In normal times, the ECB had interacted overwhelmingly with large banks, who would allow the liquidity to circulate freely through the system.

WSJ: ECB Chief Says Bank Helped Avert Disaster

Since 2007, the foreclosure crisis, which has claimed nearly four million homes, has played out very differently across the U.S. After the robo-signing scandal of late 2010, lenders, flush with defaulted mortgage notes, delayed their processing of foreclosures, most notably in judicial states, where filings circulate through a court system.

FORBES: The Foreclosure Crisis Isn't Over Just Yet

If hydrates remain a problem, the smaller size will be easier for BP to circulate antifreeze-like methanol through the system, keeping the hydrates from forming.

FORBES: With 'Life On Line,' BP Plans Top Hat, Junk Shot To Stop Oil Leak