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Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 2A:50-55

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. Source: OCC
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. Source: OCC
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • person: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • real property: include lands, tenements and hereditaments and all rights thereto and interests therein. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
  • State: extends to and includes any State, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia and the Canal Zone. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
3. As used in this act:

“Deed in lieu of foreclosure” means a voluntary, knowing and uncoerced conveyance by the residential mortgage debtor to the residential mortgage lender of all claim, interest and estate in the property subject to the mortgage. In order for a conveyance to be voluntary, the debtor shall have received notice of, and been fully apprised of the debtor’s rights as specified in section 4 of this act. For purposes of this act, “voluntarily surrendered” has the same meaning as “deed in lieu of foreclosure.”

“Immediate family” means the debtor, the debtor’s spouse, or the mother, father, sister, brother or child of the debtor or debtor’s spouse.

“Non-residential mortgage” means a mortgage, security interest or the like which is not a residential mortgage. If a mortgage document includes separate tracts or properties, those portions of the mortgage document covering the non-residential tracts or properties shall be a non-residential mortgage.

“Obligation” means a promissory note, bond or other similar evidence of a duty to pay.

“Office” means the Office of Foreclosure within the Administrative Office of the Courts.

“Residential mortgage” means a mortgage, security interest or the like, in which the security is a residential property such as a house, real property or condominium, which is occupied, or is to be occupied, by the debtor, who is a natural person, or a member of the debtor’s immediate family, as that person’s residence. This act shall apply to all residential mortgages wherever made, which have as their security such a residence in the State of New Jersey, provided that the real property which is the subject of the mortgage shall not have more than four dwelling units, one of which shall be, or is planned to be, occupied by the debtor or a member of the debtor’s immediate family as the debtor’s or member’s residence at the time the loan is originated.

“Residential mortgage debtor” or “debtor” means any person shown on the record of the residential mortgage lender as being obligated to pay the obligation secured by the residential mortgage.

“Residential mortgage lender” or “lender” means any person, corporation, or other entity which makes or holds a residential mortgage, and any person, corporation or other entity to which such residential mortgage is assigned.

“Servicer” means the person, corporation or other entity responsible for servicing a residential mortgage loan, including a residential mortgage lender who makes or holds a loan if the lender also services the loan.

“Servicing” means managing the mortgage loan account on a daily basis, including collecting and crediting periodic loan payments, managing escrow accounts, or enforcing the terms of the mortgage or note.

“Short sale” means the sale of real property in which the lender or servicer agrees to release the lien that is secured by a residential mortgage on the property upon receipt of a lesser amount than is owed on the mortgage.

L.1995, c.244, s.3; amended 2017, c.157, s.1.