WASHINGTON — The nation's economic fortunes have been a roller coaster ride for many since the fall of Lehman Brothers triggered financial chaos around the world.

In the months that followed, economic turmoil spawned massive job losses, an infusion of billions from the government to stimulate the economy, to save banks and to bail out corporations. Then there were programs to stem mortgage foreclosures, to expand unemployment insurance, to create Cash for Clunkers and more.

While many Americans suffered, others thrived. Here are a few stories about the winners and losers in the recession of 2009.

MORTGAGE LIMBO

Isaac Dailey was hoping to get a reverse mortgage in October to make his retirement years a little more comfortable.

At the time, he figured it would be a cinch. He'd lived in his Washington, D.C., condominium for more than 30 years and he was making his mortgage payments on time. Now, nearly a year later, Dailey, 82, is still waiting for the loan as his chances become more remote with each passing day.

"When it started, I thought it would be so simple. But for some reason or another, I just can't seem to get the reverse mortgage and that's really all I want."

It turns out that Dailey didn't have enough equity in his home to qualify for a reverse mortgage.

His mortgage payoff amount was too high to meet the loan-to-value requirement for the reverse mortgage.

That's because most of the equity in his home had been stripped through two refinance loans Dailey had taken out in 2006 and 2007.

The mortgage broker who handled the loans told Dailey they'd would lower his monthly mortgage payments at a secure fixed interest rate. They didn't, however: The loans were adjustable rate mortgages, and Dailey's monthly payments have been rising right along with his interest rates.

"I was given the wrong information," said Dailey, a retired federal employee. "In this (current) ARM, they raise the mortgage every six months. They just raised it in July by $39, and in another six months they'll probably raise it again. I just simply want out of this and to get a reverse mortgage and be done with this mess," he said.

For now, Dailey remains in limbo. He's making his payments, but it's getting harder as they rise and his income stays the same. Every time his interest rate increases, he moves closer to foreclosure, a prospect he never anticipated in what should've been his golden years.

CAR TROUBLE

General Motors and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy. Car dealerships closed left and right. Consumers couldn't get financing. And those who could were too afraid about losing their jobs to spend big money on new cars.

Then the Obama administration unveiled a program with a cheesy name that would be a godsend to auto manufacturers, retailers and buyers. The Cash for Clunkers program was a jolt of financial adrenaline that led to the first year-over-year increase in monthly auto sales in nearly two years.

And no company cashed in like AutoNation, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., firm with 239 auto dealerships in 15 states.

As the nation's largest auto retailer, AutoNation outlets moved 13,000 new cars under the Clunkers program and are awaiting $54 million in program rebates. The next closest competitor moved roughly 4,000 cars, said AutoNation spokesman Marc Cannon.

The company could have sold another 600 to 700 cars if participating dealerships had continued the Clunkers program until its official end on Aug. 24. Cannon said their dealers halted the program on Friday, Aug. 21, to allow ample time to complete paperwork.

The Clunkers program boosted AutoNation sales by 25 percent and showroom traffic increased by more than 30 percent. Most of the new customers had solid credit scores, averaging 700-plus.

"We were finding that customers who came in for Cash for Clunkers were people who had no negative equity on their vehicles," said AutoNation chief executive Mike Jackson. "They were people who held on to their vehicles for a long time. They had good credit. They were basically people who were frugal and conservative who didn't see the need to get a new car every five years."

SURVIVAL STRUGGLE

In 2006, Lisa Davis of Cleveland took the risky step of leaving her secure job as a city maintenance worker to start a grassroots nonprofit organization, Network for Neighborhood Success.

It wasn't easy walking away from her job of 17 years, but years of volunteer work had convinced her that there were greater needs in the community she could no longer ignore.

"This was my passion and I was eventually going do it anyway," said Davis, 46. "When you live in an urban area, you see a lot of people struggling with issues. It could be drugs, schizophrenia, a lack of compassion and caring, AIDS. There's only so much you can close your eyes to and I just couldn't continue to act like I didn't see it."

With $40,000 in personal savings and money from family and friends, Davis and her supporters began work on a variety of programs that, she hoped, would one day provide income and help make the organization self-supporting.

One of the group's main projects was establishing three block clubs in the troubled Kinsman neighborhood. With Davis' help, the clubs' members patrol the glut of abandoned, foreclosed homes in the area, making sure they don't fall into disrepair and become magnets for drug use, garbage and vandalism.

Davis was forced to raid her 401(k) to make ends meet and pay her monthly $600 mortgage. Today, her savings have been exhausted, she's a year behind on her mortgage and her home is in foreclosure.

Because she has no income, Davis isn't eligible for loan modification programs. There's little chance of getting her old job back. The city of Cleveland is laying off workers.

So Davis is looking for work in the nonprofit sector she loves and is still holding out hope that some of the grants she's applied for will come through for her organization, which, like Davis, is also struggling to survive.

"You just have to have hope and faith that things are going to turn around," Davis said. "It's something inside me. I just know that I'm doing the right thing. And when you see people and you're helping them with their situation, it gives you hope that eventually yours is going to work out also."