The US Treasury Department raised eyebrows and jogged worrying memories of the financial crisis on Sunday after secretary Steve Mnuchin convened calls with the CEOs of six leading banks to confirm they had ample liquidity, in hopes of averting another Wall Street sell-off.

The unusual and unprompted attempt at reassurance came after the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its worst week since 2008 — the height of the financial crisis. It was the Nasdaq Composite's worst week since 2008 as well, as it dipped into bear-market territory. It was the worst week for the S&P 500 since 2011.