Welcome back!The heart of the economic crisis right now is that the banks are unwilling to make loans. Even though governments are pouring money into the banking system, the banks are hanging onto the money.
The rescue program originally was sold to Congress and the public as a plan to buy mortgage-related loans from financial institutions. [...]

The world is in economic crisis.  So far, nothing has stopped the crisis from spreading. It started with subprime mortgages, and has grown into a hydra-headed monster that is creating fear around the world as banks cut off credit.
With global stock markets continuing their sickening plunge and the credit system all but shut down, efforts [...]