Billion-dollar titans such as DB Zwirn and Polygon threw in the towel. Five of the best-paid managers endured a pantomime grilling by Congress. Authorities muttered about more regulation (even though it was the most regulated players in the financial markets, namely banks, that were going bankrupt in droves). Bans on short-selling removed funds' main mechanism for risk management, leading to an acceleration in the withdrawal of capital when the market needed it most. Redemptions flooded in, many of them from institutions that had over-committed to private equity and needed cash wherever they could find it.
DB Zwirn和Polygon等十亿美元规模的对冲基金巨擘已经认输。5家收入最高的基金经理受到了美国国会的调查。美国政府正念叨着要加强监管（尽管成批破产的，正是金融市场上监管最严格的机构——银行）。卖空禁令使对冲基金丧失了主要风险管理手段，导致了在市场最需要资金时投资者加速撤资的情况。赎回大规模出现，其中许多来自于那些对私人股本承诺过高的机构，它们需要从任何可能的地方获取现金。