As the Great-Grandson of railroad baron James J. Hill-who acquired and orchestrated the reorganization of the First National Bank of St. Paul, a cornerstone of First Bank Stock Corporation, now U.S. Bank-Dick has a personal, family interest in the history of banking in Minnesota. As a long-time participant in Twin Cities banking-he worked five decades for predecessor banks of both U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo-Dick had a front-row seat as the regional banks disappeared and the two national bank goliaths emerged. Book jacket.

In March 1933, in one of his first acts as president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared a bank holiday throughout the United States. Considered by many to be a bold step to curb the mounting bank crisis, the decree closed banks in all 48 states and overseas territories, putting money out of reach of citizens, businesses and all levels of government. This narrative history recounts and explains the economic, financial and political backgrounds of the banking panic, arguing that the holiday was not only unnecessary but actually damaging to the economy. The holiday did, however, provide Roosevelt with the momentum to push through a series of historic reforms that remade the federal government. This revisionist work not only reveals the circumstances around the panic but debunks numerous myths that have clung to it ever since.

This book will: · Challenge the assumption that banks will continue to control payments and the flow of money. · Point to the chinks in their armour and where the opportunities lie. · Examine the technologies and approaches that have begun to disrupt and transform the current model. · Arm you with the knowledge you need to make sense of and navigate this critical industry, as it transforms in innovative and valuable ways. For the first time in Australian financial history, this book brings together in one place what is under the hood of the Australian payments, money and banking systems, and is a must-read for anyone needing a solid understanding of this critical space. Told as a story, this is an inspiring and captivating treatise on how Australia’s systems work and where the future lies.

The classic reference work that provides annually updated information on the countries of the world.