The program is aimed at driving down the price of mortgages and making home loans more available.

An exploration of A.I.G.’s demise offers insights into the virally connected financial world that is now imploding.

An exploration of A.I.G.’s demise offers insights into the virally connected financial world that began to implode in recent weeks.

An exploration of A.I.G.’s demise offers insights into the virally connected financial world that began to implode in recent weeks.

Recent developments have spurred some in Washington to urge controls for the multitrillion-dollar credit-default swaps market.

Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers rode similar paths of decline but had vastly different endgames.

Emergency talks took on even greater urgency Sunday as government officials pushed for a deal to be completed.

Federal Reserve officials and the heads of major financial institutions concluded two days of emergency meetings with no clear plan for how to rescue the stricken bank.

Federal Reserve officials and the heads of major financial institutions concluded two days of emergency meetings with no clear plan for how rescue the stricken bank.

With Wall Street virtually empty, it is worth trying to peer around the corner to see what will happen when everyone gets back to business after Labor Day.