Profits up or down this year?

[Spider]

I have heard that the small, local banks are still lending and possibly the credit unions. You know, the boring, conservative types that never went in for this high-leverage business. They are still there and are lending as much as they ever did.

[orion_joel]

Any bank that lends more so based on the funds they have available from deposits is more likely able to continue lending then a bank that is leveraged a little high and trying to get it refinanced at the high level they are working.

In Australia i think finance is still fairly available, however it is a much tighter market then it was.