SCHERERVILLE | The subprime mortgage mess and new online services for small business owners were on the agenda when Secretary of State Todd Rokita spoke before the inaugural meeting of the Business Law section of the Lake Country Bar Association.

The Business Law section held its first luncheon meeting at Teibel's Restaurant on Wednesday. A brand new section of the bar, Business Law covers an area that had not been addressed by other groups within the bar association, said attorney Calvin Bellamy.

Business law practitioners frequently work with small businesses. The Business Law Section can help practitioners keep with new developments around the state, which will in turn "enhance business development in Indiana," Bellamy said.

Rokita, a Munster native, discussed the many items currently on the legislature's plate as well as new laws passed last year that were developed with the help of mortgage professionals from Lake County.

"It used to be the 'Wild West' in Indiana" and elsewhere when it came to getting a mortgage broker license, he said. "We're seeing the fallout."

Thanks to legislation passed last year, any criminal act committed by a mortgage broker is classified as a Class D felony. The state also raised fees associated with getting a license and expanded criminal background checks.

These and other changes were developed with the help of mortgage professionals in Lake County: Mike Monaco, All Cann, Keith Bergfeld and Peter Schueth, Rokita said. "The good guys in the industry" wanted to help get rid of the bad apples.

With help from Indiana Business Law Survey Commissioner Richard Thrapp, Rokita outlined an online service for small business owners that his office has been offering for the past year.

Those setting up a new business in Indiana can visit the Secretary of State's website to download an application and file on-line. The benefits include immediate turnaround and confirmation and lower filing fees.

"As a practitioner I think this is fabulous," Thrapp said. "It's something we're extremely proud of, we think it puts Indiana on the cutting edge."

The program, called InBiz (www.in.gov/sos/business), will likely be expanded in the future, Rokita said.

"We'll prioritize (according to) the most popular filings, and when we have the money."