Mortgage at a Glance

A mortgage is essentially a loan that is secured by the owner of a residence. The mortgage loan will entail the owner of the property to put the rights to the home or residence as collateral for the loan.

Mortgages, even though they exist in various forms, will usually refer a loan that is secured by real estate property, and thus, usually refers to a home mortgage. All mortgages will have some sort of interest rate that will usually decrease over a period of time, usually thirty years. The interest rates that coincide with mortgages will typically reflect the owner or borrower's risk to the lender.

Mortgages are typically used to finance the ownership of a home, and in some cases, commercial property. Though there are various types of mortgages that exist, there certain factors of a mortgage that will usually be included in all, regardless of the type or circumstance of the mortgage.

There will be a borrower and a lender, with the borrower being the person that owns the property or residence, and the lender being a bank, financial institution, or investors. Principal is the size of the loan, which will reduce as the payments are made.

The interest, which will vary depending on the structure of the loan, is the amount of money the lender will impose for the loan that is being secured. Under certain circumstances, foreclosure or repossession of the property can occur, usually when the home mortgage payments are not met, or the general conditions of the loan itself are not met.