This is a "heads, I win", "tails, you lose" type of scam. The mortgage holders are all judgement proof. They have no income or assets to go after. So if the housing market crashes, the banks have no recourse.
It's the same as taking out a mortgage and instead of buying a house, you go to the casino and bet double or nothing. Sure, the intention to pay back is there. But it is contingent on the investment performing, and the bank is taking on unknown risks.
The housing market must first crash before the problem is tangible, and there's no sign of that happening.
The OP is right, the income isn't real. It's right there in the article: "Aurora branch had direct knowledge of faked Chinese income mortgages"
You assumed that the OP assumed something. Then you assumed that the OP's (non)assumption was motivated by jingoism.
Comments like yours are the worst.
This is HN's vaunted grace?
From what I responded to:
> You can't meaningfully garnish the wages of a part time casino dealer.
It is entirely plausible that there are oodles of untaxed income getting funneled over there from hasty emigrés.
No need to get vituperative, good grief.