In the days following the terrible earthquake that destroyed San Francisco a century ago , a 36 year old man was seen dragging carts of fruit among the smoking ruins and the survivors who wandering the streets like ghosts in despair. That character was Amadeo Peter Giannini , the son of two immigrants from Liguria few years before had founded the Bank of Italy . In those carts, in fruits and vegetables, were the money and the gold of the bank, who hid in the chimney of his house partially destroyed by the earthquake. After only six days to reopen the bank did , creating a place of luck in his brother's house doctor, which exhibited a sign that he was able to recover charred. He placed well in view, a sign reading: "loans as before, even more than before." The new Bank of Italy was literally assaulted by a crowd of victims in need of everything, which collect deposits and for loans.
Amadeo toured the devastated areas of San Francisco, for the camps made of tents, offering interest-free loans and filling their pockets with slips of paper signed by immigrants of all nationalities, sometimes marked by a cross. Giannini was the emblem of the reconstruction of San Francisco , not so much the money but for the safety sent to inspiring optimism and confidence instilled in those who had lost everything. This experience convinced him that the banker would do for the rest of his life. Was a resounding success. Giannini's fame began to become a legend. Confidence in his courage and his moral integrity they rush new customers from all over California. The rebuilding of San Francisco, who was then the main port of the Pacific, attracted a mass of small and large investors and a huge amount of money flowed into the coffers of the bank. In 1909, the Bank of Italy began to open branches.
In retracing his fascinating biography, what is surprising is not so much what Amadeo Giannini has done, but how he did . Throughout his life he worked outside the logic of profit with the ambition to meet the needs of the weakest. And his life shows us how, even without putting money on top of the scale of values, we can achieve significant profits and create wealth for themselves and others.
In 1901 he decided to sell his company to employees, who would pay with the future earnings , thereby ensuring an income that allowed him to raise his head from everyday life and offered him the opportunity to know the world and reflect. At the age of thirty-three years, one year before founding the Bank of Italy, had already developed a theory on money: "Do not I want to be rich "- he said -" because no man actually has the wealth, but it was possessed. " In 1926, while the Bank of Italy was continually expanding, Giannini refused a prize of $ 100,000 and declares: "A man who desires to own more than $ 500,000 should run to a psychiatrist."
In 1920, Giannini realized the possibility of development of the film , with the 'attention to the socio-cultural that would take the models from the movies in the development of consciousness and behavior. So when he learned that a young artist talented, who had already had success with the comic, he could not find a lender for a seemingly difficult subject, but of high moral value, Amadeo decided to pay $ 50,000 to First National Distributors for the film The Kid by Charlie Chaplin . The film would have cost less, but wanted Amadeo Chaplin, who became a friend, was not forced too many economies. In six weeks, return of capital and, later, his bank had enormous profits.
Many years later, make new friends with a successful author of a relatively new genre. He spent many evenings with him to talk about cinema and communication, and soon after decided to finance a movie. It was Walt Disney and the film in question was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Later did the same with Frank Capra , other giants of world cinema.
In January 1928, in a period of financial euphoria, Giannini he obtained from his participation in the Bank of Italy for a useful and a half million dollars, but since he had already amassed a fortune of nearly $ 500,000, faithful to its principles refused the award, decided to donate the full amount at the University of California for research on technologies for agriculture . In 1930 the Bank of Italy took il nome di " Bank of America National Trust and Saving Association ".
È significativo notare che, quando la Bank of Italy chiuse i conti ed esaminò i sospesi, ci si accorse che sui prestiti senza garanzia era stato rimborsato il 96% del totale sborsato, e quindi complessivamente, considerando gli interessi, la banca non aveva subìto perdite sui prestiti concessi ai non abbienti. Al contrario, in tempi di crisi, i grandi banchieri che accettavano solo clienti danarosi, si trovarono a subire perdite considerevoli e non perdonavano a Giannini la sua lungimiranza.
Nel 1932, il sognatore Joseph Strauss, progettista del Golden Gate, non riuscendo a trovare un finanziatore per il suo progetto ebbe l’ispirazione di rivolgersi a Giannini . E la carta vincente per convincere Amadeo non fu il possibile profitto, ma la convinzione che il ponte avrebbe aiutato la popolazione di San Francisco ad uscire dal clima di depressione economica che aleggiava sulla città. Giannini finanziò il progetto con sei milioni di dollari e impose che la Bank of America non percepisse alcun interesse.
I banchieri tradizionali, invidiosi dei suoi successi, continuarono a fargli una guerra spietata , raccontando che il famoso banchiere era prepotente e ambizioso, e usava ogni mezzo per ottenere potere.
After the Great Depression of the thirties, in 1945 created the Giannini Family Foundation with the aim of promoting medical research . During the Second World War, California became the state more involved in war production. The Bank of America financed the construction of airplanes, ships, heavy and light weapons, manage payments of the armed forces and civilian staff. Amadeo Giannini instructed his son to take care of the Italians Mario confined to concentration camps, and efforts to try to prevent the internment of other Italian Americans. Immediately after the war that the bank would participate directly in the reconstruction of Italy. he agreed with Arthur Schlesinger, responsible for administering the Marshall Plan, to accelerate the delivery of aid, and its interest-free bank anticipated amounts of all shipments in Italy.
October 1945, at the age of seventy-five years, Amadeo Peter Giannini he leaves the presidency of the Bank of America, leaving open the drawers of his desk which, moreover, had never closed: " I have nothing to hide - he said - as he has nothing to hide the bank." At the same time, announced that Bank of America had become the largest bank in the world.
Morì nel 1949. Un accurato inventario di tutti i suoi beni, stabilì che essi ammontavano a 489.278 dollari .
tratto da: LINK
Questa storia, inevitabilmente, mi porta a ripensare alla puntata che REBUS ha dedicato al tema del "Signoraggio" bancario e all'etica nella finanza. Per chi avesse perso la trasmissione, la ritorva su YouTube:
0 comments:
Post a Comment