Congress meddled and forced Fannie and Freddie to lend more and more to people who could not afford houses -- and without charging anything for the extra risk. Fannie and Freddie failed because of Congress 100%
The Fed lowered rates to 1% under some dubious nonsense about deflation (and more accurately the need to bailout bad dot-com positions). They kept rates way too low for way too long.
Bank regulators were tripping over themselves to make sure banks lent to lower income individuals, hoping to let them cash in on the housing "bonanza" -- hoping that these people would not notice that their incomes were rising 1% while the cost of living was rising 7%.
The SEC joined in on the act by requiring buy side funds to subjugate credit analysis to the three credit agencies.
And the SEC joined with FASB to lower accounting standards to permit all sorts of off balance sheet financing (SIVs, CDOs, etc)
Whatever you think Wall Street did, they did it with the full knowledge, consent and sometimes encouragement of regulators
"Liberals were right about just about everything these last 8 years it appears."
Yeah, like telling the world that FRMA and FRE were completely safe and didn't need any additional oversight (despite Republican attempts to reduce the leverage of these two entities).
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Click here for commentsor - "Which one of you dear leaders wants to take responsibility?"
ReplyAnyone seen my systemic risk....?
ReplySure I left a bank lying around here somewhere...
Well, we have completely screwed up the financial system with our regulatory meddling...
ReplyTime for a photo op!
"Well, we have completely screwed up the financial system with our regulatory meddling..."
Replyyeah sure, this crisis is the result of *too much* regulation.
come on, pretty soon you have to wake up to the fact that markets actually *need* some kind of regulation to function well.
blame this crisis on all kinds of things, but its not the fault of too much regulation
Such is the nature of things that while this crisis may not have started with too much regulation, it will surely end with it.
Reply(Though in fairness, if the State owns every bank on the Street, it is within its rights to set the rules as it sees fit.)
alexji:
ReplyCongress meddled and forced Fannie and Freddie to lend more and more to people who could not afford houses -- and without charging anything for the extra risk. Fannie and Freddie failed because of Congress 100%
The Fed lowered rates to 1% under some dubious nonsense about deflation (and more accurately the need to bailout bad dot-com positions). They kept rates way too low for way too long.
Bank regulators were tripping over themselves to make sure banks lent to lower income individuals, hoping to let them cash in on the housing "bonanza" -- hoping that these people would not notice that their incomes were rising 1% while the cost of living was rising 7%.
The SEC joined in on the act by requiring buy side funds to subjugate credit analysis to the three credit agencies.
And the SEC joined with FASB to lower accounting standards to permit all sorts of off balance sheet financing (SIVs, CDOs, etc)
Whatever you think Wall Street did, they did it with the full knowledge, consent and sometimes encouragement of regulators
Whatever you think Wall Street did, they did it with the full knowledge, consent and sometimes encouragement of regulators
Replywhich they bought, and ideologically brainwashed into allowing whatever bankers wanted.
And now they blame their drug dealer for not stopping them?
Only "liberal" economists (US sense, i.e. empiricists who didn't swallow all of the laissez-faire uber alles propaganda) were right about it.
Liberals were right about just about everything these last 8 years it appears.
And they sure weren't getting jobs in this Administration or Wall Street.
OMG that is the funniest thing I've seen since the last funniest thing you did.
ReplyFantastic!
"Liberals were right about just about everything these last 8 years it appears."
ReplyYeah, like telling the world that FRMA and FRE were completely safe and didn't need any additional oversight (despite Republican attempts to reduce the leverage of these two entities).
brilliant !
Reply