Enron: The plain person's guide
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Your support makes all the difference.How did Enron start?
Created in 1985 by the merger of two gas pipeline firms, Houston Natural Gas and Internorth of Nebraska. Within 15 years it was the world's seventh largest company, worth $39bn (£28bn) and operating in 40 countries including the UK.
How did it get so big?
Operating from Houston, Texas, it rapidly bought up other power firms and moved into energy trading, risk management for logging and metal firms, and telecoms. It bought Wessex Water in Britain for £1.4bn. It was responsible for a quarter of all energy traded in Europe and the US.
When did it all go wrong?
Its troubles started in August when chief executive Jeffrey Skilling unexpectedly quit after six months in the job.
In October, Enron posted losses of $638m, triggering a share price collapse. Within weeks $15bn, or 60 per cent, was wiped off the company's share value. At one point it lost 44 per cent of its share price in two days. The US financial watchdog, the Security and Exchange Commission, began an investigation.
Why could it not borrow?
In November, Enron admitted it had previously inflated profits by $586m, by hiding debt. The share price collapse led to the company's credit rating being slashed, leaving it unable to borrow its way out of trouble.
How bad is the debt?
Enron's European arm called in the receivers in November. In December, Enron itself filed for bankruptcy with the burden of $13bn of debt. It was the biggest corporate collapse in history. Enron owed £670m to British banks.
What did the directors do?
Investigations have since revealed that key Enron executives sold thousands of shares in the weeks before the firm's collapse.
What about the auditors?
Arthur Andersen, one of the world's leading accountancy firms, is accused of shredding key documents and of failing to reveal Enron's debts.
How was the debt hidden?
By the creation of off balance sheet business partners, mainly based offshore. These companies purchased Enron stock at inflated prices. The debts were not published in annual financial reports.
What's the poltical angle?
Enron made donations to 188 US congressmen and 71 senators; to the Texan state legislature and even to the British Labour Party. Enron's chairman, Kenneth Lay, is a friend of President Bush.
What about the staff?
Enron's 21,000 staff, encouraged to invest their pensions in the company's shares, stand to lose £700m in retirement savings.
What now?
Billion dollar lawsuits from investors as well as former staff, plus some investigations by Congress.
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