Foreclosures and enforcement actions are the two main legal proceedings that creditors may bring against a home that a debtor owns. It is important to understand the differences between the proceedings.

'''Foreclosure''' is a proceeding brought by a creditor who has a mortgage interest in a property. Usually, when a person borrows money to buy a home, they have to give the lender a mortgage over the home as security. If the borrower defaults, the lender can bring a legal action to take (or "foreclose") the property and, at the same time, get a judgment for the money owed. See the [[Mortgages and Foreclosure]] section for details.