Attorney General Schneiderman Backs OWS, But Will It Help His Anti-Bank Push?

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a progressive champion for his aggressive posture toward the big banks at the heart of the 2008 financial crisis and the foreclosures still rippling through the economy, backed the Occupy Wall Street protests, obliquely, in a statement today:

“These demonstrations are a stark reminder that many Americans have lost faith in the central institutions of the public and private sector, and rightly want their leaders held accountable for the problems our country is facing,” said spokeswoman Lauren Passalacqua. “Americans must be able to believe that there is one set of rules for everyone, and this office’s overriding mission is to deliver equal justice for all.”

What we don’t know is whether these protests might help increase political pressure for a settlement in the multi-state negotiations over illegal foreclosures that is more aggressive and punitive toward the big banks — and that doesn’t provide them immunity against future suits.