The Service Members' Civil Relief Act has been strengthened to afford new protections to active duty military.

Under the new terms, if you are transferred to a new duty station, mortgage lenders are required to immediately grant you permission for a short sale if you're upside down in your home. Moreover, lenders can not go after you for deficiencies on any loan that was originated before June 30, 2012.

I want to remind you that financial assistance personnel are available on most military bases. Seek out the free counseling they offer if you get in trouble with a mortgage.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Service Members' Civil Relief Act, it was instituted to protect all active military families from foreclosures, evictions, and other financial consequences of military service.

The Act also covers lapses in health and other insurance, default judgments in court cases, and limits on the amount of interest service men and women must pay.