Generic commentary on Bear Stearns sale and financial crisis

®) ROCKEFELLER & CO. Active Stewardship Nine years ago, in mid-March, Bear Stearns, which in 2007 traded at over $125 per share, was sold to J.P. Morgan for $10 per share in a transaction that many mark as the beginning of, what we now know as, the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. While it is said that the passage of time heals all wounds, the disastrous contagion across the global financial landscape, the collapse of numerous large financial institutions and the loss of public trust in the financial services sector remains on the minds of many. Whether it was opaque counterparty exposure, excessive leverage, insufficient risk management, or a lack of corporate transparency, we now know that these factors in combination led to the near collapse of the entire global financial system. While the financial markets have moved well beyond that terrible day in March of 2008, the public trust of a very large sector of the global economy is still severely marred due to continued bad behavior, lack of corporate transparency, accountability and proper risk management, as well as risky business practices. ACTIVE STEWARDSHIP IN FINANCIAL SERVICES 2 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_012073