Credit people have been talking about the credit crunch and it's potential fallout since last autumn, but despite all the gloom and doom merchants around, the impact is still not being felt in the general market to the level that was anticipated. Okay, credit insurers are reporting that claims are going up, and so is debt collection work, but any substantial increase in liquidations figures are conspicuous by their absence so far. This was also confirmed this morning when I spoke to one of the leading insolvency practitioners- any significant increase in workload hasn't come through yet.

Let's hope this is all good news, but most credit experts are sticking to their assessment that we may all be in for a period of more difficult trading and risk conditions lasting between 12 and 24 months. Are we therefore experiencing the calm before the storm?