Brazil reduced reserve requirements and gave banks and its deposit-insurance fund incentives to buy up the loan portfolios of smaller banks.

ECONOMIST: BRICs, emerging markets and the world economy

Having opted for collective insurance, Europe now needs to develop the collective discipline to stop their reserve fund from being abused.

ECONOMIST: The euro and the future of Europe

The insurance pool is the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund and a Congressional mandate requires that this fund maintain a 2% reserve.

FORBES: How The Payroll Tax Cut Is Costing Low Income Borrowers