Copyright 2010 by Henry M. Paulson, Jr.
Foreword Copyright 2011 by Barney Frank
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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Second eBook Edition: February 2011
ISBN: 978-1-455-50295-0
Praise for
O N THE B RINK
The first lengthy account of the crisis from a key decision maker. The book offers a look at Paulsons thinking during those scary days, as well as his sometimes unvarnished opinions of other Washington characters, many of whom had central roles in managing the governments response.
Dallas Morning News
A fantastic read succinct and to the point.
Business Insider
Mr. Paulson provides a fascinating, frank, and dramatic account of the alternatives he weighed, the obstacles he encountered, the decisions he made, and the consequences that ensued.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Straightforward fascinating tidbits about the electoral politics surrounding the financial crisis Mr. Paulsons details give the lay reader an insiders view and shed some light on a convoluted financial system desperately in need of repair.
Washington Times
A fast-paced retelling of the high-level decisions that had to be made with lightning speed in order to keep the economy from falling apart.
National Public Radio
[The] first in-depth peek inside the financial crisis as told by one of the principals on the U.S. governments firefighting team What lessons does the book hold? Perhaps a few that remain relevant for the current occupant of the Oval Office, President Obama.
Christian Science Monitor
An intimate account of Americas 2008 financial collapse from the perspective of someone who occupied the inner chambers of the White House.
Good Morning America, ABC News
A compelling narrative a candid, behind-the-scenes view informative and told in a nonpartisan tone, but it also lays bare the powerful egos and personalities that were central to the process lays out very clearly the interconnected nature of the global financial system.
Louis Buck, Wesley Elingburg Distinguished Professor of Business Innovation, Western Carolina University; Asheville Citizen-Times (NC)
A canny book a narrative that moves so briskly effectively nails its major point: the shock and unprecedented quality of the evolving crisis and yes, the fortitude and heroism of its major players, including Paulson And he deserves more credit than hes getting.
thedeal.com
Describes how essential it was to rescue the financial system The book also has very revealingand rivetingdetails about presidential character.
Sacramento Bee
Throughout the book Paulson truly shines people should consider hearing the events from Paulsons point of view not only because it is fascinating, but because it is only fair to hear the events from Paulson himself.
gurufocus.com
Paulsons disclosures help flesh out one of the more perplexing mysteries of the 2008 bailout package.
alternet.org
A fast-paced account of the cardiac-inducing events of that fall thorough.
DailyFinance.com
For Wendy
CONGRESS
R EP. S PENCER B ACHUS (R-Alabama), ranking Republican on the House Committee on Financial Services
S EN. M AX B AUCUS (D-Montana), chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance
R EP. R OY B LUNT (R-Missouri), House minority whip
R EP. J OHN B OEHNER (R-Ohio), House minority leader
S EN. J IM B UNNING (R-Kentucky), member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
S EN. H ILLARY R ODHAM C LINTON (DNew York)
S EN. C HRISTOPHER D ODD (D-Connecticut), chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
R EP. R AHM E MANUEL (D-Illinois), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus; later chosen as chief of staff by President-elect Barack Obama
R EP. B ARNEY F RANK (D-Massachusetts), chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services
S EN. L INDSEY G RAHAM (RSouth Carolina), national campaign co-chairman for Sen. John McCain
S EN. J UDD G REGG (RNew Hampshire), ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on the Budget
S EN. M ITCH M C C ONNELL (R-Kentucky), Senate minority leader
R EP. N ANCY P ELOSI (D-California), Speaker of the House
S EN. H ARRY R EID (D-Nevada), Senate majority leader
S EN. C HARLES S CHUMER (DNew York), vice chairman of the Senate Democratic Conference
S EN. R ICHARD S HELBY (R-Alabama), ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
FINANCIAL LEADERS AND THEIR ADVISERS
J OSEF A CKERMANN , chairman of the management board and CEO of Deutsche Bank
H ERBERT A LLISON , J R ., chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF; later president and CEO of Fannie Mae
L LOYD B LANKFEIN , chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs
W ARREN B UFFETT , chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
H. R ODGIN C OHEN , chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell
M ERVYN D AVIES , chairman of Standard Chartered Bank
J AMES D IMON , chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase
J. C HRISTOPHER F LOWERS , CEO of J.C. Flowers & Company
R ICHARD F ULD , chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers
E DWARD H ERLIHY , co-chairman of the executive committee of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
J EFFREY I MMELT , chairman and CEO of General Electric
R OBERT K ELLY , chairman and CEO of Bank of New York Mellon
R ICHARD K OVACEVICH , chairman of Wells Fargo
K ENNETH L EWIS , chairman and CEO of Bank of America
E DWARD L IDDY , chairman and CEO of AIG
J OHN M ACK , chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley
H ERBERT (B ART ) M C D ADE III, president of Lehman Brothers
D ANIEL M UDD , president and CEO of Fannie Mae
V IKRAM P ANDIT , CEO of Citigroup
R OBERT R UBIN , former secretary of the Treasury; director and senior counselor of Citigroup
A LAN S CHWARTZ , CEO of Bear Stearns
R OBERT S CULLY , vice chairman of Morgan Stanley
L AWRENCE S UMMERS , former secretary of the Treasury; chosen as director of the National Economic Council by President-elect Barack Obama
R ICHARD S YRON , chairman and CEO of Freddie Mac
J OHN T HAIN , chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch
R OBERT W ILLUMSTAD , CEO of AIG
FINANCIAL REGULATORS
S HEILA B AIR , chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
B EN B ERNANKE , chairman of the Federal Reserve Board
C HRISTOPHER C OX , chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission
J OHN D UGAN , comptroller of the currency
T IMOTHY G EITHNER , president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; later nominated for secretary of the Treasury by President-elect Barack Obama
D ONALD K OHN , vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board
J AMES L OCKHART , director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency
C ALLUM M CCARTHY , chairman of the Financial Services Authority (United Kingdom)