Interest rates in the U.S. are pushing up mortgage rates and the cost of consumer loans. The benchmark Canadian rate is 2.25 per cent, compared to a U.S. Fed target range of 3.5-3.75 per cent. On a $100,000 mortgage that’s about $65 more a month, or $770 a year, a U.S. homeowner would pay compared to a Canadian. Larger mortgages, of course, would cost that much more again. The White House waged a determined effort to pressure the Federal Reserve to lower rates against its better judgment, going so far as to launch a personal mission against its former chairman Jerome Powell, to no effect. Powell retired on his own speed, and replacement Kevin Warsh has so far made no change.