What makes the case egregious is the fact that the funds which were defrauded were part of the TARP government program which was designed to help buoy the market for home-loan bonds after it froze during the global credit crisis in 2008.

FORBES: Wall Street's Used Car Lot

If the market price drops below that, the government buys dairy products from farmers to buoy prices and increase demand.

FORBES: Another Year In Washington, D.C. Is Another Year Of Policy Insanity

Mortgage rates are at historically low levels, which is helping buoy transactions, but if central banks begin to withdraw unconventional programmes to support the housing market, such as the Federal Reserve's purchases of mortgage-backed securities, the recovery may slow.

ECONOMIST: House prices are creeping up again. That may not last