The U.S. recession might be over, but the country and its bloodied banking sector are struggling to cope with overstretched families and billions in soured loans.

It all points to a troubled recovery for the world’s biggest economy, where the crisis began and flashed around the globe.

U.S. banks got into trouble lending too much to consumers during the boom years earlier this decade. Consumers used credit to finance a buying binge – for homes, cars and the like – and then banks watched helplessly as homes and other asset prices collapsed, starting in 2007.

Banks have tightened up their lending standards and no longer offer the kinds of no-strings-attached mortgages and other loans that were common during the real estate boom.