This document discusses financial crises and the subprime mortgage meltdown. It begins by showing graphs of housing price bubbles in various US cities from 1992-2008. It then lists factors that can cause financial crises, such as declines in asset prices, deterioration of financial institutions' balance sheets, and increases in interest rates. The dynamics of past US financial crises are outlined in three stages: initiation, banking crisis, and debt deflation. The document concludes by detailing the key events of the 2007-2008 subprime financial crisis, including the housing bubble, failures of major financial firms, and the debated bailout package.