I'm not so sure it's the banks doing as much as it is the fault of Washington DC. The banks were coerced into making loans to uncreditworthy people by the fed. Of course when the bottom fell out, then the government was there with it's hand in our pockets. The bottom line is that the banks relaxed their lending standards for minorities due to pressure from the government, and plenty of people who knew they had no chance of paying wht they owed took advantage of the situation.
If you go and pick somthing up that belongs to someone else, the crime is "theft by taking." As far as I'm concerned these people who had no intention of paying back their loans are guilty of fraud at least, and should NOT be allowed to declare bankruptcy
As a typical example look here
The criminal banks were not innocent bystanders that had their arms twisted by Barney Frank.
They indulged this mortgage scam with relish and gusto with the idea to rape the middle class of every dollar they owned.
The criminal banks owe Americans hundreds of billions for their criminality.
Here’s a start:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2877368/posts