History Main / MorallyBankruptBanker

* [[AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]] is one of the most famous examples, though CharacterDevelopment pulls him out of it by the end of the book.

A subtrope of AcceptableTargets. The Morally Bankrupt Banker is unsympathetic, both as a character and to other characters. To be fair, on the one hand he[[hottip:*:(this trope is pretty much AlwaysMale)]] has a tough job, when someone needs that third loan extension and he says no, it's not out of malice but to protect the savings of other bank patrons. When deciding to issue a loan, he has to carefully consider whether the debtor has a decent chance of paying it back, because a bad loan hurts the debtor, the bank and its customers. On the other hand, it's more likely he has a small shrine to [[AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]] and says "no" to protect the bank's wealth and because the debtor is [[InsaneTrollLogic at fault for being poor in the first place]]. When it comes time to make loans, he'll give them out gleefully with ReadTheFinePrint details to turn up the interest rates like a thermostat until it's time for the RepoMan to impound some unfortunate ambitious dreamer's property.

* ''TheDarkKnight'': The Mob Bank at the beginning.

* Danglars from ''TheCountOfMonteCristo''. Not only does he make stupid investments with his client's money, but when it catches up to him he runs for it with what's left of it. And of course, he wrote the letter that got Dantes imprisoned in the first place.

* An episode of ''CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' had both an aversion and a straight example. Dr. Harvey takes out a loan with the local bank to pay for Kat's music lessons; the banker here is warm and friendly, and readily gives the loan despite Dr. Harvey's checkered credit history because there's nothing sweeter than a child singing. However, as soon as Dr. Harvey leaves, the local bank is taken over by Pennypincher Banking, whose corrupt CEO immediately forecloses on Whipstaff Manor.

-->-- [[JackChick The Contract]]

* In the JackChick tract "[[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0078/0078_01.asp The Contract]]", Elmer Boggs is one, coldly telling John Freeman (no, not [[HalfLifeFullLifeConsequences that]] one) that the bank will repossess his farm. He orders Freeman to get out of the bank and never show his face there again, but after Freeman makes a DealWithTheDevil and tells Boggs' boss that he can't deposit his money [[TheDogBitesBack so that he can get revenge]], Boggs gets fired.

* In ''MaryPoppins'', the owners of the bank Mr. Banks work at, who are willing to basically force a child to part with a shilling to "invest it" against his will. However, by the end they seriously lighten up.

* The Banking Clan in ''StarWars'' is PlanetOfHats of these.
* In ''Film/{{Warrior}}'', Brandon runs into such a banker, whose bad advice led to Brandon's debt growing and a possible foreclosure. To really rub it in, he got his daughter's illness mixed up because of "all the sob stories".
* The banker in ''WildBoys'' is a pompous jerkass despised by everyone, including his wife.
* In ''[[{{Film/X-Men}} X-Men: First Class]]'', Magneto interrogates a Swiss banker - whose bank is responsible for storing {{Nazi gold}} - on the location of a high-ranking former Nazi.

* In ''[[Discworld/MakingMoney Making Money]]'', the Lavish family which dominates the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork fits, with the exception of Topsy, who was born into the [[PunnyName Turvy]] family and is only a Lavish by marriage.
* Robert Putney Drake from the ''{{Illuminatus}}''-trilogy leads a double life as a respectable banker and the supreme ruler of the International Crime Syndicate. He claims to own the United States in far more real sense than any President has. [[spoiler:He's actually presented as slightly sympathetic figure despite of all the atrocities he's committed, and he ends up helping the good guys after some persuasion.]]

* Shylock from ''TheMerchantOfVenice'', though he is at least slightly sympathetic and cares less about money than revenge.

* Mr. Mooney, Lucy's boss on ''The Lucy Show'', was sometimes portrayed this way, though the fact that he continued to employ Lucy, despite her incompetence, suggests that he did have at least some compassion.

* ''Amanda's'', a failed American attempt to remake ''FawltyTowers'' with Bea Arthur in the Basil Fawlty role, included a grasping banker called Clifford Mundy, who was constantly scheming to gain possession of the hotel. He possibly contributed to the failure of the show by making the Amanda character too sympathetic, thereby missing what made ''Fawlty Towers'' funny in the first place.
* Mr. Mooney, Lucy's boss on ''ILoveLucy'', was sometimes portrayed this way, though the fact that he continued to employ Lucy, despite her incompetence, suggests that he did have at least some compassion.

* Mr. Mooney, Lucy's boss on ''TheLucyShow'', was sometimes portrayed this way, though the fact that he continued to employ Lucy, despite her incompetence, suggests that he did have at least some compassion.

A subtrope of AcceptableTargets. The Morally Bankrupt Banker is unsympathetic, both as a character and to other characters. To be fair, on the one hand he[[hottip:*:(this trope is pretty much AlwaysMale)]] has a tough job, when someone needs that third loan extension and he says no, it's not out of malice but to protect the savings of other bank patrons. When deciding to issue a loan, he has to carefully consider whether the debtor has a decent chance of paying it back, because a bad loan hurts the bank and its customers. On the other hand, it's more likely he has a small shrine to [[AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]] and says no to protect the bank's wealth and because the debtor is [[InsaneTrollLogic at fault for being poor in the first place]]. When it comes time to make loans, he'll give them out gleefully with ReadTheFinePrint details to turn up the interest rates like a thermostat until it's time for the RepoMan to impound some unfortunate ambitious dreamer's property.

