Top South Carolina court lifts stop on home foreclosure sales

South Carolina’s highest court has lifted a temporary stop on thousands of pending foreclosure sales in the state.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal on Friday replaced the injunction with procedures to ensure foreclosure actions are handled uniformly while eligible homeowners seek out federal assistance.

Earlier this month, Toal ordered South Carolina judges to stop finalizing foreclosure sales on thousands of properties to give homeowners more time to take advantage of a new federal program to help them refinance mortgages.

Mortgage experts said Toal’s ruling was the nation’s first court-ordered stop for an entire state.

Foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Toal’s order could affect 5,000 South Carolina homes facing foreclosure.