Bear Stearns sought rescue financing from Temasek of Singapore in the days before its sale to JPMorgan Chase but was rebuffed, underscoring the growing reluctance of sovereign wealth funds to make high-profile investments.

Temasek received the request for money late in the day Singapore time on March 14, the Friday of the weekend when the deal to sell Bear was brokered by the Federal Reserve and other US regulators, people familiar with the matter say.