The Death of Lehman Brothers

Ever since the collapse of Bear Stearns in March, the financial world has been waiting with bated breath to see who would fall next. While all the tell-tale signs pointed to Lehman Brothers, talks of mergers and capital raising efforts kept some of the worry at bay.

Now though, with Lehman filing for Chapter 11, the downfall of Richard Fuld's bank is complete. Rumors of last minute deals with Merrill Lynch, Barclays and Bank of America proved false, as did talk of potential deals with KKR and the Korea Development Bank.

What follows is a month-by-month compilation of news from December of last year through Monday, September 15, of Lehman's plunge into the abyss.