Banking on nuptials

If anyone needs a compelling sign that the economy is in dire straits, here is one. The relationship manager of a multinational bank that is keen to expand its footprint in India recently called one of his clients. The call, however, had nothing to do with the client's portfolio. Instead, the functionary enquired whether his client would require a "marriage loan", a service typically limited to small government-owned banks, cooperatives and money-lenders. A sign that corporate lending, the traditional preserve of foreign banks, is drying up?