Several films have already been made about the banking crisis in 2008 (eg The Big Short, Margin Call) and the conclusion is often that no one has been prosecuted for it. The main reason for this is that most of them were “Too big to fail”. If they would have to deal with a lawsuit, it would have a huge impact on the financial system. Abacus Federal Savings in New York, a very small bank focusing mainly on the Chinese community in Chinatown, was the only bank that faced a lawsuit on mortgage fraud. A case that could have a lot of impact on this small family business and its customers.
Yet the family decided to take on the fight, not only to prove their innocence, but also to ensure that their company could continue to exist and that they would still retain the respect of their customers. It turns out to be a difficult and lengthy lawsuit that shows that a bank in such a community might work differently than a standard bank and how things might happen within the bank which senior management was unaware of. The interviews with both the family itself and the public prosecutor’s office clearly highlight both sides of the case. A documentary that shows that David is not afraid of Goliath and can stand up against the government.
Fine work mate; good for you for shining a light on a lesser known piece of cinema.
Thanks, documentaries usually don’t get much attention unfortunately.