The last four weeks have created unimaginable fall-out in the financial markets, with the USA going from five major investment banking firms in March 2008 to none in September. Of these, Lehman Brothers was allowed to go bankrupt, Bear Sterns was sold off to J.P. Morgan Chase, and Merrill Lynch was sold to the Bank of America. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs substantially shored up their capital with outside investors as well as converting into fully regulated banks.