This situation then rapidly led to a full blown liquidity crisis where financial institutions don’t trust one another. Inter bank lending ground to a halt. The spread between what the Bank of England set as its interest rate, and what the banks would use to lend between them ballooned (the LIBOR rate). This created further problems as most banks borrow short term to provide long term loans. If short term loans are not available who is left to get money from? The central banks as lenders of last resort had to step in. The US Federal Reserve and Bank of England have been forced to provide masses of liquidity via “emergency” loans to keeping rapidly failing banks afloat. A position which hardly strengthens confidence in the banks or the system. It is no wonder that the most recent UK bank bailout bill included special provisions to hide the names of banks making use of emergency loans in order that the “stigma” of doing so was taken away. The other key factor in the liquidity crisis is that failing banks can hardly afford to weaken their balance sheets by making more risky loans to other “dodgy” banks, mortgage holders (in a recession) and failing companies – a vicious cycle. Consequently the banks are hoarding what cash they can get their hands on. Hardly conducive to encouraging the next big business upturn the governments expect. The banks are now hoarding cash, and many of the wealthy will be following them.