Lehman Brothers almost struck a deal with a group of Korean financial institutions as part of its latest $6bn capital raising and may still reach such a strategic arrangement this year.

The bank, which has been looking at strategic partnerships outside the US for years, had advanced talks with the Koreans in the days leading up to Monday's announcement that it would raise $6bn, mainly from big US investors, to bolster its financial position following a $2.8bn second-quarter loss.