Merrill Lynch e Lehman Brothers

Nos seus 158 anos de história, o Merrill Lynch, quarto maior banco de investimento norte-americano, sobreviveu a várias crises: a Grande Depressão de 1930, o colapso do fundo de alto risco Long-Term Capital Management, há 10 anos, ou às falências no sector ferroviário do séc. XIX. Mas, agora, não conseguiu ultrapassar a crise do subprime, iniciada com as falências no crédito hipotecário de alto risco nos EUA.

E o quarto maior banco de investimentos dos EUA, o centenário Lehman Brothers, faliu. O facto de a sua actividade estar mais concentrada nas grandes instituições - e menos nos pequenos clientes de retalho, ao contrário do Merrill Lynch, ontem "salvo" pelo rival Bank of America - diminui o risco que o seu colapso representa para o sistema global. Mas, dada a actual fragilidade do sector financeiro mundial, a maior falência da história dos EUA constitui uma séria ameaça à já depauperada saúde da economia mundial.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., founded in 1850, is a global financial-services firm. The firm does business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales, research and trading, investment management, private equity, and private banking. It is a primary dealer in the U.S. Treasury securities market. Its primary subsidiaries include Lehman Brothers Inc., Neuberger Berman Inc., Aurora Loan Services, Inc., SIB Mortgage Corporation, Lehman Brothers Bank, FSB, and the Crossroads Group. The firm's worldwide headquarters are in New York City, with regional headquarters in London and Tokyo, as well as offices located throughout the world.
On September 15, 2008, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection listing bank debt of $613 billion, $155 billion in bond debt and assets worth $639 billion. The filing is the largest bankruptcy in US history. Until the bankruptcy procedures are completed, the company is still in existence.

In " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehman_Brothers "