Mezzanine financing is an alternative for companies that have reached the limit on bank borrowing capacity and prefer not to issue new equity

A term coined in the 1970s for the twin economic problems of stagnation and SEE inflation.

A measure of a bank's capital strength used by regulatory agencies

From a bankers' tax to fuel duty to pension credits – key terms likely to come up in Alistair Darling's budget

A ground-breaking piece of legislation that prevented commercial banks which took deposits from embarking on risky trading activities

The key terms expected to come up as chancellor Alistair Darling delivers his pre-budget report

Profit Participating Deferred Shares (PPDS) are capital instruments that building societies will be able to issue to strengthen their balance sheets

Quantitative easing is what non-economists call 'turning on the printing press'

Gordon Brown committed the Labour government to keeping the books balanced by only borrowing to invest over the lifespan of an economic cycle