A capital crunch is essentially the same thing as a credit crunch. There is usually a shortage in equity capital, and this limits lenders' abilities to make loans, and this is especially true in regions that have been most affected by the subprime mortgage and financial crisis. In a credit crunch, the lenders quit lending, and instead they hoard their capital, as they are afraid of loaning out too much money with the increasing bankruptcies, job losses, and mortgage defaults, as well as additional factors which boost the risks of an individual not being capable of repaying a loan