Examiner: Repo 105 helped disguise Lehman's ailing health

Marketwatch reports:

An accounting maneuver known as "Repo 105" was a "drug" that helped maintain a veneer of health on Lehman Brothers' crumbling balance sheet in the months running up to its bankruptcy, a report from a court-appointed examiner shows.

The firm began using the Repo 105 as far back as 2001, but its use picked up sharply toward the end of 2007, even in the face of concern from some staff, as banks worldwide came under more and more pressure to cut their leverage.