For anybody who happens to think that a Money Market Fund is somehow the same as money in the bank, this one’s going to be a bit of a shocker.
[quote]Sept. 16 (Bloomberg) — Reserve Primary Fund became the first money-market fund in 14 years to expose investors to losses after writing off $785 million of debt issued by bankrupt Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
The fund, whose assets plunged more than 60 percent to $23 billion in the past two days, said the Lehman losses forced the net value of its assets below $1 a share, known as breaking the buck. Reserve Primary, the oldest money fund in the nation, fell to 97 cents a share and redemptions were suspended for as long as seven days. [/quote]