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Who's Who: The Players Remaking Wall St.

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 19, 2008 9:41 AM CDT
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(Newser) – The financial world has been rocked to its foundations in a few short days, with a handful of men making momentous decisions. The Wall Street Journal outlines the key players.

  • Henry Paulson. No Treasury chief has wielded such power. He decides whether big firms live or die via federal bailouts. Will his too-big-to-fail philosophy stand the test of time?
  • John Thain. The Merrill Lynch CEO saw the writing on the wall for his own firm while working on the Lehman crisis. In less than 24 hours, he hammered out a deal to sell Merrill to Bank of America.

  • Kenneth D. Lewis. The Bank of America chief's bold buy of Merrill lifted BoA as its rivals crumbled around it.
  • Robert E. Diamond Jr. The Barclays boss backed out of a deal to buy Lehmans after the government and Wall Street refused support, but he bought the best bit of Lehman after the bankruptcy.
  • Richard Fuld. The Lehman chief had the most to lose and he lost it. Filings show Fuld, once famed for his golden touch, sold 2 million Lehman shares for $525,000 Monday. They would have fetched $145 million in January.

Bank of America chairman, president and CEO Kenneth Lewis speaks on Investing in Our Financial Future at North Carolina State University' in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008.
Bank of America chairman, president and CEO Kenneth Lewis speaks on "Investing in Our Financial Future" at North Carolina State University' in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Sara D. Davis)
In this Jan. 22, 2007 file photo, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Fuld, Jr. takes part in a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington.
In this Jan. 22, 2007 file photo, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Fuld, Jr. takes part in a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington.   (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf )
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson talks with reporters after meeting with Congressional leaders on the current economic crisis Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson talks with reporters after meeting with Congressional leaders on the current economic crisis Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
Henry Paulson and John Thain walk through the New York Stock Exchange in this file photo.
Henry Paulson and John Thain walk through the New York Stock Exchange in this file photo.   (Getty Images)
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Wall Street • Bank of America • Henry Paulson • Merrill Lynch • Kenneth D. Lewis • John Thain • Richard Fuld • financial crisis

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