I think there were many factors that led to the financial crisis. There were both moral and cognitive theories. In the moral failure the executives were caught up in maximizing their own profits instead of doing what was best for the company. They received incentives to give out loans that they should not have morally given out. The credit agencies were also a big factor in the crisis. The rating agencies were rating bonds AAA or AA when they did not make the standards of being AAA or AA. The people responsible for the crisis did not know what they were causing as an increase in housing ownership made people think there was a positive sign of the economy, when in reality it wasn't. I believe everyone is a little responsible for the financial crisis. The greedy CEO's were looking to maximize their own salaries, Congress was loosening their loan requirements, credit agencies were not rating bonds at their appropriate rate, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lowered their standards to compete, and individual borrowers did not appropriately research their investments or know that they cannot afford all the loans they are getting. I tnink the financial crisis was brought on by more of well-intentioned individuals than greed. I don't think people really understood the repercussions of their actions. Nobody thought the housing market, one of the most reliable systems would fail like it did. The underlying factor might have been greed as every mistake made was a step to the financial crisis. “Ryan Thurston” The credit crisis had many reasons for its cause, moral and cognitive. Morally there were executives that didn’t look at the best interest of the firms they worked for, but instead made decisions for their own salaries and benefits. Credit agencies also had a moral problem when it came to giving out their ratings. They were too generous in handing out AA and AAA ratings so that they get paid by the bond issuers. Cognitively, many people believed that everybody owning a home was a good thing and that the economy was doing great. Many executives and lawmakers believed the same thing. There is no single person responsible for the credit crisis. But all the individuals and groups put together are to blame. Credit agencies giving risky risky ratings, uneducated borrowers, greedy CEO’s and other employees, and even Congress can be blamed for the crisis. I don’t believe that we can blame just greed or ignorance for the actions that led to the crisis. It is both, but I do believe that it all started with just ignorance of what was being created. Then I think it developed into willful ignorance for most of the people involved with it, while others knew there was no way it would work in the long run and their greed let them continue it. “Caleb Howard” Major factors that contributed to the financial crisis: The executives trying to fatten their pockets by offering as many housing loans as possible and not taking into cons.