Sorry for the incomplete answers-i was doing something else at the same time. My first answer was not much use since I assumed (probably incorrectly) that you were thinking of the RBS shares as that was in the news today, but if you meant more widely then the Wikipedia link will tell you about the short term loans and other support. The UK wasn't alone in this although Brown and Darling were probably quickest off the mark and saved the day- but the US and other major economies also had to act in a similar way