usury
(noun)
The practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans intended to unfairly enrich the lender.
Examples of usury in the following topics:
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Cultural Values
- In Arab societies, for instance, usury (payment of interest) is prohibited, so special Islamic banks exist to accomodate this.
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The Panic of 1819
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Trade and Commerce
- Among the innovations of the period were new forms of partnership and the issuing of insurance, both of which contributed to reducing the risk of commercial ventures; the bill of exchange and other forms of credit that circumvented the canonical laws for gentiles against usury and eliminated the dangers of carrying bullion; and new forms of accounting, in particular double-entry bookkeeping, which allowed for better oversight and accuracy.
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Discontent with the Roman Catholic Church
- To many, papal institutions were rigid, especially regarding their views on just price and usury.
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Italian Politics
- The northern states also kept many medieval laws that severely hampered commerce, such as those against usury, and prohibitions on trading with non-Christians.