Which 2008 event marked the collapse of Lehman Brothers and intensified the global financial crisis?

The 2008 event marking the collapse of Lehman Brothers was the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.

Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008. At the time, it was the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. The investment bank had accumulated major exposure to mortgages and mortgage-related securities as the American housing market weakened.

The filing intensified an already severe global financial crisis. Investors questioned the strength of other financial institutions, credit markets froze, and stock markets around the world fell sharply. The failure followed the rescue or forced sale of other major firms, including Bear Stearns earlier in 2008.

Lehman’s bankruptcy did not begin the U.S. housing downturn, which had already damaged banks and borrowers. However, its disorderly failure became a powerful symbol and a major escalation point. The crisis later led to government interventions, emergency lending, and new financial regulations in the United States and elsewhere.