(crowd laughing) >> smith: for savers like debbie skoczynski, who worked for comdisco, a computer leasingompany, the fall would be precipitous. >> i was close to a half-million dollars i had in my 401(k) with company stock. you know, it was like, "wow, look at all the money we have. "look at what is happening. you know, i can retire probably when i'm 45." >> the dot-com failures continue to mount... >> smith: skoczynski not only lost her savings, she lost her job. >> comdisco today filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, including another 200 job cuts. >> they joined a who's who list of corporate bankruptcies. >> the day i got laid off, i lost it. i thought, "oh, my god, i'm a single parent. "i have no job. "i have a house, i have a house payment. what do i do?" you know, and... i was scared. really scared. i didn't have much of a retirement left. i couldn't even borrow against it. and it was just something that i never foresaw ever, you know, losing my job, ever. never. >> smith: the worst was yet to come. >> concerns about shaky home mortgages are triggering fears of a financial mel