groundcover for some very pernicious activities. >> in the last six months, americans have seen their investment shrink, property values plummet, and the country edge closer towards a recession, and at the heart of the problem is something called the subprime mortgage crisis. >> loans made to borrowers with low credit scores or no many money for a down payment, are commonly called, subprime mortgages, and the market for them has exploded in this country of late. >> there's some decent decent aspects of sub prime loans, an effort to reach people whose credit isn't as good, and effort to give them the ability to move up and reach the homeownership dream. >> like so much else, it starts as a good idea that eventually gets perverted. honestly, the history of the modern age of finance is that. >> washington has pretty much failed miserably for the last 10 to 20 years as the mortgage lending market has changed >> what washington has been concerned about is make it easier for lenders to give