Breakups and Unions of 2008

Photo: AP Posted 16 Dec 2008 January 2008: Bank of America acquires Countrywide Financial, the largest U.S. mortgage lender, for $4 Billion in stock."CNBC Reports 2008: A Year on the Brink" premieres Friday, December 19th at 8p ET.

Photo: AP/Thomas Belknap March 2008: The collapse of Bear Stearns and forced JP Morgan buyout for $2 a share. The deal is backed by fed loans of $30 billion.

Photo: AP/Todd J July 2008:  Belgium's InBev decides to acquire Anheuser-Busch. The new company name is Anheuser-Busch InBev which now consists of 300 brands including Budweiser, Bud Light, Becks and InBev's Stella Artois.

Photo: AP/Michael Gray September 2008: Bank of America acquires Merrill Lynch, one of the leading investment banking institutions, in a $50 billion all-stock transaction.  The deal creates a financial service empire and one of the largest consumer corporate banks in the U.S.

Photo: AP Graphics September 2008: The last two standing investment banks, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, convert to bank holding companies.

Photo: AP Graphics October 2008: Wells Fargo & Co. agrees to buy Wachovia for $15 billion.

Photo: Colin September 2008:The feds seize Washington Mutual, the largest-ever bank failure in the U.S.

Photo: James Willamer/Cubbie n vegas October:  $2.8 billion airline merger of Delta and Northwest.  "The airline industry faces a very difficult economic environment around the world and this merger gives Delta increased flexibility to adapt to the economic challenges ahead," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. (Source: MarketWatch)

Photo: AP Graphics July 2008:  The FCC approved the $3.3 billion merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio.  They are the only two satellite radio providers in the U.S.  Together they have over 18 million subscribers."CNBC Reports 2008: A Year on the Brink" premieres Friday, December 19th at 8p ET.Find out more...Replay SlideshowVisit "CNBC Reports 2008: A Year on the Brink" website for more information.Who is the most influential figure in 2008?  Take our poll!