[kolbe]

> A lot of Americans have/had home equity as their biggest asset.

In all fairness, the only reason their home equity had any value was thanks to an inflated housing market. It seems that what people 'stole' from them was the delusion that their homes had actually increased in value for the long term.

[chadbaud]

They had every right to believe their homes were going up in value and make decisions accordingly, especially from 2003-2006. Subprime lenders were selling loans to people who were not qualified to have loans that greatly inflated the housing prices. It doesn't matter if they person signed off on a mortgage, by law, they shouldn't have received it.

People were making decisions in a market they thought was fair. But, that market was fraudulent created by originators and bankers trying to make a quick buck.