As with similar initiatives under way at General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) and Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people ), progress has been glacially slow.
Edward Altman, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, forecasts defaults to rise to 5% to 6% in 2007, not factoring in the fates of General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) or Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people ).