Personal loans, with a twist (San Jose Mercury News)

As banks continue to tighten the grip on borrowers, canceling home equity loans and cutting borrowing limits on credit cards, Americans are increasingly turning to a timeless source of credit: one another. Person-to-person lending, facilitated by Web-based companies, is quickly coming of age. "The credit crisis has put a huge crimp in the ability of the average consumer and the average small business to access credit from traditional sources," said Ed Kountz, a senior analyst at Forrester…