The global economic crisis in 2008 originated from the lucrative real estate market that attracted many investors. Investment bankers packaged mortgages into complex financial products and sold them to investors to earn profits. When homeowners began defaulting on their subprime mortgages, housing prices dropped significantly. This caused prime borrowers to also default, leaving many properties vacant. With so many vacancies, housing prices plummeted further. The investment bankers were left with huge debts they could no longer pay off since the financial products had lost much of their value. This led to the bankruptcy of major institutions like Lehman Brothers and triggered a worldwide economic crisis.