COLUMBIA, S.C. – Feeling the brunt of 14% unemployment in economically-depressed South Carolina, credit unions starting this month will ease loan terms and implement large-scale financial education and counseling programs.

"We traditionally offer our members an option to pay a fee and skip a payment on loans at the end of the year but in 2008 we offered the option to skip two loan payments for one fee and this may not sound like such a big deal at first," said Faye Crocker, president/CEO of the $10.5 million Greater Abbeville FCU

However, as a small credit union "our members tell us it allows them to fund their family's Christmas and get them through the year-end period of unemployment," said Crocker noting that many South Carolina communities were devastated during the year by plant closings.