'Private banks' are
banks that are not
incorporated. A non-incorporated bank is owned by either an individual or a general partner(s) with limited partner(s). In any such case, the creditors can look to both the "entirety of [the bank's] assets" as well as the entirety of the sole-proprietor's/general-partners' assets.
These banks have a long tradition in
Switzerland, dating back to at least the
revocation of the Edict of Nantes (
1685). However most have now become incorporated companies, so the term is rarely true anymore. There are relatively few private banks remaining in the U.S.; but there are a few such as
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., which is a general
partnership with about 30 members.
See also
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Private banking
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Bank secrecy
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Offshore bank
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Swiss bank
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List of economics topics
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List of finance topics