Credit crisis now hits the well-off
 
 
By Francesco Guerrera and Saskia Scholtes in New York
 
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
 
 
The US financial crisis is spreading from subprime borrowers to wealthier consumers, with evidence mounting that more affluent people are failing to pay their mortgages and credit card balances.
美国金融危机正从刺激抵押贷款的借贷者向富有的消费者蔓延，日益增加的证据显示，更多富人无法支付其贷款和信用卡欠款（差额）。
FT版本翻译：
美国金融危机正从次级抵押贷款的借方，向较富有的客户蔓延。越来越多的证据表明，比较富有的人正无力支付自己的抵押贷款和信用卡余额。

Growing concerns over the financial health of richer borrowers are prompting banks and card issuers to tighten lending practices further in moves that could further dampen consumer confidence and spending.
FT版本翻译：
市场对于较富有借款人财务健康的担忧日益加剧，促使银行和信用卡发行机构采取各种措施收紧贷款，这可能进一步影响消费者信心和支出。

Banks such as JPMorgan Chase and credit card groups such as American Express have clamped down on lending to customers that have traditionally been regarded among the safest and most profitable borrowers.
FT版本翻译：
摩根大通(JPMorgan Chase)等银行和美国运通(American Express)等信用卡集团都收紧了对一些客户的借贷，而他们一向被视为最为安全和有利可图的借方。

“The crisis is just starting to spread beyond the middle class,” said Curtis Arnold, founder of CardRatings.com. “Even folks with good credit-ratings scores are no longer immune from adverse actions from their card issuers.”
FT版本翻译：
CardRatings.com创始人柯蒂斯?阿诺德(Curtis Arnold)表示：“这场危机刚刚开始向中产阶级以外蔓延。即便是那些信用评级得分很高的家伙，也不再能免受其发卡机构不利行动的影响。”

Senior bankers say that after the subprime debacle, the worsening outlook of “prime” portfolios shows the crisis is far from over and could inflict substantial losses on financial institutions.
FT版本翻译：
资深银行家表示，次贷危机爆发以来，“优质”资产的前景不断恶化，表明危机远未结束，有可能使金融机构蒙受巨大损失。

The spreading of the credit crunch to wealthier consumers could hit financial groups, such as JPMorgan and American Express that have so far avoided the worst of the crisis because of their relatively low exposure to subprime customers.
FT版本翻译：
信贷危机向较为富有的客户的蔓延，可能对摩根大通和美国运通等金融机构产生冲击，由于这些机构的次贷客户资产相对较少，迄今为止它们避开了此次危机最糟糕的影响。

Second quarter results from financial companies showed rising losses on mortgages and credit cards issued to prime customers as soaring gas prices, the slowing economy and depressed house values took their toll.
金融公司第二季度的结果显示：由于日益高涨的石油价格、缓慢的经济和下降的房屋价值造成损失，因此，抵押贷款和信用卡方面的损失增加了。
FT版本翻译：
金融公司第二季度业绩显示，由于汽油价格不断飙升、经济日渐放缓及房价下降的影响，面向优质客户的抵押贷款和信用卡业务的亏损不断上升。

Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's chairman and chief executive, recently told Wall Street analysts that the outlook for prime mortgages was “terrible” and the rate of delinquencies could double or treble from current levels of around 4 per

cent.
FT版本翻译：
摩根大通董事长兼首席执行官杰米·戴蒙(Jamie Dimon)近期向华尔街分析师表示，优质抵押贷款的前景很“糟糕”，逾期欠款率有可能在目前4%的水平上翻一番或两番。