Key Questions:

1. Who are the leading lenders in South Carolina?
   1. The leading lenders, by market share, are Bank Of America, N.A., Jpmorgan Chase Bank, Na and Countrywide Bank, Fsb. Do you have the best rate possible? Find out your credit score or browse
2. How stretched will home owners in South Carolina be in paying off their mortgage?
   1. Homeowners in South Carolina borrowed an average of 1.81 times their annual income for their mortgage. This compares to 1.97 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. How likely are the owners of homes in South Carolina to actually live in them?
   1. 86.3% of home owners in South Carolina that applied for a mortgage in 2008 live in their homes versus owning them as an investment property. This compares to the national average of 90.0%.
4. How at risk is South Carolina to the subprime mortgage crisis?
   1. There were significantly more subprime loans taken out by home owners in South Carolina than the national average in 2008. That is to say, South Carolina will be more affected by the subprime mortgage crisis in years to come as a greater percentage of all mortgages in South Carolina - 6.4% versus 4.8% - will reset to higher rates in 2009. This will mean that there will be more foreclosures caused by the reseting of subprime mortgages in South Carolina than other areas of the US.