One of the unhappy side effects of the housing market collapse/credit crisis is that many innocent people have to suffer, too. For one, your house is probably worth less than you thought it was until very recently (and you may even owe more on it than its current market value). And for two, the actions of others have cast a net of suspicion on you.

An easy example is American Express's recent statement that the company is now using local housing market data as one factor in determining whether it will give out credit. This has nothing to do with your home in particular, or your payments on your home, or any aspect of your credit history - it has to do with things such as the number of foreclosures in your area, the drop in home values in your area, etc. All things that you can do nothing about (unless you move, of course).

No one said life was fair. But here's another reminder, just in case you were starting to think otherwise.