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Big Bank Earnings Wrap: What RBC and CIBC Reveal About Your Mortgage

  Royal Bank and CIBC reported record or near-record profits before the market opened Thursday, closing out a jam-packed bank earnings week that also included BMO, Scotiabank and National Bank. Beyond the headline numbers, though, the details tucked into these reports say a lot about where mortgage rates, lending standards and household credit stress are actually heading — and it's a more reassuring picture than a lot of the tariff-and-tension headlines this month might suggest. RBC: Record Profit, Credit Quality Barely Budged Royal Bank of Canada posted net income of $6.0 billion for the quarter ended July 31, up 11% from a year earlier and a record for the bank. Diluted earnings per share came in at $4.23, up 13% year-over-year, while return on equity climbed to 17.9%. The number worth watching for anyone with a mortgage isn't the profit line — it's the provision for credit losses (PCL), the money banks set aside for loans that might go bad. RBC's total PCL was $1.0 b...

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Fireworks from Yacht Spark Forest Fire in Greece: 13 Arrested

 

Thirteen crew members and passengers have been arrested in Greece after fireworks launched from a yacht allegedly sparked a forest fire on the island of Hydra. The blaze, which occurred on Saturday, burned through the island’s only pine forest in the remote area of Bisti.

Despite the challenging conditions, firefighters managed to bring the flames under control. Accessing the beach by sea and using helicopters to drop water from the air, they successfully contained the fire. However, the incident has caused outrage in Greece, especially given the ongoing wildfires and the country’s first heatwave of the year.

Hydra’s mayor, Giorgos Koukoudakis, expressed indignation, stating, “We are indignant that some people so irresponsibly throw fireworks into a pine forest.” Social media users have also criticized the yacht’s passengers, with one person describing them as “rich people with more money than brains.”

Greece remains on high alert for wildfires, and authorities are preparing for a challenging summer due to dry conditions, strong winds, and high temperatures. Last Friday, a volunteer firefighter tragically lost his life while battling a fire in the southern region of Ilia on the Peloponnese peninsula. Scientists attribute the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, to climate change. Additionally, Greece has grappled with arsonists, with stricter laws now in place to combat such behavior.


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