Bankers still struggling with declining collateral values on their commercial real estate loans and tougher scrutiny from examiners aren't going to risk hits to their capital by lending to weak firms until the economy is in a clear upswing, says James Whitney, of Conway MacKenzie, a Birmingham, Mich. financial consulting firm.

FORBES: About Joseph Stiglitz

"He was the first salesman who asked questions about the business side, " says James O'Donnell, his mentor, who cofounded Mackenzie Financial.

FORBES: Get rich slow