Why the bank-settlement talks are likely to drag on indefinitely

"If you're expecting this settlement to be announced any time soon, then, prepare for disappointment: these are the kind of talks which often fall apart at the final hurdle. The Justice Department is on the record as wanting to "bring billions of dollars of relief to struggling homeowners", but it's not obvious that this settlement is the best way to do that, or even that any kind of mechanism for delivering that relief is credibly in place."