Ratings of the creditworthiness of business borrowers were provided historically in the United States by two types of firms: credit-reporting agencies and credit-rating agencies.

Plastic cards that pay for financial transactions by extending credit to the user when the purchase or transaction is complete.

Precipitous stock market price drops.

Cotton has played an important role in the growth and development of U.S. agriculture, industry, and trade almost from the birth of the nation.

A form of business organization in which the capital of the firm is supplied by shareholders.

Cooper was born in New York City to a family that had resided in the area since the mid-17th century.

Born in Sandusky, Ohio, Cooke’s father was a lawyer who also sat in Congress. After finishing school, Jay took a job in St. Louis, but his employer was ruined in the Panic of 1837. He moved to Philadelphia.

A movement that began developing in the early 20th century, dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers against big business.

Large, diversified holding companies that buy operating companies to form corporations with a wide array of interests.

The Conestoga wagon, also called the “ship of inland commerce” and the “Dutch wagon,” was a heavy horse-drawn vehicle that, prior to the extension of the RAILROADS across the Allegheny Mountains in the 1850s, became the primary method of transporting freight to the interior regions of the United States.

While the U.S. computer industry began as a direct result of large-scale Department of Defense spending on electronic digital computing research during and shortly after World War II...

A law passed by Congress in 1977 in response to perceived failings of banks in meeting the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, especially low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

The regulatory body overseeing the FUTURES MARKETS.

A short-term debt instrument, maturing between 30 days and 270 days from original issue date.

The term given to banking institutions that provide a full array of customer services to both retail and business customers.

The section of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3) that gives Congress the authority “to regulate Commerce with foreign nations, among the several States, and with the Indian tribes.”

One of the three major broadcasting networks, founded in 1927 and developed and expanded by William S. Paley (1901–90) from 1929.

An arms manufacturer founded by Samuel Colt (1814–62) in Paterson, New Jersey. The company was founded to produce Colt’s idea for a revolving-cylinder handgun, which he patented in 1836.

William Colgate was born in Kent, England, on January 25, 1783, the son of a farmer.

Coffee has been not only one of the most valuable imports into the United States for a century and a half, but it has also become one of the most valuable industries in the United States.

A beverage company founded by John S. Pemberton in 1886, Coca-Cola became the most recognizable brand in the world.

One of the three major ANTITRUST laws in the United States, the law was passed following congressional hearings in 1912 that revealed much about the nature of American business and finance.

A merchant and INVESTMENT BANKING firm founded by Enoch Clark (1802–56) after the Panic of 1837.

Since the early 20th century, one of the three largest U.S. banks. It was established in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, a state-chartered bank.