“I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street,” President Obama said in a December 2009 interview. Bankers, he said, are “still puzzled why is it that people are mad at the banks. Well, let’s see. You guys are drawing down $10, $20 million bonuses … and you guys caused the problem.”

Obama’s strong words suggest he would have little sympathy for, say, an executive whose bank collapsed, costing depositors and the FDIC millions; even less if it happened because of an irresponsible subprime lending strategy; and less still if the bank had targeted low-income customers for high interest rates, balloon payments and other mortgage gimmicks of recent unpleasant memory.