All this is possible because credit is easy and interest rates are low. Banks are encouraged to lend, and often do so irresponsibly. In some states it's possible to get a 100% mortgage, in other words with no down-payment, equivalent to four times a couple's combined annual salary. The market is constantly coming up with new financial products and new ways of extending credit to ordinary people. General Motors, whose automotive business is in decline, now sells home equity loans through a subsidiary. It’s the only part of company that has been consistently profitable in recent years. The reason for this boom in money lending is clear, to fund consumer spending. As long as people are spending, economic growth continues. In other more conservative borrowing cultures, like Germany, economic growth has slowed because in times of uncertainty people tend to save their money, rather than borrowing and spending to make themselves feel better.


这些都有可能因为贷款非常的简单而且利率低。银行通常鼓励借钱，但有的时候比较不负责任。在一些洲，还是有可能能获得100%的抵押贷款，换句话说，相同的款项是一对夫妇年收入的四倍。市场不断出现新的金融产品和对普罗大众延长贷款。美国通用汽车公司，其汽车业务正在下降，现在通过子公司来销售房屋贷款，这只是近几年公司不断盈利的一部分。 公司欣欣向荣的原因是借入的款项非常清晰，只要人们持续消费，经济将继续增长。在更保守的借贷文化里，像德国，经济增长缓慢因为在不稳定的时候，人们要把钱存起来，而不是借贷或者花费来使他们的生活变好。