Wall Street closed its best month since 1991 on a down note on Monday as the failure of trading firm MF Global Holdings Ltd and new worries about Europe's crisis hammered financial shares.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 275.34 points, or 2.25 percent, at 11,955.77, according to the latest available figures. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 31.80 points, or 2.47 percent, at 1,253.29. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 52.74 points, or 1.93 percent, at 2,684.41.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Kenneth Barry)