Reply #7: Greedy builders, greedy lenders ...

[Myrina]

...seeing quick profits from the starry-eyed-but-not-too-financially-educated public who wanted a part of 'the American dream' -- predators really, who violated ethics by putting people into houses that by all rights, they couldn't afford & shouldn't have been financed for.

I don't blame the buyers so much because 'home ownership' is touted as the foundation and bedrock of all things American/family ... although definitely in some cases people knowingly went for the gusto rather than staying solidly within their means (even if it meant not buying at all) ...