Now, South Carolina Residents Can Protect More Property

Sheryl told you about Governor Mark Sanford’s veto of a new exemption bill, which determines how much property can be protected from creditors. The South Carolina statutory amounts hadn’t been changed since 1979. The good news is that lawmakers in Columbia voted overwhelmingly to override the governor’s veto, and the new measure [...]

Real Estate/Mortgage Industry Players Indicted in Fraud Investigation

More than 400 real estate managers and workers have been indicted in a broad-spectrum federal investigation of mortgage fraud. The FBI reported that the losses to homeowners resulting from the criminal conduct is over $1 billion. (That’s “billion.” With a “B.”)
From MSNBC.com’s article on the sweep:

Since March 1, 406 people have been arrested in the [...]

Seniors, Hit Hard By Economic Downturn, Are Filing Bankruptcy More than Other Segments

According to a new study that will be released formally today to a Congressional committee, senior citizens are filing for bankruptcy protection at “sharply faster rates” than other segments of the population. (See the full article on the study at USAToday.com.)
This should surprise no one. The elderly among us are often a bellwether of sorts [...]

SC Has a Mortgage Fraud Hotline

The following announcement just popped into my email inbox, courtesy of the state bar association:
The S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs along with the S.C. Attorney General’s Office announced a new mortgage hotline on Monday. The hotline is expected to reduce mortgage fraud of all types. Anyone who suspects mortgage fraud or simply wants more information [...]

Foreclosure Crisis Expands Into Credit Crisis, Say Some

According to some analysts, the foreclosure crisis is spreading to other sectors of the credit industry and will continue to “drag down” the economy into ‘09 and later:

When financial analyst Meredith Whitney wrote in a report last October that the nation’s largest bank, Citigroup, lacked sufficient capital for the risks it had assumed, she was [...]

About the SC Bankruptcy & Consumer Blog and Some Upcoming Changes

In the next several weeks, posting is going to be light (as if it weren’t already) while my colleague, Dana Wilkinson, and I prepare a brand new, made-over, bulging-at-the-seams-with-new-content South Carolina Bankruptcy & Consumer Blog.
This site will get a visual makeover with a new theme, as well as some new features and resources that help [...]