The Mortgage Dictionary contains a comprehensive list of mortgage terms used in the mortgage industry. This specialized dictionaries is made available by the 18,000 REALTOR® members of the Houston Association of Realtors ®. Please use Term Index section containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Tenants-In-Common
An undivided interest in property taken by two or more persons. The interest need not be equal. Upon death of one or more persons, there is no right of survivorship.

Term
The period of time which covers the life of the loan. For example, a 30 year fixed loan has a term of 30 years.

Title
The evidence one has of right to possession of land.

Title Insurance
Insurance against loss resulting from defects of title to a specifically described parcel of real property.

Title Search
An investigation into the history of ownership of a property to check for liens, unpaid claims, restrictions or problems, to prove that the seller can transfer free and clear ownership.

Total Debt Ratio
Monthly debt and housing payments divided by gross monthly income. Also known as Obligations-to-Income Ratio or Back-End Ratio.

Truth-In-Lending Act
A federal law requiring a disclosure of credit terms using a standard format. This is intended to facilitate comparisons between the lending terms of different financial institutions.

All information is subject to change and should be independently verified.
Copyright© 2009, HOUSTON REALTORS® INFORMATION SERVICE, INC. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: HAR makes no representations or warranties of any nature with regard to the privacy and/or business practices of the websites linked from or to HAR.com
nor with regard to their use of any information they may collect.

Equal Housing Opportunity

REALTOR®-- A registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the ® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.