Back then -- this is long before the financial crisis -- Elizabeth was sounding the alarm on predatory lending and the financial pressures on middle-class families.
The Conservatives said CDC's financial performance should be "applauded" but expressed alarm that ministers were "failing to keep a close eye" on aspects of its activities.
It has yet to be seen if that level of alarm will indeed be warranted, but Marcoccio said that given the tenuous financial situation in countries that are teetering on bankruptcy now, serious worldwide disruptions could be in the offing.