At its recent meeting, the Sweetwater ISD board of trustees unanimously authorized the sale of $12.8 million in school building bonds after hearing a favorable report on the SISD's credit rating from investment banker Leon Johnson of Dallas-based Southwest Securities, Inc. Trustee Bryan Studdard made the motion to authorize the bond sale and received a second from fellow trustee Wes Bishop. The vote came after the board listened to a report from investment banker Leon Johnson of Dallas-based Southwest Securities, Inc. Johnson told board members that, based on its stable outlook, Sweetwater ISD had received a favorable report on its long-term and school issuer credit ratings from the Standard & Poor's service. According to the Standard & Poor's report, the SISD was assigned an AAA program rating and BBB issuer credit rating, or ICR, on its series of 2008 unlimited-tax general obligation bonds.

Bankruptcy filings expected to rise in southern New Mexico (4:55 p.m.)

LAS CRUCES — Bankruptcy filings soon will be on the rise in southern New Mexico.

That is the opinion of some professionals in the debt management and accounting fields.

"Left and right we have people with debt management issues," said Dolores Rosell of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the YWCA in Las Cruces. She said the number of people worried about or already planning to file for bankruptcy "has increased 100 percent."

Through the end of February, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Mexico in Albuquerque reported the number of bankruptcy filings in Doña Ana County had not increased so far in 2008 from a year ago, but statewide, numbers were ahead of 2007.

Through the end of February, 48 bankruptcies had been filed in Doña Ana County, while 778 were filed statewide.

Attack credit card debt with a 30-month debt-management plan, advises radio personality Clark Howard.

"I want it all ... I want it all ... I want it all ... And I want it now!" The refrain of this 1989 Queen rock anthem could easily be the unofficial theme song of the U.S. consumer. In reality, there's often a huge chasm between wanting it all and being able to afford it all -- and unfortunately, many Americans are discovering that pursuing an untenable lifestyle of material abundance often leads to a growing burden of debt and an uncertain financial future.

TBA Lending.com Runs Informative Television Ads through March - Giving Cincinnati, OH Area Mortgage Seekers Credible ...

TBA Lending will run their informative ads on network affiliates HGTV, The Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel, and the TLC channel later this month. With the ability to serve not only the local Cincinnati area but the rest of the nation as well, TBA Lending's clients find themselves utilizing www.TBALending.com to aid in their search for their next new home loan, commercial loan, or refinancing options. .