What was making the news one, five and 10 years ago? Goldman's Lloyd Blankfein was having a rough time, a Nasdaq-NYSE tie-up was a one-in-a-million shot; and the Pru was finding Asian growth less problematic.

1 year ago Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein had just had "one of the worst days in my professional life" after regulators launched a civil action against the bank over a synthetic CDO. Blankfein came out fighting as a witness at an 11-hour Senate committee grilling on the crisis, enduring protesters' cries of "We want justice". The committee's 635-page final report this month did not spare the bank from criticism.