* Mr. Perkins in ''DespicableMe''. [[spoiler:Of course, the fact that he turns out to be the father of the primary villain, and therefore arguably be the BigBad, cannot be underestimated.]] Tellingly, the Bank of Evil where he works was formerly Leehman Brothers.

* Danglars from TheCountOfMonteCristo. Not only does he make stupid investments with his client's money, but when it catches up to him he runs for it with what's left of it. And of course, he wrote the letter that got Dantes imprisoned in the first place.

* The plot of ''DragMeToHell'' is kickstarted when Chrisitne makes a tough call and chooses not to extend an evil gypsy's loan a third time. The FantasticAesop? Let the gypsy win. Or don't let her take bank loans.

* In ''AmericanPsycho'', pretty much all of the main characters working as investment bankers fit the trope, although the banal greed and callousness of the secondary characters pales in comparison to the violent crimes of the protagonist, Patrick Bateman.

* Mr. Perkins in ''{{Despicable Me}}''. [[spoiler:Of course, the fact that he turns out to be the father of the primary villain, and therefore arguably be the {{Big Bad}}, cannot be underestimated.]] Tellingly, the Bank of Evil where he works was formerly Leehman Brothers.
* The plot of ''DragMeToHell'' is kickstarted when Chrisitne makes a tough call and chooses not to extend an evil gypsy's loan a third time. The FantasticAesop? Let the gypsy win. Or don't let her take bank loans.

* In ''MaryPoppins'', the owners of the bank Mr. Banks work at, who are willing to basically force a child to part with a shilling to "invest it" against his will. However, by the end they seriously lighten up.

* Aunt May and Peter Parker had to deal with one in ''[[Film/SpiderMan Spider-Man 2]]'', who on top of denying their loan, denies them a coupon for a free toaster. He was shown to be greedy enough to try to steal a coin from the bank when Doc Ock was robbing it. Considering that SamRaimi directed both ''Drag Me to Hell'' and this movie, one has to wonder whether he really doesn't like bankers.

* In ''XMenFirstClass'', Magneto interrogates a Swiss banker - whose bank is responsible for storing Nazi gold - on the location of a high-ranking former Nazi.

* Mr. Drysdale, the manager of the bank in which ''TheBeverlyHillbillies'' have their money stored. All he cares about is keeping their money in his bank.

* An episode of ''CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' had both an aversion and a straight example. Dr. Harvey takes out a loan with the local bank to pay for Kat's music lessons; the banker here is warm and friendly, and readily gives the loan despite Dr. Harvey's checkered credit history because there's nothing sweeter than a child singing. However, as soon as Dr. Harvey leaves, the local bank is taken over by Pennypincher Banking, whose corrupt CEO immediately forecloses on Whipstaff Manor.

* In ''[[Discworld/MakingMoney Making Money]]'', the Lavish family which dominates the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork fits, with the exception of Topsy.

* An episode of ''CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' had both an aversion and a straight example. Dr. Harvey takes out a loan with the local bank to pay for Kat's music lessons; the banker here is warm and friendly, and readily gives the loan despite Dr. Harvey's checkered credit history because there's nothing sweeter than a child singing. However, as soon as Dr. Harvey leaves, the local bank is taken over by Pennypincher Banking, whose CEO immediately forecloses on Whipstaff Manor.

A subtrope of AcceptableTargets. The Morally Bankrupt Banker is unsympathetic, both as a character and to other characters. To be fair, on the one hand he[[hottip:*:(this trope is pretty much AlwaysMale)]] has a tough job, when someone needs that third loan extension and he says no, it's not out of malice but to protect the savings of other bank patrons. When deciding to issue a loan, he has to carefully consider whether the debtor has a decent chance of paying it back, because a bad loan hurts the bank and its customers. On the other hand, it's more likely he has a small shrine to [[AChristmasCarol Ebeneezer Scrooge]] and says no to protect the bank's wealth and because the debtor is [[InsaneTrollLogic at fault for being poor in the first place]]. When it comes time to make loans, he'll give them out gleefully with ReadTheFinePrint details to turn up the interest rates like a thermostat until it's time for the RepoMan to impound some unfortunate ambitious dreamer's property.

And this is just a branch manager, the bank's CEO is probably a CorruptCorporateExecutive who would rather gamble with the customers' money than make prudent investments. More generally, the Morally Bankrupt Banker is likely an ObstructiveBureaucrat, LawfulNeutral or LawfulEvil, and a RulesLawyer.

See also AllDevouringBlackHoleLoanSharks.

* In ''XMenFirstClass'', young Magneto asks (and later interrogates) a French banker on the location of a high-ranking former Nazi, whom the banker refuses to identify, both due to the forgivable "Not that kind of bank" reasoning, and very likely for bribery.