TY - JOUR
T1 - Why was America's first bank aborted?
AU - Goldberg, Dror
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - In 1686 the leadership of Massachusetts became involved in the first operational bank scheme in America. In 1688 this note-issuing bank was mysteriously aborted at an advanced stage. I suggest a new, simple explanation for the bank's demise. The bank's notes were supposed to be backed mostly by private land in Massachusetts, but a new royal governor invalidated all the land titles. This episode demonstrates the importance of clearly defined and enforced property rights for the development of financial institutions. "After showing him an Indian deed for land, he said that their hand was no more worth than a scratch with a bear's paw, undervaluing all my titles, though everyway legal under our former charter government."1 Joseph Lynde
AB - In 1686 the leadership of Massachusetts became involved in the first operational bank scheme in America. In 1688 this note-issuing bank was mysteriously aborted at an advanced stage. I suggest a new, simple explanation for the bank's demise. The bank's notes were supposed to be backed mostly by private land in Massachusetts, but a new royal governor invalidated all the land titles. This episode demonstrates the importance of clearly defined and enforced property rights for the development of financial institutions. "After showing him an Indian deed for land, he said that their hand was no more worth than a scratch with a bear's paw, undervaluing all my titles, though everyway legal under our former charter government."1 Joseph Lynde
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952981355&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0022050711000088
DO - 10.1017/S0022050711000088
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AN - SCOPUS:79952981355
SN - 0022-0507
VL - 71
SP - 211
EP - 222
JO - Journal of Economic History
JF - Journal of Economic History
IS - 1
ER -