Putting your savings under the mattress instead of in a bank account wouldn't have prevented the Great Recession. It was caused risky mortgages (debts, not savi

Putting your savings under the mattress instead of in a bank account wouldn't have prevented the Great Recession. It was caused risky mortgages (debts, not savings) being sold as low risk from bank to bank, and then defaulting. Putting your savings under the mattress instead of in a bank account wouldn't have prevented the Great Depression either. The only thing it would have accomplished is making your savings easier to steal.