Billion Dollar Bubble

Synopsis: An account of fraud - because of computer troubles the Equity Funding Corporation of America in 1969 was unable to make an accurate profit forecast and guessed very inaccurately. Two young executives fed fictitious insurance policies into the computer so that they can be easily cancelled when the temporary loan was paid off. By 1970 Equity Funding was selling faked insurance printouts to underwriters for large quantities of cash. By 1973 the corporation was a financial giant until Wall Street discovered the fraud built on forged bank certificates, doctored computer tapes, counterfeit bonds and fraudulent policies. Interviews with the perpetrators leads to a picture of success leading to absurdity as the consiprators fob off the increasingly suspicious auditors with ludicrous ploys The climax is the arrest of the computer.
Series: Horizon, Series
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 60 min.
Year of production: 1976
Availability: Sale; 2000 sale: £99.00 (+VAT +p&p)
Subjects: Law
Keywords: fraud; insurance

Name: BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning
Contact: Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)
Email: BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com
Web: https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window
Phone: +44 (0) 20 8433 1009
Address: BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK
Notes: The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’

This record has been viewed 4204 times.

British Universities Film & Video Council