If you own valuable assets such as a house, expensive vehicles or equipment or insurance policies that have already accumulated a high surrender value (the sum of money an insurance company will pay you, the policyholder, in the event that you choose to terminate the policy before it has matured/the insured event has occured), then the lender may ask you to sign personal surety for the loan you have applied for. This means that if you cannot repay the loan, they have the legal right to sell your assets to recover their money. Always be very cautious about signing personal surety. Please read the module on Personal Surety to make sure you know how best to protect yourself.