Although I never actually checked, my guess is that the great majority of lawsuits that are filed seeking money damages never go to trial. Instead, they are settled between the parties out of court. 

This act of settlement has recently become a topic of conversation due to the many actions filed by federal regulators against banks, underwriters, mortgage lenders and credit rating agencies. All of these filings have resulted from the alleged failure of these parties to properly do their jobs, thereby creating the sizable financial problems this county has faced over the last five years.

Whenever an event occurs where someone could be shown to be at fault, the situation is ripe for a lawsuit. There have been many events over the last five years that have resulted in federal regulators beginning the process of bringing those responsible to court for the damages they caused in order to hold them accountable. Regulators want everyone to know they are doing their jobs by pointing out the wrongdoers, showing them the errors of their ways, getting them to admit their failures and making them pay large sums of money as retribution for the damages they caused.