Foreclosure is the legal proceeding in which a mortgagee, or other lienholder, usually a lender, obtains a court ordered termination of a mortgagor's equitable right of redemption. Usually a lender obtains a security interest from a borrower who mortgages or pledges an asset like a house to secure the loan. If the borrower defaults and the lender tries to repossess the property.

The process of foreclosure can be rapid or lengthy and varies from state to state. Other options such as refinancing, alternate financing, temporary arrangements with the lender, or even bankruptcy may present homeowners with ways to avoid foreclosure. Websites which can connect individual borrowers and homeowners to lenders are increasingly offered as mechanisms to bypass traditional lenders while meeting payment obligations for mortgage providers.

A mortgage broker acts as a wang who sources mortgage loans on behalf of individuals or businesses.A mortgage broker works as a conduit between the buyer and the lender, the loan officer typically works directly for the lender. Most states require the mortgage broker to be licensed. States regulate lending practice and licensing, but the rules vary.

A payday loan (also called a paycheck advance or payday advance) is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower's expenses until his or her next payday. Typical loans are between $100 and $500 and are due in two weeks, with interest rates of up to 400% APR. On a two-week loan, fees average $15 for each $100 lent. The loans are also sometimes referred to as cash advances, though that term can also refer to cash provided against a prearranged line of credit such as a credit card.

As a general rule, in order to stop a foreclosure, the debtor should think about filing a temporary retraining order. However, the debtor may have to post a bond in the amount of the arrears.

When the entity (in the US, typically a county sheriff) auctions a foreclosed property the noteholder may set the starting price as the remaining balance on the mortgage loan.

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor ("involuntary bankruptcy") in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed. In the majority of cases, however, bankruptcy is initiated by the debtor (a "voluntary bankruptcy" that is filed by the bankrupt individual or organization).

Foreclosures are generally referred to as Mortgagee sales or Mortgagee auctions. In those cases, the bank or lender forces the borrower to sell under the terms of the loan contract. Foreclosure is a little used remedy which vests the property in the mortgagee with the mortgagor having no right to any surplus from the sale. Because this remedy can be harsh, courts almost never allow it.

A reverse mortgage (known as lifetime mortgage in the United Kingdom) is a loan available to seniors (62 and older in the United States), and is used to release the home equity in the property as one lump sum or multiple payments.

The homeowner's obligation to repay the loan is deferred until the owner dies, the home is sold, or the owner leaves (e.

In the context of a mortgage process, forbearance is a special agreement between the lender and the borrower in order to delay a foreclosure.

Loan borrowers sometimes have problems with their payments due to unexpected circumstances. This may cause the lender to start the foreclosure process. To avoid this situation, the lender and the borrower have the option to make an agreement called "forbearance".

A broker acts as an intermediary who sources loans on behalf of individuals or businesses.

Traditionally, banks and other lending institutions have distributed their own products. However as markets for mortgages have become more competitive, the role of the broker has become more popular. Today in most developed markets brokers are the largest distributors of mortgage products for lenders.

Payday lending is a controversial practice and faces both legal battles and public perception challenges in nearly every place where it is practiced. An early day motion criticizing the payday lending market for high APRs and for locking customers into a "cycle of credit dependency"; it also noted the growth of Dollar Financial, a US-based payday lending company trading as Moneyshop in the UK, and called for a public inquiry into the growth of high cost lending in general and payday lending in particular.