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Have you taken money out of your ATM recently and been surprised by the name of your bank? You’re not alone. 2008 was the year of mergers and take-overs in the banking industry. To help keep track of who got hitched up (or gobbled up) here’s a short summary.

- Wells Fargo and Wachovia merged;
- Bank of America acquired Countrywide and Merrill Lynch;
- JPMorgan Chase acquired Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual;
- PNC Financial Service Group acquired National City Mortgage;
- MetLife acquired most of the mortgage operations of First Horizon;
- US Bank acquired Downey Savings & Loan and PFF Bank & Trust;
- IndyMac was seized by the government and will be sold to a group of private investors in 2009.

The good news is that, with all the government assistance, these banks have now loosened up lending guidelines and are offering historically low interest rates on home loans.