Which legal process orders part of a borrower's wages to be paid directly to a creditor?

• A. Foreclosure
• B. Wage garnishment
• C. Bankruptcy
• D. Levy

Answer: (B)

Wage garnishment is the legal process that orders a portion of a borrower's wages to be paid directly to a creditor. After a debt goes unpaid and a creditor obtains a court judgment, the court can require the borrower’s employer to withhold part of the paycheck and send it to the creditor until the debt is satisfied. This ensures regular payment directly from earnings and is specifically about income, not property.

Foreclosure deals with losing a real estate property due to missed mortgage payments. Bankruptcy is a broader legal process to reorganize or discharge debts, which can affect how debts are collected but isn’t the mechanism that directly withholds wages. Levy involves the seizure of assets or property to satisfy a debt, not the withholding of wages from earnings.