Bombed-out Lehman is uranium-rich

Bankrupt US bank Lehman Brothers owns enough physical uranium to make a small nuclear bomb.

The remnants of what was once the world's fourth-largest investment bank owes its creditors $200 billion. The uranium, which could weigh as much as 500,000lbs, might fetch up to $20 million on the current market.

Chief executive Bryan Marsal said the uranium, which Lehman ended up with when a commodities contract matured, would be sold when markets improve. He told Bloomberg: "We are not going to dump this material on the market and have no fire-sale mentality."

Uranium prices have fallen from $55 a pound in December to about $40. The commodity is traded on several trading platforms, and physical delivery is in the form of a processed version of the radioactive element known as yellowcake. This can be used for fuel rods for power plants or in bombs.