In short, image and reputation are not always reliable indicators of credit quality.

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At the same time, this exercise in credit allocation (the housing market is getting some help here, too) is depriving small and medium-size businesses of a reliable flow of credit, which, in turn, is having increasingly destructive results on growth, innovation and job creation.

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Equity strategists at Salomon Smith Barney point out that, in the past, tightening credit spreads have been a reliable leading indicator of rising share prices.

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Although they tended to buy AAA-rated paper, that designation is not as reliable as it used to be, as the credit crunch has shown.

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Look for a reliable source of assistance, such as a service provided through a credit union or other financial institution, the military, or a university.

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But dealers in credit derivatives have lately been keen to make their products more reliable.

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Their reluctance has been put down to ignorance (farmers do not appreciate the benefits of fertiliser until they have tried it), timidity (they are wary of upfront commitments of money and prefer farming that delivers a reliable, even if low, return) or illiquidity (farmers cannot get the credit they need to afford seeds and fertiliser).

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"In today's world commercial banks, especially from Europe and the U.S., have pretty much shut up shop so our strategy has been going towards financing from export credit agencies, " referring to typically state-backed institutions set up to provide reliable export financing.

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