The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs says it’s getting a lot of complaints from homeowners who say they’ve been ripped off by so-called “mortgage relief” companies. WJBF News Channel 6’s SC Capitol reporter, Robert Kittle, has more on how to protect yourself.

A new study says an aggressive strategy to replace aging equipment with more energy efficient products throughout the South would offset the need for additional power from coal-fired power plants in the region through 2020.

It will be the bombshell in the mailbox…a tax bill that hits like a two-by-four. When tax bills go out to 80 Augusta homeowners, next month, they’ll be hundreds of dollars higher. It’s the state that’s to blame, but taxpayers will feel the pain. WJBF News Channel 6’s George Eskola has the story.

More than 5,000 South Carolina homeowners have already signed up for an event, this weekend, aimed at keeping them in their homes. It’s called the “Save the Dream” tour. It’s a free service that will help struggling homeowners restructure their mortgages, until they’re affordable. WJBF News Channel 6’s Capitol reporter, Robert Kittle, tells us how it works…and how you can get help…in this From Wall Street to Your Wallet report.

A complaint has been filed inside a California civil court against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Anwar Phillips. In the complaint, both Phillips and a pastor, who has yet to be named, are accused of of preying on San Diego homeowners facing foreclosure. An attorney representing the homeowners say the pair organized a scheme involving the transfer of home titles to so-called rescuers, who then took out a new mortgage and pocketed the equity.

A complaint has been filed inside a California civil court against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Anwar Phillips. In the complaint, both Phillips and a pastor, who has yet to be named, are accused of of preying on San Diego homeowners facing foreclosure. An attorney representing the homeowners say the pair organized a scheme involving the transfer of home titles to so-called rescuers, who then took out a new mortgage and pocketed the equity.

Georgia will find the money for a homeowner tax break, after all. Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday signed legislation designed to funnel $428 million in state dollars to the homeowner tax relief grant this year. The grant is worth about $200 to $300 per household.

Allendale County has a group of concerned citizens who are trying to help their struggling community, but even though they all say they have the same goals, they don’t always agree on things. Some say this bickering has cost this community. Allendale County Alive is an organization that set out with a promise to help struggling families with some home repairs, but money, and tempers have come up short. WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe has more.

The unstable economy is sending some homeowners into foreclosure. But the city of Augusta could get a boost from the federal government to help those troubled homeowners. Count on our Fraendy Clervaud, he has the story.