Lexis Nexis Academic Universe: Lexis Nexis is an excellent source about the crisis. Possible search terms:

For the housing crisis: "atleast5(housing crisis) OR atleast5(subprime mortgage) OR atleast5(foreclosure) AND analysis OR history" This requires that one of the terms (housing crisis, subprime mortgage, and forecluse is used atleast 5 times in the article. Also you may want to limit your search to a specific time period to limit your results.

Change in the credit industry: "redlining AND personal credit" OR new credit standards"

Automotive: "Domestic automakers and outlook" or atleast5(General Motors) OR atleast5(Ford) OR atleast5(Chrysler) and outlook OR analysis"

Business Source Complete is a good place to look for academic articles about the crisis, industry reports, and company profiles. Basic Searching and Browsing Tutorial can help you get started. To set up a account you can get help with EBSCO's Personal Account Instructions or walk your self through.