History Main / MorallyBankruptBanker

* Miss Bitterman, of Bitterman Bank and Development, from ''Film/ItsAVeryMerryMuppetChristmasMovie''. She plans to tear down the Muppet Theater and build a nightclub on the property, pays them a personal visit just to taunt them about it, and actively tries to prevent Fozzie from delivering the money they owe her when the show sells out. This being ItsAWonderfulParody, she was of course inspired by Mr. Potter himself.

* In ''Discworld/MakingMoney'', 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.

* The Banking Clan in ''Franchise/StarWars'' is PlanetOfHats of these.

* ''Film/TheBigShort'' revolves around the corrupt financial system that cratered the economy in 2008. The protagonists meet banker after banker who openly brag about their shady dealings to strangers, some of whom don't even seem to realize that what they're doing is wrong.

[[quoteright:350:[[Disney/MickeysChristmasCarol https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mickey_greed_scrooge.jpg]]]]

* Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' has Tiana apply for a loan to start her dream restaurant from two bankers who offhandedly deny her due to her social position (and race, it's strongly implied). By the film's end, her new alligator friend threatens to eat them so they'll give her the loan.

* J.P. Gross, Scooter's uncle who owns the theater on ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. Usually an offscreen antagonist who Kermit hates dealing with but slavishly tries to please, his few onscreen appearances confirm it. In one episode he wanted to tear the theater down to build a junkyard, claiming "there's more money in real junk than this junk you got here." He changes his mind about tearing the place down later, claiming it will likely fall down by itself soon enough. Oftentimes, the plot of the show has revolved around the deamnds he has made of Kermit (like having women's wrestling on the show, or having Music/EltonJohn perform "Benny and the Jets") or a ZanyScheme to make money (like having a robot replace Kermit or selling the oil rights to the theater to the Middle East.)

* [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]] is arguably the TropeCodifier, and very much TruthInTelevision for Victorian England, though CharacterDevelopment pulls him out of it by the end of the book.

* ''Film/{{Circle}}'': The Rich Guy, [[UnreliableNarrator per his own description]], was actually a normal banker who just loaned money to businesses and entrepeneurs, not some crook. However, when he is forced to participate in the elimination, he turns into a DirtyCoward and for a while leads the effort to kill the Little Girl and Pregnant Lady.

-->'''Griphook:''' If anyone but a Gringotts goblin [touched this door], they'd be sucked through the door and trapped and in there.\\

-->'''Griphook:''' If anyone but a Gringotts goblin [touched this door], they'd be sucked inside and trapped.\\
'''Harry:''' Er... how often do you check to see if anyone's inside?\\

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* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the bankers at Gringotts are literally goblins who set deadly traps to guard the money under their care. High-security vaults are guarded by ''dragons'', who are inhumanely trained to expect pain when they hear "Clackers". They'll offer their banking services to ''anyone'' who can pay up, even the Death Eaters. The one thing they hate more than someone who skips out on a payment (such as Ludo Bagman, who fled the country to escape the goblins after losing a major bet on the Quidditch World Cup) is a bank robber. Hence the diabolical traps in the bank vault corridors, though to be fair, if they weren't so diabolical, wicked wizards would most likely have too easy of a time using their magic to rob them. On the other hand, the goblins take perhaps a little too much pleasure at the idea of a robber meeting with an unfortunate end...

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the bankers at Gringotts are literally goblins who set deadly traps to guard the money under their care. They'll offer their banking services to ''anyone'' who can pay up, even the Death Eaters. The one thing they hate more than someone who skips out on a payment (such as Ludo Bagman, who fled the country to escape the goblins after losing a major bet on the Quidditch World Cup) is a bank robber. Hence the diabolical traps in the bank vault corridors, though to be fair, if they weren't so diabolical, wicked wizards would most likely have too easy of a time using their magic to rob them. On the other hand, the goblins take perhaps a little too much pleasure at the idea of a robber meeting with an unfortunate end...

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* In ''Film/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.

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-->'''Glóin''': I have been bled DRY!

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-->'''Griphook''': If anyone but a Gringotts goblin [touched this door], they'd be sucked inside and trapped.\\
'''Harry''': Er...how often do you check to see if anyone's inside?\\
'''Griphook''': ''(grinning evilly)'' About once every ten years.
--->--''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone''

* Played with in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' when it comes to the [[NGOSuperpower Iron Bank of Braavos]] -- they're not generally given to [[LoanShark predatory lending]], but they ''will'' hurt any debtor that tries to default on them, whether by their usual method of [[PlayingBothSides backing other claimants]] to the [[KingMakerScenario debtors' (suddenly shaky) tile or throne]] who [[EvilDebtCollector promise to take over their predecessors' debt]]... or by [[DisproportionateRetribution calling in, say, every single outstanding Westerosi loan at the same time.]] For some reason. [[spoiler: A certain Queen Regent not only repeatedly defaulted on the crown debt, but directly insulted them quite graphically while doing it, too. Oops: instant casus belli.]]

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* Faust Capital of ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' is essentially an entire company of this; lore entries imply they've been using supernatural methods of dodging financial crises and screwing over unwanted clients, accountants are conditioned to literally work themselves to death if nobody stops them, and their CEO is none other than [[spoiler: Mephistopheles himself.]] For good measure, all of the reward options offered by [[spoiler: Mephistopheles]] will result in the player getting screwed, pranked, or just bombarded with tests.

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-->'''Cale:''' Those people...they're horrible! One of them tried to sell me a castle. ''An entire castle''. How could I afford a castle? How long is their sentence?
-->'''Captain:''' Twelve years.\\

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* [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]] is one of the most famous examples, and very much TruthInTelevision for Victorian England, though CharacterDevelopment pulls him out of it by the end of the book.

* Played with in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' with the Iron Bank of Braavos -- they're not generally given to [[LoanShark predatory lending]], but they ''will'' hurt any debtor that tries to default on them, whether by their usual method of [[PlayingBothSides backing other claimants]] to the [[[[KingMakerScenario debtors' tile or throne]] who [[EvilDebtCollector promise to take over their predecessors' debt]]... or by [[DisproportionateRetribution calling in, say, every single outstanding Westerosi loan at the same time.]] For some reason. [[spoiler: A certain Queen Regent not only repeatedly defaulted on the crown debt, but directly insulted them while doing it. Oops.]]

* Played with in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' with the Iron Bank of Braavos -- they're not given to [[LoanShark predatory lending]] but they ''will'' hurt any debtor that tries to default on them, whether by their usual method of [[PlayingBothSides backing other claimants]] [[KingMakerScenario to the debtors' throne]] who [[EvilDebtCollector promise to take over their predecessors' debt]], or [[DisproportionateRetribution calling in ''every'' Westerosi loan because the Queen Regent defaulted on the crown debt]].

* An arguably sympathetic example of this Trope is the protagonist of the Spanish short story ''"Para Justicias, El Tiempo"'' ("For Justices, Time" or "Time Will Give Judgement"): the protagonist, when he was very little, sacrificed all of his money to pay for a circus ticket and was swindled out of his seat by a man (the man convinced the boy that his mother was dying and he had to go see her ''now'', and he arrived to his house to find out otherwise, and when he came back to complain the fact he was JustAKid means that the circus security bought the man's word over his). The TitleDrop occurs because when the boy grew up he became a banker, with an order to foreclose on a farm... which happened to be owned by the man. When the man comes to beg for a little more time to pay, the banker [[NoDoubtTheYearsHaveChangedMe points out his misdeed on the circus (and that he was the kid in question)]] and ''[[DisproportionateRetribution denies him the extension because of this]]''.