Over 15 years after the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, the American public still lacks a clear understanding of what caused the housing bubble that led to the most serious panic since the Great Depression.

In 2008: What Really Happened, Todd Sheets presents comprehensive original research that unravels these apparent contradictions and shows what spawned the housing bubble, why it grew to such dangerous proportions, and how this created the potential for a panic. He then details the missteps that triggered the panic, the factors that caused the financial markets to seize up, and the specific responses that finally returned the markets to equilibrium. In addition to debunking numerous myths, Sheets also exposes the history behind the people and institutions that drove these events and sets forth measures to help investors, executives, directors, regulators, and policy makers avoid repeating the mistakes that led to the worst financial crisis in nearly a century.