This American Life piece on the housing crisis.

[randomness]

Episode 355, The Giant Pool of Money, is a nice piece explaining the crisis and how it happened. Friends have commented on how it's worth listening to, and signsoflife just let me know that it's probably only around for free download for another day or so, as they only make it available for a week after broadcast.

So check it out. I played it for bedfull_o_books last night.