The banks can hold on to these properties for 6 or even 12 months before they relist them. It simply makes good economic sense to list the properties when there are buyers back in the market place.
It must be remembered that this happened back in the early 90s and was a disaster for the banks so they would have to consider it a bad strategy to do so again.
The old thing " A bird in the hand" might encourage them not to hold on too long
