Lehman Axes 2 Top Execs in Effort to Stem Slide

CFO and COO both get pink slips after quarterly loss
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 12, 2008 10:58 AM CDT
Lehman Axes 2 Top Execs in Effort to Stem Slide
Chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers, USA, Richard Fuld.   (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Lehman Brothers, struggling to allay mounting worries about the company's balance sheet, today axed its COO and CFO. The move comes days after the bank reported a $2.8 billion quarterly loss. Joseph Gregory and Erin Callan will both remain at Lehman, but will be replaced at the top by two veterans, global head of equities Herbert McDade III and administrative officer Ian Lowitt, the New York Times reports.

The bank’s hedging, especially on commercial mortgage-related positions, has been a resounding failure, leading to a major writedown in the latest quarter—and the first deficit since its 1994 IPO. The bank did report plans to raise $6 billion in fresh capital this week, but today’s move was an acknowledgment of deep trouble—months after the CEO's sunny declaration that “the worst is over.” (More Lehman Brothers stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X