business - "credit"

As the first anniversary of the crisis arrives this coming week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 14%, U.S. economic growth has more than halved, financial institutions have suffered $350 billion in write-downs and fired chief executives and thousands of workers, while house prices have slumped as much as 40% in some areas.

U.S. auto sales plunged to a 16-year-low in July, led by a 27 percent drop at General Motors Corp , as high gas prices and tight credit sent the industry into a tailspin.

U.S. mortgage market giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , may report further downgrades to their forecasts for credit losses in their upcoming second-quarter results, starting next week.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bank regulators closed a small Florida-based bank on Friday, the eighth U.S. bank to fail this year under pressure from a weak economy and a credit crisis precipitated by falling home prices.

Third large Australian financial services group in a week to warn of the ill effects of the credit crunch and volatile equity markets

A new report from Javelin Strategy & Research shows Americans are using their credit cards less and shopping more conservatively.

Credit, leasing markets continue to take sales toll.

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RATINGS agency Moody's Investors Service has downgraded its outlook on National Australia Bank's credit rating to negative, from stable.

LONDON (Reuters) - The number of companies going bust in England and Wales jumped sharply in the second quarter as the credit squeeze tightened its grip, government figures showed on Friday.