I really like this guy's blog, but particularly found this interesting:
The Giant Pool of Money: Anatomy of the Subprime Mortgage Mess ∞ Get Rich Slowly
Why did the crisis occur? Because all along the financial chain — from bankers to brokers to borrowers to investors — people deluded themselves. They thought they could throw out the old rules of money. They thought they could cut corners to make a quick buck. In short: they were trying to get rich quickly instead of to get rich slowly.