Enron Fast Facts

Here's a look at Enron, an energy trading company that collapsed after a massive accounting fraud scheme was revealed. Its 2001 bankruptcy filing was the largest in American history at the time. Estimated losses totaled $74 billion.

Enron was ranked as America's fifth largest company by Fortune magazine in 2002, despite its 2001 bankruptcy filing.

An independent review published in 2002 detailed how executives pocketed millions of dollars from complex, off-the-books partnerships while reporting inflated profits to shareholders.

Executives including Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were prosecuted for fraud-related crimes.

Key figures sold their stock shortly before the company announced a sharp downturn in earnings.

Lower-level employees were encouraged to invest in company stock for their retirement savings just before the company collapsed. The workers later filed a class action lawsuit and won an $85 million settlement.

1985 - Houston Natural Gas merges with Omaha-based InterNorth to form Enron.