Lehman Brothers’ brokerage ends liquidation after 14 years amid monetary disaster

The liquidation of Lehman Brothers’ brokerage unit has ended, 14 years and 13 days after its mum or dad’s chapter helped set off a market freefall and international monetary disaster.

US Chapter Decide Shelley Chapman in Manhattan closed the brokerage’s property on Wednesday and awarded closing funds to the trustee who oversaw its liquidation and his legislation agency. Greater than $115 billion was paid out.

Lehman’s 111,000 prospects acquired all $106 billion they had been owed, and secured collectors additionally acquired full payouts.

Unsecured collectors recovered $9.4 billion, or about 41 cents on the greenback. They had been initially anticipated to recuperate about 20 cents on the greenback.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, the brokerage’s mum or dad, had been Wall Road’s fourth-largest funding financial institution earlier than submitting what stays by far the most important U.S. chapter on Sept. 15, 2008.

Its collapse led to a lot debate over whether or not and in what circumstances firms ought to be allowed to fail.

Barclays Plc purchased most of Lehman’s U.S. brokerage property early within the monetary disaster. The mum or dad’s Chapter 11 chapter plan was confirmed in 2011.

Lehman’s demise taught that “a failure of a big monetary establishment ought to be averted, however historical past tells us that it’s inevitable,” the brokerage’s trustee James Giddens mentioned in an announcement.

Giddens’ legislation agency Hughes Hubbard & Reed was awarded $424 million as closing compensation for 14 years of labor on the case.