The repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999 paved the way for big banks to gamble with customer money, and eventually trigger the biggest financial crisis in the US since the Great Depression, says former Louisiana governor and Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer. “I’m not against large,” Roemer says about banking practices in the country, “What I’m against is dumb. What I’m against is greed. What I’m against is the banker first and the customer second. It ought to be reversed.”

—Steven Hsieh

Video edited by Karen Rybold-Chin and filmed by Eric Allin and Greg David.