also: しゃっきんのかた
expression, noun
collateral for a loan; security for a debt
Refers to something pledged as security for a loan; often used in contexts of borrowing money, sometimes with a nuance of desperation or last resort.
彼は借金のカタに家を取られた。
He had his house taken as collateral for the debt.
借金のカタとして時計を預けた。
I left my watch as security for the loan.
担保 is the formal legal term for collateral or security, while 借金のカタ is a more colloquial, sometimes dramatic expression specifically for loan security.
The phrase combines 借金 (debt) with カタ (form/pledge). カタ here derives from 形 (かた), meaning 'form' or 'token', used in the sense of something left as a pledge.