Getty Images
World's Strongest Banks: BNP Paribas
On Oct. 5, BNP Paribas, France's biggest bank, stepped in when Belgium's Fortis was on the verge of collapse. The French bank paid $19.8 billion for Fortis, Belgium's largest financial group, after a government rescue failed. BNP Paribas, which had smaller subprime losses than U.S. rivals, also agreed in June to buy Bank of America's (BAC) prime brokerage unit for up to 300 million.
