I think the point Orruar is trying to make is that the financial sector is pretty intricate, and for anyone person to simply say "deregulation caused this" is a little tough to swallow as convincing evidence considering that this is one of, if not the most heavily regulated industry. Also, there was no considerable deregulation after 2000, note the examples that Lune gave, and creating affordable housing goals dates back to 1932 and more simliar to what we see today in the late 60's. We're talking some serious policy lag here. Something else that was happening while this bubble was forming? Greenspan cut the fed funds rate from 6.5% in 2000 down to a low of 1%, which actually kept the real interest rate negative for 3 years. I'd argue the negative interest rates led more to a housing bubble than deregulation.
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