an agreement that benefits ...?

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The U.S. government and a number of big banks are said to be close to a deal ... a pay-off or mortgage reduction for thousands of American homeowners whose mortgage agreements left them gasping for air as the housing bubble burst in 2008. The agreement between government and bankers is valued at something like $25 billion.

All I can think is that 1. if the banks are willing to pay $25 billion, the amount is highly unlikely to even scratch the surface of what they made on fraudulent or manipulative loans; 2. the underlying regulations that allowed this scam in the first place will remain untouched ... and everyone except the taxpayer will go home happy.

It's as infuriating as it is common: We corrected the problem... NOT.
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