The Judges of the United States Bankruptcy Court have approved a modification of court divisions for purposes of case assignment and hearing locations. Operating Order 07-08 transfers the counties of Abbeville, McCormick, Greenwood and York to the Greenville/Spartanburg division and transfers the counties of Allendale, Hampton, Williamsburg and Horry to the Charleston division. The division change will affect newly filed (not pending cases) as of the effective date. The redesignation of divisions received considerable support from the bar and was prompted by the residency of a bankruptcy judge in the Greenville/Spartanburg division, a desire to improve access to court locations by reducing travel inconvenience for parties, and a goal to move towards equalization of case work in all three divisions.

Further equalization of the divisions shall be accomplished by order of the court as soon as practicable.

Additional announcements will be made regarding transition procedures in the near future. The assignment of trustees and locations for section 341 meetings is the province of the United States Trustee and will be announced by the UST in the near future.