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Saint Thomas, island, Virgin Islands

(Encyclopedia)Saint Thomas, island (2010 pop. 51,634), 32 sq mi (83 sq km), one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Indies. Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a campus of the Univ. of the Vi...

Rhode Island, state, United States

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Rhode Island, smallest state in the United States, located in New England; bounded by Massachusetts (N and E), the Atlantic Ocean (S), and Connecticut (W). Until well into the 20th cent. ...

Safra

(Encyclopedia)Safra, family of Brazilian bankers with Sephardic Jewish roots. They began as merchant bankers in Syria and Lebanon, financing caravans throughout the Middle East. The Safras are also noted philanthro...

industrial policy

(Encyclopedia)industrial policy, government-sponsored economic program in which the public and private sectors coordinate their efforts to develop new technologies and industries. Government provides the financial ...

Raiffeisen, Friedrich Wilhelm

(Encyclopedia)Raiffeisen, Friedrich Wilhelm frēˈdrĭkh vĭlˈhĕlm rīfˈīˌzən [key], 1818–88, German leader in the cooperative movement. Between 1845 and 1865 he was mayor of several German towns. After the...

check

(Encyclopedia)check or cheque, bill of exchange (see draft) drawn upon a bank or trust company or broker connected with a clearinghouse (see clearing). Upon presentation of a check, the bank or other drawee pays ca...

Lombard Street

(Encyclopedia)Lombard Street, in London, England. It is a street of banks and financial houses that takes its name from the Lombard merchants and moneylenders who settled there in the 13th cent. ...

credit, letter of

(Encyclopedia)credit, letter of, commercial instrument through which a bank or other financial institution instructs a correspondent institution to advance a specified sum of money to the bearer. The document is ca...

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