But, all told, recession suggests the credit problems will get worse before they get better.

ECONOMIST: Credit crunch

Failing to spot one credit bubble is unfortunate, but missing two of the biggest credit bubbles in history within a single decade suggests the problems are more than bad luck.

FORBES: Rethinking Credit Ratings

But that strategy can run into problems: Catherine Arnold at Credit Suisse First Boston wrote in a note to investors this morning that there is a good chance Plavix will run into problems with the Federal Trade Commission.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Credit problems made 2001 a tough year for stocks, but the burden fell far more heavily on speculative grade companies.

FORBES: Use Bond Ratings To Pick Stocks

It later applied digital signal processing to automate credit reporting but five years ago sold the business, frustrated by labor problems and consumer antipathy.

FORBES: Swords into Dow shares

Things have eased up, but the climate still can be difficult for anyone who ran into mortgage or credit problems.

FORBES: 5 Things That Changed Since You Last Bought A Car

The prime minister was asked how he could defend the shambles over the new child tax credit to which he said there were always problems when you set up anything new but that did not minimise the apology the government had already given.

BBC: At-a-glance: Blair news conference