To calculate the value of each loan in their portfolio, for example, bankers need to know three things: how much it will earn the bank if fully paid back, how likely the borrower is to default and, in the case of default, how much the bank can expect to get back.

ECONOMIST: Discredited

So long as there is no chance of a bail-out by the centre and the rules of Europe's monetary union specifically rule this out default risk will remain with the borrower and be reflected in its bond yields.

ECONOMIST: Europe's single-currency rules

Nearly a third of our states do not allow lenders the recourse provisions necessary to go after a borrower's personal assets in case of default on a residential mortgage.

WSJ: Robert Bridges: A Home Is a Lousy Investment