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Five reasons to care about financial turmoil
2008-10-01

1 Mortgages
Borrowers will have to fill out more paperwork and will need "pristine” credit ratings to obtain a home loan.



2 Loans
As short-term capital markets dry up, it becomes more difficult for banks to market their loans. That means some good customers fail to receive loans.

3 Cars
"Walk into a car dealer today and try to buy a car, and your financing options are going to be less than they were last week,” said Roger Beverage, Oklahoma Bankers Association CEO.

4 Funds
Most Oklahomans have a retirement fund, said money manager Nick Massey. "Stocks dropped $1.2 trillion of market value. Probably a good portion of the population got to participate in that.”

5 Utilities
It doesn't affect bills yet. But that could change, and soon, says Brian Alford, a spokesman for Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. Rising credit costs could eventually be reflected in bills.