Subprime mortgages given to borrowers with poor credit histories led to the creation of collateralized debt obligations that bundled and resold these risky loans. As interest rates rose, many borrowers defaulted on their mortgages, causing the value of these financial products to plummet. This triggered a global financial crisis as major banks and financial institutions suffered huge losses, stock markets crashed, and the US government launched a $700 billion bailout package. Economists struggled to address the crisis and its widespread economic impacts.