A Brief History of Loans
No one can say for certain where the history of loans began? it's likely that people have been practicing lending and borrowing for as long as there has been a concept of ownership.
The history of loans can be documented at least several thousand years back; forms of lending were evident in ancient Greek and Roman times, and monetary loans were even mentioned in the Christian bible.
The modern history of loans started much later than these ancient times, of course? it is, however, important to realize that lending started much earlier than many people would imagine and has its origin in much older times.
Indentured loans
One of the early forms of lending that should be explored in the history of loans is the indentured loan (also known as indentured servitude.) Initially practiced in the Middle Ages and through the 19th century by land owners and the wealthy, indentured servitude allowed poor individuals to borrow the money needed for major expenses such as travel and real estate.
Once the land owner or wealthy individual had secured a ship passage or piece of real estate for an individual, that individual would then have to work off their debt over the course of several years? unfortunately, many times the land owner was very dishonest and would greatly inflate the debt or would continue to add provisions to the debt long after it had been repaid.
Indentured servants often had very few rights, and were seen by some wealthy individuals as a way to maintain slave labor long after slavery had been abolished in both Europe and the United States.
Banking loans
Luckily, legitimate banks were developing even as indentured servitude was rampant. Individuals known as moneylenders played an important part in the history of loans? in fact, it's from the Italian moneylenders of the Middle Ages that we get both the English words "bank" and "bankrupt" that we use today.
Italian moneylenders would set up benches in the local marketplace (with the word for bench being "banca", from which we eventually derived the word "bank"). The moneylenders would charge interest on their loans at a rate that they set, and would sometimes be quite successful and become very wealthy.
As an interesting sidenote to the history of loans, if the moneylenders were not successful, though, they would break up their benches and pursue other venues. The Latin expression for breaking up a bench in this way was "banca rupta", which eventually became the English word "bankrupt" (which carries a much steeper connotation than simply a broken bench.)
Modern banking loans
Of course, the history of loans has progressed quite a bit since the days of the Middle Ages moneylender. Interest rates are much more controlled, loan terms have a much higher degree of fairness to them, and the banks of our era aren't out to simply get as much money out of borrowers as they can.
The modern banks, finance companies, and online lenders that provide loans to the public and private sectors provide a great service to the world economy, and are regulated by both local and governmental policy so as to make sure that nothing interferes with that service.
However, if not for some of the oppression and misdealing that was present throughout the history of lending then the fairness and opportunity that exists in banking today might not be possible? even the oppression that resulted from indentured servitude in the past helped to establish modern banking by showing what factors needed to be eliminated so as best to benefit both lender and borrower.
You may freely reprint this article provided the following author's biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:
About The Author
John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.
Latest News
 Wall Street Journal Blogs | SBA disaster loans to assist NC firms The Business Journal of the ... Bizjournals.com, NC - The Small Business Administration says federal loans are available to small NC businesses that suffered financial losses from the drought and high ... Restoring the flow of credit to entrepreneurs BIZ VOICE: Banking on small guys SBA Applauds Treasury Action to Bolster Secondary Market for Small ... |
UPDATE 1-Investors sue Countrywide to force loans purchase Reuters - N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)-owned Countrywide Financial on Monday demanding that Countrywide buy every mortgage loan for which it agrees to ... Countrywide Sued by Fund Over $8.4 Billion Loan Deal (Update2) Report: Bond investors sue Countrywide UPDATE: Investors Sue Countrywide Over Modification Plans |
 Ottawa Citizen | Can the Federal Government Save the Student Loan Market? findingDulcinea, New York - by Anne Szustek The Federal Reserve recently announced a $200 billion lending facility for private student loan lenders. Is this the best way to make higher ... The Fed boosted emergency loans to banks and firms Fed Commercial Paper Holdings Rise to $295.1 Billion (Update2) The Federal Reserve Bank - It's not what you think |
Delphi wins court motion to delay loan payback Forbes, NY - AP , 12.01.08, 04:26 PM EST A bankruptcy judge has said Delphi can postpone by six months the repayment of $4.35 billion in loans. The delay was necessary ... |
 New York Times | Turning Around the Idea of Student Loans New York Times, United States - “This is a five-year loan, and that helps ensure a certain amount of longevity for this project.” Justin said he first became interested in poverty issues ... |
 The Star-Ledger - NJ.com | General Growth gets 2-week reprieve on loans Chicago Tribune, United States - The real estate investment trust said it and the syndicate of lenders "are continuing their discussions" on a longer-term extension to the loan, ... General Growth wins extension on $900M loans GGP Gains Two-Week Extension on $900M Loans General Growth gets 2-week extension on $900 million in loans |
Nissan Motor to Sell $500 Million in Auto Loan Bonds (Update2) Bloomberg - s finance unit plans to raise $500 million in the first sale of US auto-loan bonds since US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the government would shift ... Student Lender Rally May Be Brief |
 New Zealand Herald | Lenders Become Proactive New York Times, United States - The best example is an initiative, announced this month, to help those who took out loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-owned ... Freddie Mac Expanded Investment in Home Loans Mortgage relief gets stuck Need a Loan? Think 'Union' |
Commercial loan "nightmare" projected for 2009-JPMorgan Reuters - Commercial property loans originated in 2005 to 2007 that increasingly carried risky terms are likely to see a significant increase in defaults in 2009 due ... |
US interbank lending rates continue to rise International Herald Tribune, France - AP LONDON: Interest rates on three-month dollar loans between banks rose for the third day Monday, as financial companies' funding concerns lingered despite ... Australian Funding Costs Decline on China Rate Cut, EU Plan Low rates aren't enough Cost of personal loans soars in two months |
Resources
-
Bad Credit Loans, Bad Credit Credit Cards - YoureApproved.org!
Personal Loans, credit cards from bad credit lenders including bad credit Loans - high risk unsecured bad credit cards - debt consolidation Loans - payday Loans!
-
Bad Credit Loans - Personal Loans - Credit Cards - Home Loans - Auto Loans - Credit Repair
Bad credit Loans and credit cards - personal Loans - high risk Loans - credit repair - free government grants - government auctions - police auctions - debt consolidation - filing bankruptcy
-
#9654; The Complete Online Guide to Free Government Grants, Business Grants and Government Loans
Government Grants - US government grants provides free government grants, business grants, Government grants.
-
Government Grants, Loans, Federal grants and Grant Money
Government Grants find out how to qualify for Free Business Grants, Government Loans and Free Government Money
-
US Government Grants - Online Directory for Info and Links.
US Government Grants - information on how to obtain free government grants.
-
Government Grants - Free Government Grants - Free Government Cash Grants - Cash Free Government Gran
Free Government Grants and Free Government Money from Government Grants. Guaranteed Government Grants.
-
After Bankruptcy Credit Solutions
Discover how to qualify for credit and Loans after bankruptcy in as little as 30 days!
-
Business Credit Secrets Revealed! - Get Business Credit Cards and Loans
Business Credit Secrets Revealed!
-
The Real Estate IRA: Use Your "Self-Directed" IRA, Roth or 401(k) + Loans to Buy Investment Property
Invest in Real Estate using an IRA, Roth IRA, or Individual 401(k) Plan. Buy Investment Real Estate like houses, condos, apartment buildings, foreclosures and land. Use Loans to leverage your investment. New eBook reveals the real estate information and l
-
bad credit home loan, refinance mortgage loan, cash loan, cash advance loan, california home loan, p
Online bad credit home loan, refinance mortgage loan, cash loan, cash advance loan, personal loan, debt consolidation loan, payday loan, bad credit loan, home improvement loan, second mortgage loan, online loan, unsecured personal loan Search.