Key Questions:

1. How at risk is South Carolina to the subprime mortgage crisis?
   1. Loans taken out by home owners in South Carolina are within a +/- 10 percent band of the national average. That is to say, South Carolina will likely be affected by the subprime mortgage crisis just like the average county in the US.
2. How stretched will home owners in South Carolina be in paying off their mortgage?
   1. Homeowners in South Carolina borrowed an average of 1.54 times their annual income for their mortgage. This compares to 1.83 for all of the US. Based on the national average, there will be a normal risk that South Carolina homeowners will default on their mortgage payments in the coming years.
3. Who are the leading lenders in South Carolina?
   1. The leading lenders, by market share, are Countrywide Home Loans, Bank Of America, N.A. and Wells Fargo Bank, Na. Do you have the best rate possible? Get quotes from mortgage lenders.
4. How likely are the owners of homes in South Carolina to actually live in them?
   1. 82.5% of home owners in South Carolina that applied for a mortgage in 2006 live in their homes versus owning them as an investment property. This compares to the national average of 89.0%.