Mortgages are simply methods of using your personal property or real estate to secure your payment of a debt. The term mortgage comes from the French word for death vow. It refers to the legal means that is used to secure the property, although it most commonly refers to the debt that is secured by that mortgage. In other words, the terms mortgage and mortgage loan are commonly used interchangeably.

In just about every jurisdiction mortgages are associated with loans that are given on real estate rather than on any other property such as water craft. There are cases where raw land is mortgaged as well. The securing of a mortgage simply means that individuals or businesses use the accepted method of purchasing either commercial or residential property without having to pay the full price on their own immediately. So there are residential mortgages and commercial mortgages commonly provided throughout the world on a regular basis.

It is far more common for either individual or commercial enterprise to seek out mortgages and mortgage lenders to buy real estate than for them to pay the full price for the property on their own. Nowadays mortgages are the way of the world. The most active markets for mortgages - where the demand for real estate is high - are the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain.

While there are some variations due to language constraints and colloquialisms, the two standard participants in mortgages are the creditor and the debtor. The creditor is, quite simply, the person or financial institution lending the money to buy the real estate or other property. The creditor has legal rights to that debt that is secured by a mortgage. The debtor usually lends to the debtor the money needed to purchase the property. Mortgage creditors are typically banks, insurance firms or other financial institutions such as credit unions. The two other common names for these creditors which are mortgagees or lenders.

A debtor is the one who secures the mortgage loan in order to buy the property - the new property owner. The debtor has to meet the mortgage lender's financial requirements and conditions during the life of the loan to prevent the mortgages being cancelled and the property reclaimed by the lender. These debtors are also called mortgagors, obligors or borrowers.

Attorneys will often enter the mortgage fray as well, as representatives usually of the debtor. Depending on the locale they may be referred instead as the conveyance or solicitor.

A mortgage broker may be part of the mortgage process. This professional, rather than licensed and employed by one mortgage or banking firm, has familiarity with many and is responsible for doing the search and comparison of many mortgage firms and options, and finding the would-be debtor the best mortgage deal. The mortgage broker may be a certified financial advisor, or the debtor may secure the help of one for the best financial mortgage options, and help acquiring the most competitively priced loan.