“財務健康”成美國人頭號新年願望

How financially fit are you?

After a year of record mortgage foreclosures and slumping home prices, Americans are more determined to shape up their flabby finances in 2008 than their bodies, according to a study released by Countrywide Bank on Tuesday.

Some 67 percent of the 1,002 adults surveyed nationwide said that becoming financially fit is a top New Year's resolution, while 57 percent are committed to becoming physically fit in 2008.

"The results of the survey are an indicator that people are finally putting financial health on par with physical health," said clinical psychologist Dr. Melody Alderman in a statement from Countrywide.

By gender, women are more insecure about their finances, with 37 percent saying they are financially fit, compared with 55 percent for men. Dads are more confident about finances than moms, and single people feel more secure than the married.

Geographically, U.S. Northeasterners felt better about their money, with 52 percent saying their are financially fit. The Midwest and South were tied at the bottom with 43 percent feeling secure about finances.

Countrywide Bank is part of Countrywide Financial Corp, the largest mortgage lender in the United States with a big stake in the troubled subprime mortgage market. It has been battered by escalating loan defaults.

美國全國銀行於本週二公佈的一項調查顯示，在經歷了今年的次貸危機和房價大跳水後，美國人2008年最大的新年願望就是“財務健康”，其次是“身體健康”。

在全美1002名成年受訪者中，約67%的人將“財務健康”列爲頭號新年願望，57%的人選擇的是“身體健康”。

全國銀行在聲明中援引臨牀心理學家邁勒迪•艾爾德曼說：“該調查結果表明，人們終於將財務健康與身體健康放在了同等重要的位置。”

從性別來看，女性更擔心自己的財務狀況，37%的人認爲自己的財務狀況良好；而男性的這一比例爲55%。丈夫比妻子對家庭的財務狀況更有信心，單身人士比已婚人士更自信。

從地域上看，美國東北部地區的居民對自己的財務狀況更有信心，52%的人稱他們的財務狀況健康；中西部和南部地區並列最後，均有43%的人認爲自己的財務狀況良好。

全國銀行是全國金融集團旗下的子銀行，是全美最大的抵押借貸機構。由於該銀行在陷入困境的次級房貸市場上佔有很大份額，持續惡化的貸款拖欠使它遭到嚴重衝擊。

on par with:equal in importance, quality, etc to sb/sth （與某人[某事物]同等重要）

subprime mortgage:次級抵押貸款（指銀行或貸款機構提供給那些信用等級或收入較低、無法達到普通信貸標準的客戶的一種貸款。這種貸款通常不需要首付，只是利息會不斷提高。次級貸款對放貸機構來說是一項高回報業務，但由於次級貸款對借款人的信用要求較優惠級貸款低，借款者信用記錄較差，因此次級房貸機構面臨的風險也就更大。）

loan default:貸款拖欠