Plain Old Greed

A look at how the global financial crisis has affected people's lives in the USA, and the role the banks played in the financial meltdown.

People personally affected by the global economic downturn talk about what it is like to lose your house, and the programme shows how entire neighbourhoods in Cleveland have been turned into ghost towns, with the houses financially and physically condemned, and scheduled for demolition.

The financial cycle which lead to the crisis is examined; from individuals being offered loans they couldn?t afford, to how these loans became financial assets and were offered as investment packages.

Professor Graciela Chichilnisky of Columbia University comments on the financial crisis, referencing the bankers' big gambles and the easy credit loans, and laying bare the background to the financial collapse.