One potentially interesting personal data point is that my bank (Chase) has been hounding me for months to increase the limit on my credit card. They have been sending me email and postal mail approximately once a week, and when I log in online, they plaster the screen with a huge banner offering the credit line increase, which I must close to continue.

If banks are in such dire straits and don't have enough money, why are they pushing so hard to extend more credit to consumers?