Clinton "regulating" the mortgage industry in the '90's was the first movement that led us down this path. It was his administration that decided home ownership was a basic right and it was under his watch that Fannie & Freddie were pushed to approve loans with little or no down and with a limited verification process. In response to these mortgages, the industry came up with financial products to offer customers when re-financing was in demand. Then, the insurance companies, in a way to give lenders peace of mind came up with the idea of derivatives (which minimized potential losses for the lender). When the money dried up & the economy slowed is when the foreclosures hit catastrophic levels. So, you see, it was a snowball that turned into an avalanche, caused originally by gov't regulation under Clinton when people like Dodd & Barney Frank thought they knew better than the mortgage lenders when it came to making mortgage loans.