How did the seemingly innocuous devaluation of the Thai baht in July 1997 set off a financial whirlwind that devastated Asia and Russia, and that looked for a stormy few weeks in the following September as if it might sweep away the global financial system?

ECONOMIST: Economics

Not a week goes by without one of these financial institutions agreeing to pay a huge fine, settle a lawsuit charging fraud, be sued, blued and tattooed by a myriad of private plaintiffs, or by regulatory organizations concerning a broad sweep of allegedly activities that together give a sordid portrait of the global financial system.

FORBES: What JPM,BAC,C,GS, MS,HSBC,BCS,UBS,RBS and CS Have in Common