Despite concerns that a growing patchwork of state and local predatory lending legislation would make it more difficult to operate, subprime lenders have generally seen their volume ratchet upward this year. In fact, according to affiliated newsletter Inside B&C Lending, the subprime market closed September within striking distance of 1999’s record $160 billion in loans. Helped along by falling interest rates and strong investor demand, lenders produced an estimated $115 billion in new subprime loans