Its like a badly controlled servo system. If it overshoots it takes so long to notice its wrong that the error is massive, so you apply a large correction which makes it overshoot in the other direction, etc.
IF they had noticed when the house prices started to go silly and raised rates then, this would have stopped all those silly people with interest only mortgauges, and cooled the whole thing. Fine control, not panic action.
Ken
Very good analogy

We can be thankful Gordon Brown was only the chancellor during the boom and not designing cruise control systems for GM.

It was plain to see several years ago that the binge of borrowing and spending was not sustainable and a little correction then might have helped. Problem is, he who makes the first move starts maiing less profits, earning smaller bonuses and risks egg in their face, etc.. etc..
It works on an international level as well as an inter-bank level. Why should we cool our economy when the US, China, etc.. will only overtake us?
I imaghine when things pick up again everyone will forget the lessons, regulation will become a dirty word and the cycle will repeat.

Kevin