It is the job of prudent bankers to raise awkward questions about the sustainability of their bank’s business model and their ability to generate profits in the long-run and not just in the short-term. It is also worth remembering the words of Warren Buffet that he is fearful when others are greedy, and greedy only when other are fearful.
Thirdly, the crisis has also illustrated the importance of good liquidity risk management. Prior to the crisis, bank management paid too little attention to liquidity risks. They were reluctant to invest in safe, but low yielding liquid assets at a time when much better investment returns could be earned from other financial instruments.