Kuku steps out of car, walks to a podium and begins to speak...

Friends, my father often talked about the Iron Bank with me, the financial institution that he and his partners created.  It was something of a financial powerhouse, able to loan individuals and crews substantial sums.

Come to think of it, is there any interest in a comprehensive history of the Iron Bank?  If so, let it be know, and perhaps I'll have that commissioned.

But back to this discussion.  The economy of the game has taken something of a beating - it always does in war time.  But there is still serious money here, and the markets are not doing too badly.

So, with all of that, two questions emerge:

Would a big time loan operation be popular?

And would the leaders of this thing support it, financially, and with their clout?

Let your thoughts be known!

I am CommissarKuku and I wish you a very pleasant day.

For those who don't recall the Iron Bank, have a read of this.

SamAdams strolls by, yelling as he goes, "Somehow I doubt they'd trust you with their money now! You might invest it in illegal things"

SamAdams, my father made a mistake, was punished for it.

People change.  That's why I am here.

And the Iron Bank gave out money.  

Say what, Frenchie_Alfonso?

I think potentially the Iron Bank is a good venture and something that mobsters would not be adverse to using.

What you have to look at, from my point of view, is if I would want members of my party to be in debt to someone in another city. This could go far beyond just a contract between the bank and a member.

Where would we stand when the member refuses to pay? You would want your money back but I have no commitment to ensure that happens. In fact me taking money off the VIP credit hoarding masses of Chicago could be beneficial if I didn't know that Grin was just a cuddly bear. People just don't understand him like I do. You should try folks as he is such a nice fellow. Nothing like that Curtis geezer.

I'm not going to punish my member and I certainly wouldn't be letting you do it for me. That would leave you where?

If we are to go forward with this venture then, for me, it would require a central pool of fund, administered by an individual or a number of individuals, that would see a cut taken by those people and a kick back to the leaders placing money in the pot.

If you were to do this though then why not just have interest free crew loans with that money where your only exposure as a leader is with your own member.

I think, if you want to push forward with an Iron Bank, you should put your proposal for how it will work forward and we can negotiate/improve it from there. I don't think how it worked before would see it work now.

As a final point. I would absolute support anything that allows people to better themselves that would cause no issues in inter city relationships and possibly only strengthen them.

Farage - you make some good points.

The Iron Bank worked before because there was one person/one crew who was generally accepted to be the most powerful, and he was an integral part of the Iron Bank.  When Gaius had a similar operation, again, there was a powerhouse city generally running the show.

Perhaps we need to wait for a while before starting this venture.

But in the mean time, we do need money to start flowing.  This is a truism, indeed, it is pressing and vital.

Curtis, by the way, had many, many strong points, and I for one admired him.  I don't think the feeling was reciprocal, but a man in my position cannot be thin-skinned.

Perhaps the Iron Bank could be a supra-city entity, one accepted and endorsed by all, and seen as being of, rather than from, an individual city?

Your father also sucked at mentoring.

NRA loves and breathes cash. Maybe I can get more iron clad cash telling how your father did not like questions as a RH or CL.

I must agree with Farage on a couple points. 

"Where would we stand when the member refuses to pay? You would want your money back but I have no commitment to ensure that happens"

Normally banks send out assassins. Here, that money could be converted to credits and time capsuled for generations. How do you get around that? 

Farage's suggestion, tho pretty cool, I do not agree with " it would require a central pool of fund, administered by an individual or a number of individuals, that would see a cut taken by those people and a kick back to the leaders placing money in the pot."

A central pool of fund and a kickback to leaders placing money in the pot? That seems like a pretty heavy but easy excuse to go to war. "I gave ten mil to the pool and invested the most and now we have half a mil that people from your crew took. WAAARRRRR"

Apologies for my ridiculous numbers but you get the point. People have warred for less. 

So then how do you get the money back?

Well, forgive me for making assumptions as I've been somewhat out the loop recently; but aren't you a descendant of the little rat weasel that was instrumental in having many many people killed by the Gods because he and his cronies were cheating?

If not, then I find it extremly odd that someone would besmirch you by using the name of said person. If you are, then you shouldn't need to ask why I wouldn't trust you. You should already know that not only are you untrustworthy due to past crimes, but you shouldn't even be allowed to walk these streets because of them.

Well, Slash, my father was one of three people executed by City Hall for perpetrating a fraud.  That is correct.  I was given a one year jail term, for trying some of my father's share.  I was released early.

I had my entire estate seized.  I served a prison term.  What more do you want?  I mean, what can I do?  I arrived at these shores destitute.  

But you are wrong, "many many people" were not executed, just my father, and two others.  Others were jailed, but I don't have the details about them.  

But that was my father.  I am me.  And others want to support me, and help me, as you might have seen from the Streets.

And it is wrong to say that my father only did bad things.  He did many, many good things of many people.  He was generous, and helpful, and inspirational.  I miss him.  

What would people say about you if you were gone?  

No idea what folks would say about me, not really that bothered either to be brutally honest.

