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Bear Stearns

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Corporate Governance Issues at Bear Stearns

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In the summer of 2008 the global financial crisis swept away trillions of dollars in net worth, wiping out people’s retirement savings, and causing the loss of millions of jobs. As the world slipped into recession, people looked for answers, and a place to rest blame. At Bear Stearns, a venerable financial firm which was brought down by mistakes made by decisions made by management, there is much blame to be shared. This paper seeks to explore the corporate governance decisions which created this crisis, and which ultimately led to the almost complete destruction of shareholder value for Bear Stearns’ investors. In good times, the shareholders at Bear Stearns were handsomely rewarded by the very decisions which would ultimately end the company’s storied 85 year history and send the global economy into the deepest and most painful recession since the great depression. The firm’s stock traded at $160 a share and several key executives held stock valued at almost $1 billion dollars, but it is clear that hubris, greed, and incredible egos and personality conflicts were the cause of the firm’s demise. In May of 2008, The Wall Street journal published a three part series written by Kate Kelly on the last days of Bear Stearns. Kelly’s articles consider all the factors which brought about the company’s demise, and provide insight into the corporate governance issues which helped seal Bear Sterns fate. The first of the three articles, “Lost Opportunities Haunt Final Days at Bear Stearns” explores the tumultuous last days of the firm. The chain of events was set in motion by the collapse of two hedge funds entirely based upon mortgage backed securities, or MBS. After these two funds collapsed, an emergency conference call was placed to reassure investors. Soon after,

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