Senate investigative panel to probe Wall Street, financial crisis

A Senate investigative committee next week will begin a series of hearings on Wall Street and the financial crisis.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, announced a hearing for March 25 on the role of high risk loans in touching off the financial crisis. The hearing will look at the case of Washington Mutual, the failed lender. The committee is the latest congressional or government panel to look into the financial crisis.