The former head of Lehman Brothers has insisted it was “not a bankrupt company” at the time of its collapse in 2008.

In one of his first public appearances since the firm’s demise – where it filed for the largest bankruptcy in US history – Dick Fuld claimed that the US Federal Reserve could have saved Lehman Brothers.

The 69-year-old said the bank was “mandated into bankruptcy”, and went on to blame the 2008 global financial crisis on a “perfect storm” of factors – including rising unemployment and higher interest rates, which made mortgages unaffordable for many homeowners.

Mr Fuld also defended his decision-making in the run up to the financial crisis, adding: “Hindsight is 20-20. There is no ‘if this’ or ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda’. You make a decision with the best information you think you have.”

However, the financier admitted that “not a day goes by when I don’t think…