Original: Furthermore, banks and other, large financial-institutions were reluctant to accept lower prices for these assets, since lower prices would force them to recalculate the total value of their assets, and, if the loss was sufficiently large, force them to declare a negative total value.
Simplified: Banks and other, major financial-institutions were unwilling to sell the assets at significantly reduced prices, since lower prices would force them to significantly reduce their stated assets, making them appear insolvent.