Crash of 2008/Timelines

See also the subprime mortgage timeline, the bank failures and rescues timelineand the recession of 2009 timeline

The 1980s

 * Banking deregulation measures are introduced in  the USA,, the UK  and elsewhere.


 * In the US Savings and Loans crisis - 296 US "Savings and Loans" mortgage lenders  fail


 * The 1987 stock market crash.

The decade

 * There are banking crises in Switzerland, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Japan and the US.


 * A further 451 US "Savings and Loans" mortgage lenders fail.


 * The Asian banking crisis ( 1997-8).


 * The LTCM hedge fund is rescued


 * The cost to US taxpayers of the rescue of  the Savings and Loans house mortgage lenders reaches $129 billion.

2000-2006

 * The "Dot.com" crash (2000)


 * The annual issue of US mortgage-backed bonds increases from ~ $500 billion to over $2,000 billion


 * A US housing boom in which average price rises 80%.


 * US mortgage foreclosures increase.

2007 before the crash

 * US house prices fall to 8% below 2006 peak.


 * There are further increases in US house mortgage defaults and foreclosures.


 * The values of bank assets suffer large reductions  (including the assets of the Bank of America and Citigroup banks in the US, the Barclays and HSBC banks in the UK, the BNP Paribas bank in France, and Credit Suisse  bank in Switzerland.

June

 * 12 Two of the Bear Stearns'' investment bank's hedge funds threatened by losses from mortgage defaults.


 * 15 The Moody's ratings agency cuts its ratings on bonds totalling $3billion.


 * 21 Bank of England Chairman Mervyn King warns on the risks of credit derivatives.

August

 * 2 Germany's IKB bank is rescued


 * 6 The American Home Mortgage is bankrupt'''.


 * 9 The European Central Bank announces the issue of 94 billion Euros requested by European banks {215}

The French BNP Paribas bank freezes several of its funds because it is unable to value their bonds that are backed by UH house mortgages. 

The interbank market suffers a virtual collapse.


 * 15 The US major mortgage lender Countrywide announces a large increase in subprime mortgage defaults.


 * 17 The US Federal Reserve Board cuts its discount rate by 0.5% to 5.75%.


 * 31 The US National Association of Realtors announces an expected fall in house prices (the first since the 1930s)

September
UK Northern Rock bank run
 * 13 BBC's Robert Peston reports that the Northern Rock bank was seeking help from the Bank of England.

January

 * US mortgage lender Countrywide sold to Bank of America after its share price drops by 48%.

February

 * The Northern Rock bank is "nationalised''.

March

 * The Bear Stearns investment bank is rescued - the  JP Morgan Chase bank agrees to buy Bear Stearns for $10 a share (compared with previous week's market price of $18 and previous October's price of $131), supported by Treasury Department guarantees limiting losses on the purchase to $1 billion, and by Federal Reserve purchases of $30 billion of Bear's Assets. {GT258}

April

 * The International Monetary Fund estimates that the global  crisis costs could reach $1 trillion.


 * Bank of England announces its Special Liquidity Scheme.

June

 * US house prices fall to 20% below their 2006 peak.

August

 * The government-sponsored house mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are rescued.

September

 * 7 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are "nationalised".


 * 12 The Lehman Brothers  investment bank is bankrupt  with losses of $365 billion to insurers of its bonds.
 * Negotiations with possible private sector rescuers fail


 * 16 $785m worth of  ''Lehman Brother's"  funds are written off and money market  investors suffer a massive loss.


 * panic in the money market {GT278}

17 The American Insurance Group is "nationalised".


 * UK's Halifax/Bank of Scotland bank is rescued bid from Lloyds TSB.

18 Paulson Rescue plan proposed (US Treasury scheme to take "toxic assets" out of the US banking system)


 * The UK Government imposes a temporary ban on short selling.


 * 19 The Federal Reserve Board announces that it is  ready to finance loans from the money market.


 * 23 The Federal Reserve Board announces a scheme to protect the  Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley   investment  banks from failure.


 * 26 The Washington Mutual bank is  closed  and its assets are sold to  the JP Morgan Chase bank.


 * Coordinated support is provided to their banks by US, UK, European and Swiss central banks.


 * 28 The UK Bradford and Bingley is "nationalised".


 * Multiple European bank rescues.


 * 30 Iceland's Glitnir bank is "nationalised".

October

 * 3 The (modified)  $700 billion Paulson Plan (to purchase toxic assets) approved by Congress.


 * The Dutch Fortis and ABN Amro banks are "nationalised".


 * The German Hypo Real Estate bank is rescued


 * Iceland suffers an economic crisis.


 * 6 The US Wachovia Corporation is to be rescued by a takeover by the Wells Fargo bank.


 * 7 More European bank rescues.


 * UK credit insurer withdraws cover.


 * 8 UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announces a £500 billion  UK rescue plan to inject capital or  take equity in banks and to guarantee interbank lending).


 * There is a coordinated discount rate cut of half per cent by the central banks of the United States, Europe, China,  Britain, Canada, Sweden and Switzerland.


 * 10 A G7 Action Plan is  agreed by  the finance ministers of the G7 countries(in a broadly worded statement, lacking in specifics).


 * 12 European Union  leaders  agree to adopt the UK rescue plan.


 * 14 US President Bush announces new plans to inject capital, take equity in banks and guarantee interbank lending.


 * 19 A German bank rescue package is  agreed.


 * 21 The US Federal Reserve Bank offers $540 billion loan support to money market mutual funds.


 * 25 Denmark's  Roskilde is bank to be taken over by its central bank.

November

 * 12 A US government plan to purchase "toxic assets" is abandoned


 * 23 The US Citigroup bank is rescued (the US government makes $20 billion cash injection and guarantees against loss on $306 billion of illiquid assets


 * The US Federal Reserve Bank promises to buy up to $500 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities guarantee by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and up to $100billion worth of their direct debt.


 * (for later events see the recession of 2009 timeline)