federal bailouts - Publications - Faculty & Research

October 2018 (Revised January 2019)
Case

The Financial Crisis: Hank Paulson in 2008

By: Adi Sunderam, Robin Greenwood, Sam Hanson and David Scharfstein

On the afternoon of Monday October 13, 2008, Hank Paulson Jr., the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, walked into the large conference room across the hall from his office in the Treasury Department. Joining him were Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke,... View Details

Keywords: Bailout; Regulation; Financial Crisis; History; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Decision Making; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Real Estate Industry; United States

Citation

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21 Dec 2009
Research & Ideas

Good Banks, Bad Banks, and Government’s Role as Fixer

the failure of many other large institutions. Most of the 600 institutions recapitalized by the federal government over the last year do not satisfy either criterion. A lot of bailout decisions were made ad... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Banking; Financial Services

22 Jun 2009
Research & Ideas

“Too Big To Fail”: Reining In Large Financial Firms

financial institutions deemed too big to fail already have a huge marketplace advantage - hundreds of billions of federal bailout funds unavailable to smaller firms in financial trouble, says Moss. "That... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Banking; Financial Services

April 2009 (Revised June 2010)
Case

U.S. Subprime Mortgage Crisis: Policy Reactions (B)

By: Laura Alfaro and Renee Kim

In March 2009, the U.S. economy was in a severe recession not seen since the Great Depression after the subprime mortgage crisis had spiraled out of control. The situation had dramatically changed in one year since the Federal Reserve Board had helped to bailout... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Central Banking; Mortgages; Globalized Economies and Regions; Policy; United States

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31 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

State and Local Governments Peer Into the Pandemic Abyss

state and local governments, balanced budget requirements force them to save up in advance or beg Congress for federal support.” Most states are required by law to carry balanced budgets and can only borrow to fund capital projects, such... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

26 Aug 2009
Op-Ed

Where Cash for Clunkers Ran Off the Road

and Chrysler are using taxpayer bailout money to advance dealers the refund money they are waiting for from the U.S. government! In the end, administration expenses might well reach 10 percent of total program costs. The View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Auto

16 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restaurant Revolution: How the Industry Is Fighting to Stay Alive

industry leaders to participate in a course capstone panel discussion of the COVID-19 crisis and what it means for the future of the industry. What we heard was that the restaurant industry was in deep economic trouble and that ill-conceived government View Details

Keywords: by Michael S. Kaufman, Lena G. Goldberg, and Jill Avery; Food & Beverage

29 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

Financial Crisis Caution Urged by Faculty Panel

surgery or other medical care. Finally, prepare long-term rehabilitation. Those three tasks must be accomplished in order. As for the $700 billion proposal described as a bailout by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, it is deliberately... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

02 Sep 2002
Research & Ideas

The Role of Government When All Else Fails

now—at the dawn of the twenty-first century—it is hard to conceive of any more important or pervasive governmental function. The federal government now devotes a larger part of its budget to social insurance (such as unemployment and... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Linard

24 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

Financial Meltdowns Are More Predictable Than We Thought

Are financial crises predictable? Former United States Federal Reserve Chair Ben S. Bernanke has had his doubts. Economics can show policymakers “precisely why the choices they made in the past were wrong,” he told Princeton University... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Financial Services

21 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

HBS Faculty Debate Financial Reform Legislation

(Title II), allowing regulators to liquidate systemically dangerous firms in an orderly way if one or more of these firms get into serious trouble. Had such a mechanism existed in 2008, we likely could have avoided not only the $29 billion View Details

Keywords: by Staff

18 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

GM’s IPO: Back to the Future

around long after they have bought its products, the new listing will show GM's renewed ability to access the capital markets. For the federal government, the reduction in its ownership below 50% will underscore its ability to execute... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

05 Feb 2013
First Look

First Look: Feb. 5

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/var/ezp_site/storage/fckeditor/file/pdfs/centers-programs/programs/crisis-leadership/Working%20Together%20in%20Crises--CRJ%20March%202012.pdf Capturing History: The Case of the Federal Radio Commission in 1927... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

24 Jul 2013
Op-Ed

Detroit Files for Bankruptcy: HBS Faculty Weigh In

mountain of pension costs. John Macomber, Robert Pozen, and Eric Werker—offer their views on some down-the-road scenarios. Beyond A Bailout By: Senior Lecturer John Macomber Detroit has failed. Why did this happen, might there be more big... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber, Robert C. Pozen, Eric D. Werker & Benjamin Kennedy; Auto

05 May 2009
First Look

First Look: May 5, 2009

since the Federal Reserve Board had helped to bailout investment bank Bear Stearns. Deflation, not inflation, had become a top concern. Interest rates were near zero percent. Five million jobs had been lost.... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

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