i know credit is what got us into this mess (beLIEVE me, i know- as a sub-prime mortgage broker i saw close-up how borrowers with absolutely nothing to recommend them could get 100% home financing)
i GET that we needed to stop approving anyone and everyone
BUT it's like the banks have gone as far off the rails in the "strict" direction as they went in the "lenient" direction- and they chose a really bad time to do it- even people who had excellent credit before the crisis took a few dings
banks raised the scores needed right when everybody's scores took a hit
banks need to find a happy medium between "credit for anyone with a pulse" and "no credit if you've ever been even five minutes late" so that consumers can spend and businesses can expand and companies can hire.