Breaking the buck was the Rubicon. This was the first time in the crisis that you could see stories talking about how it was affecting real people.

—A federal official

We were saying to Treasury and the Fed, at a very high level: Pay attention to this issue. This will have an impact.

—Greg Ahern, chief communication officer, Investment Company Institute

As Credit Crisis Spiraled, Alarm Led to ActionBy JOE NOCERAPublished: October 2, 2008During a 36-hour period two weeks ago, the fissures opening in the worldwide financial system convinced policy makers that they needed to act quickly.