Lehman Bros files for bankruptcy

Well, I won't say I told you so because I have loads of friends being in this company. Not to say that they were in for like 4-5 years but just joined the bank like 3 months ago. They worked their ass off for this and look what happened.

They have to go through the entire process and what's worse is that they have to do it in recession. And of course I hope they don't!

However, all of these are too good to be true. Not to pry on this, but didn't I tell you that oil and gas is the way. It's always constant and always in demand. Well, within our lifetime anyway.

All the best peeps. Just remember to keep your head high. You didn't do anything wrong!

From the BBC.

The fourth-largest investment bank in the US, Lehman Brothers, has filed for bankruptcy protection, amid a growing global financial crisis.

Lehman had incurred losses of billions of dollars in the US mortgage market.

The move threatens to deal a further blow to the global financial system, as banks unwind their deals with Lehman.

Merrill Lynch, also stung by the credit crunch, has agreed to be taken over by Bank of America in a dramatic weekend of events for Wall Street.

Its impact is being felt around the world:

Stock markets and the US dollar have tumbled in reaction to Lehman's collapse, with banking shares hardest hit. UK bank HBOS saw its shares plummet 30%.

Central banks have moved to reassure markets. The US Federal Reserve has broadened its emergency lending scheme and the UK and European central banks have injected a total of $39bn (£22bn; 28bn euros) into the financial system.

There are fears AIG, once the world's largest insurer, could also face collapse. It is taking steps to raise money amid reports it is seeking a $40bn emergency loan from the Fed.

Bank of America's move to buy Merrill in a $50bn deal means that three of the top five US investment banks have fallen prey to the sub-prime crisis within six months.

In the UK, accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers have been appointed as administrators for Lehman.

Anxious markets

Stock markets in Europe and Asia dropped sharply and the dollar tumbled against the yen, the euro and the Swiss franc as Lehman's failure raised fears about the strength of the global financial system.

The FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares was down 271 points, or 5%, at 5145.3 by midday.

Wall Street is also expected to open lower in what is likely to be a tense day of trading.

The Bank of England and the European Central Bank said they were monitoring developments and had pumped £5bn and $30bn respectively into money markets to help stabilise them.

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he would work with regulators and policy-makers around the world to maintain the stability of financial markets.

"I am confident in the resilience of our capital markets, and in the commitment of US regulators and market participants to work together through this difficult period," Mr Paulson said.

Talks collapse

The chance that Lehman Brothers could collapse increased sharply after the strongest potential buyers pulled out at the weekend.

Barclays and Bank of America had been in talks to rescue the bank but negotiations faltered when it became clear that the US Treasury was strongly opposed to using government money to help clinch a deal.

The Treasury had given $30bn backing to Bear Stearns in order to secure its sale to JP Morgan in March.

Greg Wood, the BBC's North America business correspondent, said that police had cordoned off the bank's headquarters in New York and staff were leaving with cardboard boxes as onlookers gathered to watch the bank's demise.

"I think the whole history - 150 years of effort and hard work - that's the most saddening part for me," said one Lehman employee as she left the building.

The bank, which employs about 25,000 staff worldwide, including 5,000 in the UK, was founded in 1850 by three brothers.

'Extraordinary 24 hours'

Lehman Brothers said it intended to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which allows a company time to reorganise and devise a plan to pay creditors over time.

It said that its broker-dealer division and asset management division Neuberger Berman Holdings would not be included in the filing.

The accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers said the UK operations of Lehman Brothers have been placed under administration, and the business would be wound down in an orderly fashion.

Bank of America said it had agreed to buy investment bank Merrill Lynch for $50bn (£28bn), in a deal that will create the world's largest financial services company.

Three of the top five US investment banks have now fallen victim to the credit crunch.

Lehman and Merrill join Bear Stearns, which was sold to JP Morgan for a knockdown price in March.

The BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, said that it had been Wall Street's most extraordinary 24 hours since the late 1920s.

He said that Merrill's sale was almost as shocking as Lehman's demise.

"The global financial economy has never in recent years been tested by quite such a combination of accidents and jolts to confidence," he said.

Insurer in trouble

In addition to Lehman and Merrill Lynch, problems at AIG, once the world's largest insurer, are also mounting.

Reeling from losses on its exposure to real estate, AIG has sought $40bn from the Federal Reserve to shore up its finances, the New York Times has reported.

To help prevent panic on financial markets, the Federal Reserve said for the first time it will accept stocks owned by banks as collateral for short-term cash loans, broadening its emergency lending programme.

Also 10 of the world's biggest banks on Sunday agreed to establish a $70bn emergency fund, with any one of the banks able to able to tap up to a third of it should they face any liquidity problems.