Escrow is a service which provides the public with a means of protection in the handling of funds and/or documents. Escrow enables the buyer and the seller to transact business with each other through a neutral party, thereby minimizing their risk.

In the escrow, all parties involved give their instructions to this neutral intermediary the "escrow holder," whose duty it is to assure that no funds or property will change hands until all instructions have been carried to completion.