Introduction: the columbo approach: a bird's eye view of the book -- Act i: the purpose of banks : what banks do and why -- Money, guns and lawyers : the business of banking -- The origins of baking and the services banks provide : customers, investors and other stakeholders -- Out of sigh out...

Basic concepts -- The nature and variety of financial intermediation -- The what, how, and why of financial intermediaries -- Major risks faced by banks -- Sport lending -- Further issues in bank lending -- Special topics in credit: syndicated loans, loan sales, and project finance --...