Banks for many years have been regarded as the pillar of stability in our financial system. Over the last decade, however, significant portions of the industry have been at the forefront of each recurring crisis, whether it be energy, agricultural, real estate, commercial or LDC lending. Bank lending helped foster a boom-bust cycle that went well beyond the basic economic fundamentals in each of these areas. These cycles all ended with increased bank failure rates and high loan losses. This result has further led to substantial declines in the bank insurance fund, causing many to question whether banking is headed in the same direction as the thrift industry with its continuing need for taxpayer funds.