James Mintz Group, Issue Two, December 2008: “In the last 120 days, one of the mightiest investigative armadas in our times has been assembled to look into alleged wrongdoing and conflicts of interest in the mortgage and financial industries. So many FBI agents have been assigned to these cases that it’s straining the war on terror; the understaffed SEC enforcement division is struggling to keep up; subpoenas are flying from state attorneys general; so many accountants are on it that it’s keeping the lights on late in Big Four offices; plaintiffs’ law firms are contacting financial firms’ former employees to find witnesses; law firms, forensic accountants and private investigators are conducting internal investigations to examine many corners of the mess. While this meltdown has been compared to the Great Depression, there is something different about the trouble these days — there’s an investigative overhang extending into the future with unknowable consequences. (scroll down the page to see sketch of the investigative battleground).” [via Center for Public Integrity]