Which U.S. investment bank's 2008 bankruptcy intensified the global financial crash?

Lehman Brothers was the U.S. investment bank whose bankruptcy intensified the global financial crash in 2008.

Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008, after suffering enormous losses linked to mortgage-related securities and real-estate investments. With about $639 billion in assets, it remains the largest corporate bankruptcy filing in U.S. history by assets at the time.

The collapse shocked financial markets because Lehman was deeply connected to banks, insurers, money-market funds, and trading counterparties around the world. Its failure contributed to a sharp loss of confidence and a freezing of credit. Bear Stearns had already required a rescue in March 2008, but it did not enter bankruptcy. Merrill Lynch was acquired by Bank of America, while Washington Mutual failed later in September.