"Thousands of South Carolina college students are getting a lesson about the country's credit crunch," WYFF reports. "The South Carolina Student Loan Corp. is the largest student loan lender in the state. The state-based, nonprofit company said on Thursday that it will stop issuing new private loans. For many college students, financial aid is what keeps them on campus. Because of the economy, fewer investors are willing to make those private deals. So the South Carolina Student Loan Corp. has stopped issuing what's known as Palmetto Assistant Loans. Currently, about 12,000 students rely on that money as a supplement to other financial assistance."