There's a reason that English is the most widely spoken language on the planet: It's the most highly adaptable, capable of evolving to meet new needs in the blink of an eye. For example: Just last year, offering mortgages at a cheaper-than-market teaser interest rate with little or no money down was known as ''predatory lending.

For years bankers often vied to work for the firms with the biggest, most prestigious names. Now, investment bankers are wary of signing up for several more years of reduced bonuses, public shame by politicians and the other perceived consequences of taking government money.

The financial system is central to this process. Banks and the credit markets transform the earnings and savings of American workers into the loans that finance a first home, a new car or a college education. And this system provides the capital and credit necessary to build a company around a new idea.