Lawyer Melvyn Weiss made his name and fortune in securities lawsuits claiming financial shenanigans of one sort or another.

FORBES: Strange Bedfellows

Yet even that is by no means certain: two previous attempts to introduce Europeans to asset-backed securities failed, even though American investment banks spent a fortune trying to make them work.

ECONOMIST: Bonds that rock and roll

Borrowing at almost the same rates as the Treasury, they earn a fortune by investing the money in higher-yielding mortgages and mortgage-backed securities.

ECONOMIST: Fannie, Freddie and Uncle Sam