A mortgage loan or simply mortgage, in civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any purpose while putting a lien on the property being mortgaged. The loan is "secured" on the borrower's property through a process known as mortgage origination. This means that a legal mechanism is put into place which allows the lender to take possession and sell the secured property to pay off the loan in the event the borrower defaults on the loan or otherwise fails to abide by its terms. The word mortgage is derived from a Law French term used in Britain in the Middle Ages meaning "death pledge" and refers to the pledge ending (dying) when either the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken through foreclosure. A mortgage can also be described as "a borrower giving consideration in the form of a collateral for a benefit (loan)".

बंधक ऋण या 'गिरवी कर्ज' उस ऋण को कहते हैं जो किसी वास्तविक संपत्ति को बंधक रखकर तथा एक बंधक विलेख के द्वारा प्राप्त किया जाता है। सम्पत्ति का स्वामित्वाधिक ऋणदाता के नाम हस्तान्तरित करना पड़ता है, किन्तु कब्जा हस्तान्तरित नहीं करना पड़ता। ऋण चुकता हो जाने या देयता निपटान के बाद हस्तान्तरण शून्य हो जाता है।