Description
The Bankers Guild is long established, but has taken an uptick in their desire for profit in recent years. The influx of refugees from the Shadowfell enabled them to start giving out loans with ridiculous interest rates and impossible deadlines. Not knowing where else to turn, many a Shadowfell refugee accepted a loan anyway.
The Bankers Guild are colloquially called the Loan Sharks.
History
The bankers guild is one of the oldest guids in Kildar with strong ties to the merchant guilds. While ofcourse the bankers guild has always been about making and lending money, in recent years the predatory nature of the banks has flourished. This change is driven largely by the leader of the bankers guild, Darrington Stonesworth. In an attempt to restrict and control the many money lenders intended on profiting off of the many refugees in Kildar, Darrington relaxed the strict rules for membership to the guild. The change was intended to allow for better oversight on the money lenders, but instead the result has been that the whole banking system as a whole has degraded into preditory loan sharks.
The bankers guild headquarters was originally located in Torrica, but is currently located in Stormhaven.
Structure
The bankers guild has one leader that is chosen by the members in the members assembly. Typically the leader stays on until they choose to retire, however it is possible to force the banking leader to step down if a majority of the members call for their disposal.
Leader
Notable members
Some notable members are listed below, but many more loan sharks can be found in the poorer areas in the cities of Kildar.
The Bramblebee Family Bank
Led by matriarch Elizabeth Bramblebee, this halfling family owns the largest bank on Kildar. They are well-known in high society and pretend to be among the more reasonable loan givers. The family bank has recently been in the press with accusations of extortion of farmers. Their response has been that they owe their family fortune in their roots in farming as well. Their headquarters is officially located in Ishar, however their largest branch is located in Stormhaven.
The Cunningham Bank
The Cunningham Bank prides themselves on improving trade in the region, mostly giving out loans to the entrepreneurial minded citizens and refugees.
The Cunningham Bank takes a hard stance on those unable to pay on time, but is very willing to offer alternative means of payment, handing out tasks that are in the moral or legal gray area. This is giving the family a large amount of unofficial influence.
Dukhovich Loans
Vladislav Dukhovich's bank, Dukhovich Loans, is a new addition to the Bankers Guild. There was some early uproar and protest against his joining the well established Bankers Guild, but those protests died down mysteriously.
The bank's employees number more henchman than accountants.
Dukhovich Loans has been known to take over defaulted loans from other money lenders at a profit.