Ramzam says that identity thieves frequently test credit card information by moving small sums of money, and banks have responded by scanning transactions records looking for unusual recipients of what look like test transactions.

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But government plans to test a new universal credit - which combines several benefits into one payment - have been delayed.

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Shadow treasury minister Chris Leslie said the news was "yet another blow to a downgraded chancellor who made keeping the confidence of the credit rating agencies the number one test of his economic policy".

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And before students will be awarded credit, they will have to pass a test to prove they have mastered the material.

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The big test of their prowess will come when lax credit conditions tighten.

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Investors are reliving a mini-Sept 2008, and further credit downgrades of developed country debt could just be enough to test the circuit breakers at some global securities exchanges.

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The College-Level Examination Program, run by the College Board (the institution that commissions the SAT entrance test), allows students to study on their own, then take a competency test in one of 33 subjects and get college credit for passing.

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He didn't have the best first Test but has gone away and worked at it, come back and credit to him.

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India won the series 1-0 after the second Test in Mohali ended in a draw but England ended the tour with credit.

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"A key test, however, will be the extent to which greater borrower appetite materialises in response to better credit availability, " he added.

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