$60 billion in market value. Survived the Civil War, two world wars, the Great Depression, and the 1987 crash. Then one weekend in September 2008 ended it all.
The Detail That Changes Everything
Repo 105 accounting hid $50 billion in toxic debt from investors and regulators
Historical Context
This story spans 1850-2008 and is centered in New York City. Understanding the broader historical context is essential to grasping why events unfolded as they did.
Key Figures
The central figures in this story include Richard Fuld, Henry Paulson, and Timothy Geithner. Each played a distinct role in the events documented in this episode.
What This Documentary Covers
- How Lehman survived 158 years of crises but not the 2008 mortgage collapse
- The Repo 105 accounting trick that hid $50 billion in toxic debt
- Why CEO Dick Fuld lied publicly while the company was collapsing
- The emergency weekend meeting where Hank Paulson let Lehman die
- How 25,000 employees lost their jobs overnight at 1:45 AM
Themes Explored
This episode examines interconnected themes including financial crisis, mortgage collapse, too big to fail, Wall Street, government intervention. These themes recur across multiple episodes in our documentary collection, revealing patterns that connect seemingly unrelated stories.
Watch the Full Documentary
This companion article provides context and background for the full documentary. For the complete story with narration, original music, and archival imagery, watch the episode above or on YouTube.
