When you apply for a mortgage loan, the lender will pull your credit score. Your credit score measures your credit risk relative to the rest of consumers, based on your credit usage history. Higher credit risk scores can mean lower rates and better loan terms. When you receive a mortgage loan, you'll also receive an escrow account. The lender will deposit part of your monthly mortgage payment into this escrow account. That payment covers taxes and insurance premiums that are typically assessed annually, but with a mortgage are paid monthly so that the lender can reduce the risk that you'll fall behind on your obligations. A mortgage loan payment is made up of two things—a payment toward the principal amount, and a payment toward the interest. Paying these two things off in equal installments over a set time period is called mortgage amortization. When you first start paying off your mortgage, most of the payment is applied to the interest. Over time, your principal payments catch up until your loan is paid off.