Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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UPDATED: Aug 27, 2013

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A deed of trust is a document similar to a mortgage in that both secure repayment of the loan you needed for your purchase, by placing a lien on the property. If you do not make the payments, the lender can foreclose on the property. Though the foreclosure process is different, as a practical matter, both the deed of trust and mortgage give the lender a security interest in the property.