A hedge fund manager says banks could be coronavirus "heroes."

But banks made America's finances vulnerable before the crisis struck.

And now they're shamelessly feasting on the CARES Act loan program.

Earlier this month a U.S. hedge fund manager suggested U.S. banks have the opportunity to be "heroes" of the coronavirus crisis. Nick Ford, a manager at Premier Miton Investors, said:

Bear in mind that banks are the transmission for the systems getting money to people in difficulty. I think there's a huge opportunity for the U.S. banking system to come out of this as very much the good guys — as the heroes.

He said that's a big "silver lining" for banks despite the pandemic's devastating hit to their earnings. But the only way banks will come out of this looking like heroes is if the entire country closes their eyes.