Lehman Brothers, a 158-year-old investment bank choked by the credit crisis and falling real estate values, filed for Chapter 11 protection in the biggest bankruptcy court filing ever on Monday and said it was trying to sell off key business units. ...more

September 16, 2008

If you've ever wondered about the location of the proverbial "square one," it's right where Temple Terrace's new downtown is supposed to be. ...more

September 16, 2008

Merrill Lynch's shotgun sale to Bank of America will create the nation's largest financial services company - one that some say is too big to fail. Still, no one is breathing easy just yet. ...more

September 16, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) -- A stunning makeover of the Wall Street landscape sent stocks falling precipitously Monday, with the Dow Jones industrials sliding 500 points in their worst point drop since the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Investors reacted badly to a shakeup of the financial industry that took out two storied names: Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co. ...more

September 15, 2008

In one of the most dramatic days in Wall Street's history, Merrill Lynch agreed to sell itself to Bank of America for roughly $50 billion to avert a deepening financial crisis while another prominent securities firm, Lehman Brothers, hurtled toward liquidation after it failed to find a buyer, people briefed on the deals said. ...more

September 15, 2008

Lehman Brothers has approached other major financial institutions about a potential acquisition or investment in the battered securities company, people close to the situation said Thursday. ...more

September 12, 2008

Lehman Brothers, in a desperate bid to survive, announced plans Wednesday to sell a majority stake in its prized investment management business and said a sale of the entire company is possible. ...more

September 11, 2008

In keeping with today's theme (see the story at right), I thought I would open by mentioning "Godchildren," by Nicholas Coleridge (Thomas Dunne Books, $25.95). The British author offers a novel about the British upper class, specifically a business tycoon's six godchildren: the arrogant one, the "devastatingly beautiful" one, the awkward one, the dependable one, the troubled one and the cutup. ...more

September 7, 2008

Consumer spending slowed to a crawl and personal incomes plunged in July, reflecting the waning impact of $93 billion in economic stimulus payments. ...more

August 30, 2008

Builders of shopping centers in Florida nearly printed money in the past several years, benefiting from skyrocketing rent and soaring prices for strip malls. ...more

August 19, 2008