As negotiators in Washington struggled to devise a plan to rescue Wall Street and avert a global financial catastrophe, Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit noted during an interview at Wharton last week that even with government intervention, global financial markets will need years to recover.
In this Special Report, Knowledge@Wharton finds that the credit crisis was triggered when Wall Street alchemists, overeager borrowers and aggressive lenders let their eye for opportunity trump their nose for risk. New regulations might prevent a recurrence -- but so would diligent decision-making.
The government's refusal to save Lehman Brothers begs a question: Why did it step in only a week earlier to risk up to $200 billion in taxpayer money to shore up mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Wharton faculty say the government made the right move -- and offer suggestions for the next step.
Jeremy Siegel, Russell Palmer Professor of Finance, gives a mostly upbeat view, also covered in his op ed on the crisis, published in the September 16 issue of the Wall Street Journal.
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