Bankruptcy and foreclosure are some of the common words which have become popular in the present economic crisis and news papers and electronic media are coming out with stories about these things every day. Since most of us are under pressure with loans taken from a bank or from a lender, it is better to take stock of your financial liabilities as a whole before becoming a victim of bankruptcy.

If you have taken a loan by pledging your fixed property like your house as mortgage from a lender then you should know what the consequences are in case you miss the payment of loan installments in time. You should know what foreclosure is, connected with non payment of mortgage installments and from which point of time your mortgage company initiates foreclosure procedure against you.

If you have failed to make a payment on your home loan for the first time, the action taken will be light. The foreclosure procedure is initiated with a delinquent payment notice through an attorney. This notification is a warning signal to the homeowner, to catch up on the monthly payments. The homeowner is often able to contact the lender to create an extension for repayment of the loan.

Now it remains the option of the mortgage firm to provide you with flexible alternatives to continue making payments. Should you be unable to persuade the lender of the causes for your neglect to satisfy the terms of your mortgage and you wind up defaulting again, then you might perceive that it is almost inevitable that you will be losing your home.

If you are in default more than once, a lender will promptly send you a statement saying that you are now responsible for their legal costs and they will be adding a penalty for your lateness. In a foreclosure procedure, a lending institution may insist on full payment of the balance in one lump sum, which makes it all but impossible to avoid the loss of your house.

A vital condition contained in mortgage agreements is referred to as an acceleration clause, entailing lump sum or complete payment. After this acceleration clause becomes effective, you have just a couple alternatives - you can pay back the entire loan with one payment, or confront eventual foreclosure procedures. At this point, you receive a certified letter from a law enforcement official regarding your property's foreclosure.

From this point forward, a lot of legal technicalities will ensue, whereby your home will be put up for auction and you'll have to watch powerlessly as the home of your dreams is bought by an unfamiliar party without your permission.