NPR

'Abacus': The Small Chinatown Bank That Paid A High Price

In Abacus: Too Small To Jail, Steve James, who made Hoop Dreams, tells the story of a very small bank that really was prosecuted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
Vera Sung, Jill Sung, and Thomas Sung in <em>Abacus: Too Small To Jail</em>.

From the pages of sober financial journals to Hollywood's slapstick-econ adaptation of , commentators often note that no American banks were indicted in the wake of the 2008 financial cave-in. director Steve James is here to say that's not true. In May 2012, New York's district attorney brought charges against Abacus Federal Savings Bank and 19 of its employees.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR5 min readIntelligence (AI) & Semantics
How Do You Counter Misinformation? Critical Thinking Is Step One
Late last year, in the days before the Slovakian parliamentary elections, two viral audio clips threatened to derail the campaign of a pro-Western, liberal party leader named Michal Šimečka. The first was a clip of Šimečka announcing he wanted to dou
NPR2 min readCrime & Violence
Gérard Depardieu Will Be Tried For Alleged Sexual Assaults On A Film Set
French actor Gérard Depardieu will face a criminal trial in October over the alleged sexual assaults in 2021 of two women on the set of a film, prosecutors announced Monday.
NPR3 min read
U.S. To Require Automatic Emergency Braking On New Vehicles In 5 Years
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration unveiled the final version of the new regulation on Monday and called it the most significant safety rule in the past two decades.

Related Books & Audiobooks