The Treasury Department

The Treasury Department is the branch of the administration that deals with economic policy. At the time of the financial crisis, the department was headed by Secretary Henry Paulson

The Federal Reserve

The national bank that sets monetary policy is called The Federal Reserve. The bank lends money to private banks on short term to provide capital for investment. There are several branches of the Federal Reserve, with the largest and most influential being in New York City. In 2008 Timothy Giethner was president of the New York Federal Reserve and Ben Bernanke was the chairman.

Lehman Brothers

Lehman Brothers was a financial services firm led by Dick Fuld that declared bankruptcy in 2008 after being unable to find a buyer.

Goldman Sachs

A large financial services firm that was deeply involved in the financial crisis of 2008, Goldman Sachs eventually changed its structure to become a bank...