"The image of profit-seeking banks continually evaluating the creditworthiness of the states to whom they lend capital is a familiar one, frequently assumed to be as true now as it was three hundred years ago. Against this view, Sovereigns and the Masters of Capital argues that this description...

Recent banking theory holds that durable firm-bank relationships are valuable to both parties. Using contract-specific loan records of a nineteenth-century U.S. bank, this paper shows that firms that form extended relationships with banks receive three principal benefits. First, firms with...

Recent banking theory holds that durable firm-bank relationships are valuable to both parties. Using contract-specific loan records of a nineteenth-century U.S. bank, this paper shows that firms that form extended relationships with banks receive three principal benefits. First, firms with...