What was happening ...?
Past Continuous
Use the past continuous to express what was occurring at a precise moment in the past. The past continuous is often used together with the simple past to express an interrupted action. The action which was interrupted is expressed using the past continuous, while the action which caused the interruption takes the past simple.
Positive Form:
Subject + to be + verb + ing + objects
The actual yield was rising when the central bank acted.
Negative Form:
Subject + to be + not + verb + ing + objects
The bank account wasn't being investigated when a client came in.
Question Form:
Wh? + to be + subject + verb + ing?
Were you checking your bank balance when you got the notice your checking account was overdrawn?
Examples of What Was Happening ...
Were you checking your bank balance when you got the notice your checking account was overdrawn?
Was he visiting his local bank branch when the manager offered him a job?
We were projecting results above par until the market collapsed.
Joan was reading her account statement last Tuesday when her broker called.