Trust deeds are a way to secure a loan in certain states of the United States, and is quite similar to mortgages, except that there is a third party who is also involved. In a trust deed system, there are 3 separate entities, the trustor, the trustee, and the beneficiary.

The trustor is the person who is borrowing the loan, the trustee is the person or company that is holding the title of the property, and the beneficiary is the person or party that is lending the loan. The common documents in a deed of trust settlement are the loan amount, the description of the property, the interest rate for the loan (it is quite high, usually), the maturity date for the loan, and the legal procedures and remedies for all the parties.

It goes without saying, the most important documents are the promissory note, and the deed of trust. The trustor is well advised to scan these documents carefully before agreeing to anything.