Under the Basel III rules, banks have to restructure their balance sheets to meet new liquidity and risk-weighted asset ratios, and small-business loans can often fall under the riskier categories.

WSJ: Post-Recession Loans Lag

The massive risk-asset rally generated by a global central bank liquidity-bailout on Wednesday pushed gold back onto center stage.

FORBES: Gold Revving Engine To Jump Start Rally All The Way To $2,025

Today, concerns about capital, asset quality, and credit risk continue to limit the willingness of many intermediaries to extend credit, even when liquidity is ample.

FORBES: The Crisis and the Policy Response

When positions and exposures cannot be determined rapidly--as was the case, for example, when program trades overwhelmed the system during the 1987 stock market crash--potential outcomes include highly risk-averse behavior by market participants, sharp declines in market liquidity, and high volatility in asset prices.

FORBES: Transcript