Lets be a little more clear when we say bank execs were the cause of financial collapse. That is the liberal meme for those against free enterprise. The Ferral Gubmint utilizing the CRA pressured banks through threat of legislation and fines that the down drodden who weren’t worth a spit on paying a loan back deserved homes as a right. They staged 2 completely unconstituional entities known as fannie and freddie to help absorb that risk. Therefore any smart business person to protect its shareholders and company viability will utilize any investment vehicle to realize a profit; hence packaging loans and send off to market to trade. The government created the mess.
That they did. And local banks were put out of business. But those high-salaried bankers? If they knew it was wrong they had a moral obligation to quit, or at least accept blame for not refusing to go along. If they didn't see it coming, they didn't deserve the salaries to begin with. They got blinded by the huge paychecks.
Yeah, I'm really that "pollyanna" about stuff like that.