“These business practices generated huge profits for bankers, brokers, lawyers, investors, fleet owners and debt collectors. The leaders of nonprofit credit unions became multimillionaires. Medallion brokers grew rich enough to buy yachts and waterfront properties. One of the most successful bankers hired the rap star Nicki Minaj to perform at a family party.” When you look at the wreckage of debt-ridden NYC taxi drivers, it’s easy to blame the rise of Uber and Lyft. But there’s more to the story. Much more. The NYT with a two-part series: ‘They Were Conned’: How Reckless Loans Devastated a Generation of Taxi Drivers. “The practices were strikingly similar to those behind the housing market crash that led to the 2008 global economic meltdown.”