MediaAppleseed in the News
South Carolina

Free Times: Horry County Couple Sues Payday Lenders
9/5/2007
Free Times: Sue Berkowitz, executive director of South Carolina Appleseed, speaks out in support of a lawsuit filed against predatory lenders.
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Senate Democrats hear healthcare concerns, suggestions
3/21/2007
Sue Berkowitz, executive director of South Carolina Appleseed, testified before a state Senate Democratic panel, exploring ways to revamp the state's healthcare system.
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Consumer advocates say payday lenders prey on the needy
3/8/2007
Sue Berkowitz, executive director of South Carolina Appleseed, discusses the Center's work to change statewide legislation to end predatory lending practices and instead focus on positive lending models.
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Latino leaders want voices heard on immigration
3/2/2007
South Carolina Appleseed met with the S.C. Hispanic Leadership Council to discuss various bills on illegal immigration in the state.
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S.C. bill would restrict payday lending
1/19/2007
A bill filed this week in the South Carolina House would cap interest rates on payday loans and impose other restrictions on the controversial industry.
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Lawmakers must strictly regulate payday lenders
4/27/2006
Many South Carolina workers, among the poorest in the nation, are being lured into multiple short-term, high-interest loans that amount to financial bondage. As they struggle from paycheck to paycheck, they often fall prey to payday lenders, who market their service as a quick and easy way to get cash for emergencies such as car repairs. The result in far too many cases is consumers getting locked into a vicious cycle of debt. State lawmakers shouldn't allow this fleecing of South Carolina to continue. If they are not going to ban payday lending, they should at least heavily regulate it.
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State plans to cut Medicaid eligibility for wealthy
3/20/2006
Low-income families would be required to report their assets, in addition to their income, to qualify for Medicaid under a state proposal aimed at preventing the wealthy from abusing the system. The Department of Health and Human Services says a loophole is allowing some people who could afford their own health insurance to receive benefits from Medicaid, the state-federal insurance program for the poor and elderly. Since Medicaid eligibility in South Carolina is based on family income, a person could have tens of thousands of dollars in the bank and still qualify for publicly funded health care.
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Will S.C. act on payday loans?
3/19/2006
The S.C. legislature may consider limiting borrowers to a single payday loan at any given moment, a reform long desired by consumer advocates.
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Payday Lenders Outnumber McDonalds 6 to 1 in SC
3/13/2006
"It's pretty remarkable to think that something as detrimental as taking out a loan is that much more prevalent than getting a hamburger in our state," says Sue Berkowitz. Sue is the director of the Appleseed Justice Center, a non-profit organization that represents low income residents. "It's the same people who are borrowing over and over again because they get into this debt cycle and into this crisis," she says.
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From Healthy to Homeless
3/12/2006
System makes it hard to get back on your feet
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Appleseed in the News