Bank of Amsterdam - Fall of The Bank

Fall of The Bank

The bank, administered by a committee of city government officials concerned to keep the bank's affairs secret, initially operated on a deposit-only basis, but by 1657, was allowing depositors to overdraw their accounts, and was providing large loans to the Municipality of Amsterdam, and the Dutch East India Company. While initially this had remained confidential, it became public knowledge by 1790, in consequence the premium on the bank money dropped from around 6.25% at its peak to a 2% discount, and by the end of the year, the bank declared itself insolvent, offering to sell silver at a 10% discount to depositors. The City of Amsterdam took over direct control in 1791, before finally closing it in 1819.

Read more about this topic:  Bank Of Amsterdam

Famous quotes containing the words fall of, fall and/or bank:

    It is not funny that anything else should fall down; only that a man should fall down.... Why do we laugh? Because it is a gravely religious matter: it is the Fall of Man. Only man can be absurd: for only man can be dignified.
    Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)

    You need not be proud of me.... I’m only being active till you can be again—it isn’t such a great desire on my part to serve the world and I’ll fall back into habits of sloth quite easily!
    Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)

    A man’s labour is not only his capital but his life. When it passes it returns never more. To utilise it, to prevent its wasteful squandering, to enable the poor man to bank it up for use hereafter, this surely is one of the most urgent tasks before civilisation.
    William Booth (1829–1912)