Bear Stearns

The Bear Stearns companies inc is a New York based global investment bank, securities trading and brokerage firm that failed in 2008 as part of the global financial crisis and recession, and was subsequently sold to JPMorgan Chase. Heavily involved in securitization and issued large amounts of asset backed securities which were in the case of mortgages pioneered by Lewis Ranieri.  As investors losses mounted in those markets in 2006 and 2007, the company actually increased its exposure, especially to the mortgage backed assets that were central to the subprime mortgage crisis.          In March of 2008, the Federal Reserve bank of New York provided an emergency loan to try prevent a collapse of the company. The collapse of the company was a prelude.