The quote of the week had to be in the New York Times' latest installment of its excellent "The Reckoning" series, which has detailed the underpinnings of 2008's economic collapse. Sunday's story focused on Seattle-based Washington Mutual and its role in the nation's mortgage meltdown. Among other great details in the piece: a WaMu mortgage processor who kept the equipment for snorting meth at his desk, and a loan approved without documentation for a mariachi singer claiming a six-figure salary. The quote from Steven Knobel, the founder of an appraisal company that did business with WaMu, confirms your worst suspicions about the mortgage business and how we got to be in the mess we're in: "It was the Wild West,'' Knobel said. " If you were alive they would give you a loan. Actually, I think if you were dead, they would still give you a loan.'' The current estimate of the value of WaMu loans gone bad? About $11.5 billion. WaMu CEO Kerry Killinger made $88 million between 2001 and 2007. While the nation's economy is paying the price for his disastrous mismanagement, he doesn't currently face his own day of reckoning. That's too bad. In total, Killinger received over $100 million in compensation during his time at the helm. Recovering even part of that could help homeowners underwater on their mortgages and protect taxpayers currently footing the bill for the financial system bailout necessitated by reckless, shameless banking barons like Killinger.