You asked why I wouldn't trust you. You have your answer. You can harp all you like about your family debt being paid, as far as I'm concerned your ancestor fucked over this community and the name Kuku shouldn't be ever welcome in it again. Thats my opinion, the fact your amongst us means clearly that opinion isn't shared by City Hall. Doesn't mean I'll alter my own personal opinion just because you've managed to claw your way to our streets.

Many many people died as a result of your ancestors actions, perhaps not all were executed by City Hall, but there was a tragic loss of life and a lot of people that had nothing to do with your ancestors actions were tarnished with blame and forced to pay back crazy amounts of money that they were unaware was received from cheating.

So again, why should anyone trust you. Our bloodlines have been around these streets for many many years and one thing remains constant; your bloodline always portrays an egotistical, self-centered, obnoxious little prick that thinks so highly of himself and enjoys arguing with people in these streets, always attempting to twist words and never engaging in any real truthful discussion as they always try to weasel out of accepting fault in things they do.

I know its been said by many of my ancestors with regard to yours; there is an obvious ability to be a force for good and do well in this world, sadly that is always pushed aside by the desire to be a dick. If you believe that your ancestors have done good in this world previoisly, it only goes to show that you think more of your actions that others do.

You speak of your father being generous, helpful even and laughably inspirational. Was he any of these things when he shot a member of an allied crew, paid compensation for that kill with ill gotten gains, which the leader was then forced to re-pay to the Gods because the money was stolen from them? Was that one of the generous acts you participated in? Or any of the other monetary acts he participated in which was then reclaimed by the Gods?

Or were you thinking of the "contests" he held, where he ignored all the accusations of biased and cheating with them too?

I can't really think of any of the good things that he clearly told you about. Not that it matters, I doubt my opinion will change.

Anyway, I think i've made it clear why I shouldn't trust you, why others shouldn't trust you. If they choose to, thats on them.

Slash - I have no wish to drag up the past, and my regret for said past is genuine, but I must challenge some of the things that you said.

"Many many people died as a result of your ancestors actions, perhaps not all were executed by City Hall, but there was a tragic loss of life and a lot of people that had nothing to do with your ancestors actions were tarnished with blame and forced to pay back crazy amounts of money that they were unaware was received from cheating."

Two things - who were the "many many people" that died as a result of my father's actions?  Names, positions, please?  Other than my father and his accomplices, I can't think of anyone.

Money was indeed recovered from individuals who had received it from my father, this is true: it can't be disputed.  But they simply had to pay back what they received - is that so bad?  After all, they did receive it.  It wasn't a net loss.

"our bloodline always portrays an egotistical, self-centered, obnoxious little prick that thinks so highly of himself and enjoys arguing with people in these streets"

I truly don't know where these rumours come from.  I, like my father, stand over 6ft tall, with an athletic build, honed by long sessions in the gym, and running, often hill-running.  I am many things: I am not little, and my father wasn't either.

"I know its been said by many of my ancestors with regard to yours; there is an obvious ability to be a force for good"

Three words: Competitive Writing Community.  It's a force for good, like it was in the past.  I look forward to it becoming ever more popular.

"You speak of your father being generous, helpful even and laughably inspirational. Was he any of these things when he shot a member of an allied crew, paid compensation for that kill with ill gotten gains, which the leader was then forced to re-pay to the Gods because the money was stolen from them?"

If you are speaking about the crew I am thinking of, then the members were shielded by leader who benefited, to a massive degree, to a massive degree because of the generosity of my father, and his friends.  We are talking huge sums of cash.  

As for the compensation, it was generous: the people my father shot had usually mugged him.  They were auth'd kills, from what I recall.  It's a dangerous world, out there.  As for compensation paid by my father being recovered by City Hall, again, it was not a net loss.  They simply had to pay back what they received.

In what I hope is the final word here, I think you should pause for thought about the person who lost the most in this sorry mess: my father.  He lost billions, he lost his shot at becoming a Godfather Chairman.  He lost months of his life languishing in a jail cell, kept from his friends.  He knew he had caused the deaths of his closest friends, and the jailing of others.

And, yes, most of the funds recovered by City Hall were ill-gotten, but colossal sums were not: hundreds of millions.  It's often forgotten that, prior to purchasing the casinos, my father was on his way to becoming a billionaire anyway.  

The tragic part of this is that he took what he thought was a shortcut to the top: it was a dead end.

What I will say, Slash, is what I have said to anyone else.  You have a right to your hurt and your pain.  I simply ask for my father to be celebrated for the good that he did as well as damned for the bad, and I want you to respect that City Hall granted me parole, and trusts that I will behave.  And remember, please, and I think that this will help you, that I emerged into this world with no inheritance.  No honourable past, few friends.  The fundraiser organised by TheMeTooMovement, whilst appreciated, has not got even a fraction of the way to restoration of the type of wealth that I was accustomed to.  

At the moment, I'm trying to transform the Streets, make them free from the fantasists, and enable and encourage competitive writing again.  That is what I hope my legacy will be.