But McIntyre said that uncertainty remains about whether Lehman will be able to follow through on its plans, including whether it will be able to secure a buyer for its investment management division and whether the ultimate sale price will be high enough to bolster Lehman's balance sheet. With concerns about the firm growing in recent days, Lehman Brothers released its third-quarter earnings report a week early -- it posted a $3.9 billion loss -- and announced a plan to spin off much of its troubled real estate portfolio into a new company and also sell a majority stake in its investment management division, including Neuberger Berman, a profitable division of Lehman that manages mutual funds and private wealth. In addition, the company said it was in talks with BlackRock Financial Management Inc. to sell about $4 billion of its United Kingdom residential mortgage portfolio.