Greece did not have to pay the 21.5% annual interest rate that most Walmart (WMT) credit cards holders do. But, it was close. The southern European nation, which some economists would argue is near to default on its debt, issued 5 billion euros in new bonds and paid coupon interest of 5.9% for seven-year paper. The number was 325 basis points above similar bonds with similar characteristics issued by Germany. Bloomberg pointed out that Greece offered more than five times the yield premium of comparable Spanish debt. Spain is often mentioned as one of the European nations that will soon face its own severe debt and deficit problems.