“This is a marvelous book! Well-written—even enjoyable to read—about local banking! Packed with important information, not only for the expert, but for anyone, activist or public official, Put it on top of your reading pile!” — Gar Alperovitz, author of What Then Must We Do? “A clear, accessible, practical, grounded, and authoritative intro- duction to how banks account for their use of your money.” — David Korten, author of Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth What do they think they’re doing? The global network of banks, brokers, funds, dealers, servicers, and all the rest is a marvel of the 21st century—for better and frequently worse. In the aftermath of the worst financial crisis in a generation, there has never been a more important time to understand how the system works... and why it doesn’t. Checking the Banks is an easy-to-read...