In a case like that, you can use the approach mentioned in the second trick and focus your efforts on crafting a stellar cover letter that highlights transferrable skills from your current position.
In addition, banks are shifting their focus away from lending to people with less than stellar credit, another fallout of the financial crisis and the pending regulations.
No matter what the meaning or intention, the result of the action was the same: It inadvertently shifted the focus from her incredible achievement to a less than stellar image.