The Federal Reserve gave troubled insurance company American International Group (AIG) an $85 billion loan on September 16, 2008 in return for an 80% stake in the company. Without the influx of cash, the massive insurance company would have had to file for bankruptcy, a move which could have sent world financial markets into a tailspin.The New York Times: Fed to Give AIG $85B Loan and Take 80% Stake (September 16, 2008)

AIG got into trouble in 2008 when the mortgage-backed securities it had invested billions of dollars into began to rapidly lose value during the mortgage crisis. AIG attempted to secure funds to keep itself afloat at the same time that investment banks Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers were frantically searching for buyers. Merrill Lynch was purchased by Bank of America, and Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy. If AIG had not secured the Federal Reserve loan, it almost certainly would have been forced to declare bankruptcy.The New York Times: Fed to Give AIG $85B Loan and Take 80% Stake (September 16, 2008)