| 1 | Collecting bad debts is often a difficult affair . | |
| 2 | Construction sites fell silent and their giant cranes stopped working as property bubbles burst and banks' bad debts soared. | |
| 3 | The banks were writing billions in bad debts, and companies were unable to issue new bonds. | |
| 4 | Investors appear soothed by plans to rescue banks from billions of dollars in bad debt. | |
| 5 | As the housing and credit crisis deepened, Fannie and Freddie have had trouble raising capital to cover bad loans. The government saw a risk to the financial system. |