The Bursting of the Real Estate Bubble: More than a Trigger for the Financial Crisis

The bursting of the housing bubble in the USA was a key factor to propel the ensuing financial crisis. When real estate suffers a massive loss of value, banks are in greater trouble than when faced with a stock market crash because land is the main collateral for bank loans and home ownership is much more widespread than shareholdings. Historical studies have found a close link between real estate crises and financial crises. A collapse of real estate prices typically precedes a financial crisis by about a year.