A mortgage is the transfer of an interest in property (or the equivalent in law - a charge) to a lender as a security for a debt - usually a loan of money. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is the lender's security for a debt. It is a transfer of an interest in land (or the equivalent) from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

In 1976, Lurie led a group to buy the Giants from Horace Stoneham for $8 million, thereby saving the team from potentially being sold to a Canadian brewery and moved to Toronto. Although Toronto was awarded with its own expansion team, the Blue Jays in 1977, it would not be the last time that San Francisco's baseball fans would fear the possibility of losing its team.

The 1970s was a generally disappointing decade for the Giants and the trend continued throughout Lurie’s ownership. In 1985, a year which saw the Giants lose 100 games (the most in franchise history), Lurie responded by hiring Al Rosen as general manager. Under Rosen's tenure, the Giants promoted promising rookies such as Will Clark and Robby Thompson, and made canny trades to acquire such players as Kevin Mitchell, Dave Dravecky, Candy Maldonado, and Rick Reuschel. The Giants have not had a better influx of young position players since that period.

Meanwhile, in both 1987 and 1989, San Francisco voters rejected two stadium referendums to replace the notoriously unaccomodating Candlestick Park as the home of the Giants, despite the franchise's offer to pick up most of the tab for a new downtown park. Worst still, a plan to improve the existing stadium failed by an even wider margin. Frustrated, Lurie looked south toward Silicon Valley only to see San Jose and Santa Clara voters reject three more proposals to build a Giants ballpark.

Finally, in October 1992, Lurie announced that he would sell the Giants, claiming that he could no longer sustain the financial losses (averaging about $2-7 million annually) that had accumulated over the last few years. During his announcement, Lurie appeared visibly emotional, his voice breaking as he explained his hopes for turning the business side around when he bought the team in 1976. Nonetheless, losing teams and poor weather conditions at Candlestick Park kept many fans away, and at the time of Lurie's announcement, the team had finished with a 72-90 record.

Originally, Lurie had agreed to sell the Giants for $115 million to an ownership group headed by Vincent Naimoli (original owner of the Tampa Bay Rays) with plans to move the club to St. Petersburg, Florida. However, the National League nixed the deal, pressuring Lurie to sell the club to Bay Area investors. In an 11th hour effort to save the team from moving, a group of local investors headed by ex-Safeway magnate, Peter Magowan, offered Lurie $100 million for the Giants.

Since selling the Giants, Lurie has focused his efforts on his real estate firm, the Lurie Co., buying and selling properties and branching out beyond its core office holdings totalling over 4,000,000 square feet (370,000 m2), not including two hotels, a theater and a parking facility it owns. He is also involved in various philanthropic activities, which include the $20 million Louis R. Lurie Foundation.

In June 2001, the San Francisco Zoo proudly opened its new 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) Connie and Bob Lurie Education Center.
Bob Lurie was once asked about the proverbial 'complete player'. "A complete player today," Lurie remarked, "is one who can hit, field, run, throw - and pick the right agent." [Source: Glenn Liebman, Grand Slams! : The Ultimate Collection of Baseball's Best Quips, Quotes, and Cutting Remarks]

The real estate company currently headed by Lurie was founded in 1922 by his father, Louis Lurie, a family whose name is synonymous with San Francisco real estate development during the middle part of the 20th century. The company built a number of properties along Montgomery Street over the years, including a building Bank of America bought and tore down for its world headquarters at 555 California St., and it still owns many of them. Other notable local properties owned by Lurie are the Mark Hopkins Hotel and the Curran Theatre.

Lurie's real estate company has also upgraded some older properties in San Francisco. For example, Lurie invested $20 million in 901 Market St. and brought in retailers Copeland's Sports and Marshalls, transforming the 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) mid-Market Street eyesore into a winner.

Principality is a Welsh building society based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. With assets of just under £6bn it is the largest building society in Wales and the 10th largest in the United Kingdom. Principality Building Society is mutual, which means it is owned by its members rather than shareholders. It serves clients through the internet and telephone as well as at high street branches. It is a member of the Building Societies Association.

It was founded in 1860 in Cardiff by William Sanders as a mutual building society. In 1914 the Principality Buildings were built to house the society and remain the headquarters of the society. Principality acquired Peter Alan and Parkhurst estate agents in 1986 and Principality House was built to accommodate the expanding business.

The company acquires Loan Link Limited in 2004. This gave Nemo Personal Finance Ltd, a subsidiary, the opportunity to launch in 2005.

Principality has 2 wholly owned subsidiaries. Its estate agency subsidiary, Peter Alan, has 25 branches across Wales. It has a lettings division and helps those who are buying or selling property. Also based in Wales, Principality has a secured loans subsidiary, Nemo loans, employing over 120 people.

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