soon? i for one don't subscribe to this view.


I got the sense that this forum generally loves bank stocks. I think bank equities are too popular. I get suspicious of anything that has unanimous popularity among TV personalities, magazine authors, investment advisers and retail investors. When something is too popular, it tends to perform poorly once the popular wears off. Here are some things that were too popular in recent years: commodities, energy, BRICs, emerging markets. We saw how all of that played out: horrible underperformance in the following years.

I agree that banks will always be a major part of the Canadian stock market. I don't think any of them will go bankrupt. But even while those two things are true, bank equity values can decline significantly.

I'm OK with our difference of opinion


----------



## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

When I buy a long-term investment I like to ask myself the likelihood that the company will be thriving 20 years from now. Banks fit the bill. 

I bought TD, in both my wife's and my RRSP accounts, during the 2008 crash and have been thrilled with the return (139% not including dividends). Recently picked up a little RY and have a limit bid to add more if it drops. A 4% return with potential/likely future dividend increases seems pretty good these days.


----------



## Westerncanada (Nov 11, 2013)

Spidey said:


> When I buy a long-term investment I like to ask myself the likelihood that the company will be thriving 20 years from now. Banks fit the bill.
> 
> I bought TD, in both my wife's and my RRSP accounts, during the 2008 crash and have been thrilled with the return (139% not including dividends). Recently picked up a little RY and have a limit bid to add more if it drops. A 4% return with potential/likely future dividend increases seems pretty good these days.


I also hold TD as my largest bank, mostly because of their US exposure and the fact that banks are always increasing fees and continually find new ways/streams of revenue from consumers. 

The constant adaptation is overlooked when reviewing the financial sector stocks and banks are world class at finding more money from consumers in any rate enviroment.


----------



## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

I own 3: RY, TD, and CWB. Each about 2.5%-3% of my portfolio.

Don`t want to change the subject, but Canadian banks are not where it`s at... look South...(but a little late to get into some)


----------



## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

Anyone topping up


----------



## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

got enough: bmo, ry. and mostly td


----------



## Twixer (Nov 25, 2015)

None, i don't see them being investable right now. More of trading vehicle, a derivative of oil prices. 

To many headwinds and very difficult to estimate damage from the drop in energy prices. Too much uncertainty with very limited growth opportunities. Fintech rising and pro-regulation politicians winning doesn't help either.


----------



## Flash (Nov 25, 2014)

Is this accurate?



> TD/RY/BMO are all Canadian banks with important American components;
> CIBC is Canadian, heavy residential;
> BNS Canadian-foreign;
> NA Quebec-heavy.


And what are the main differences between TD/RY/BMO?

Currently I only own TD. Not sure if I want to expand to the other, including potentially NA,LB and CWB.


----------

