Also, banks tightened lending standards for real estate (commoners). My guess is that they didn't do the same for corporations. So all the money went to corpora

Also, banks tightened lending standards for real estate (commoners). My guess is that they didn't do the same for corporations. So all the money went to corporations... Probably stock buybacks; so it went to shareholders; tax-free too; and even when the shareholders decide to sell, they'll only pay capital gains tax, which is lower than income tax. The stock market is a scam. A the biggest pyramid scheme the world has ever seen. CEOs who understand how the system works and willingly participate in it are criminals.