"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 primer on how a bank-and the banking system-works. Complex ideas, like bank capital, leverage, risk-weighting, and repo transactions are explained in clear, understandable language. This is a book for People who want to understand banks, Activists determined to change them, Reformers seeking to build alternatives.