Art came from a competitive family. The firstborn of seven brothers, he bore everyone’s expectations to excel in life, but he was going to have to work at it if he was […]
The Competitive Brother and the Housemate
How One Man Destroyed One of the World’s Oldest Banks
Barings Bank was a survivor. Founded in 1762 during the reign of George III, it endured through seven more kings and queens, two world wars, the Great Depression, and countless geopolitical upheavals. […]
The World’s Largest Gold Depository Is Under the Streets of Manhattan
When you think of Fort Knox, you can’t help but think about gold. That’s with good reason. The U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky is the primary location of the United […]
Warnings for Those Who Fail to Read the Fine Print
Are you one of those people who reads every word of the documents you sign? The vast majority of the population cannot be bothered to peruse the HIPAA disclosures at the doctor’s […]
The Entrepreneur Who Took a Big Gamble
Fred was desperate. His business was on its last legs. Given its inadvisable start, that shouldn’t have surprised anyone. What was surprising was that he didn’t just give up. The experts had […]
The Banker’s Warning Against Passing Fads
Horace Rackham needed a loan, but the banker wasn’t convinced. The year was 1903, and even though Rackham was a successful attorney with a keen mind, the bank president wondered what Rackham […]
An Extreme Example of Banking By Mail
What do you do when a community needs a bank, but it is too far away from the beaten path to ship the supplies there? That’s exactly the problem faced by the […]
Banking on Italian Values and the American Dream
Amadeo P. Giannini was proud of the Italian heritage he inherited from his immigrant parents. Although born in California as an American citizen, Giannini was raised to value the culture of his […]
If You Know Your Latin at Vatican ATM’s, Dominus Providebit
The Vatican Bank (officially known as the Institute for the Works of Religion) is the only bank in the world that allows the user to select “Latin” as the language of choice. […]
Looking for Cold Cash?
There are two ATMs in Antarctica. They are both located at McMurdo Station and are operated by Wells Fargo. The challenges of servicing the machines are significant. Anyone who is going to […]
A Bank Account in Every City
Promotional Poster for WC Fields’ 1940 feature film, “The Bank Dick” As a young vaudeville performer, WC Fields (1880-1946) lived in poverty and near starvation. He had a recurring nightmare of being […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 