Staring down the barrel, and surviving to tell the tale

Even during the boom years, I found myself writing about corporate failures and company liquidations. When boom turned to bust, the level of activity spiralled. Builders, pursued by the banks that had once financed their grandiose ambitions, were going out of business on a daily basis. The hospitality sector was being decimated, while many shops were simply pulling down the shutters.

No company was too big to fail. No sector was insulated from the carnage....