For other uses, see Loan (disambiguation). Finance Financial markets Bond market Stock (Equities) Market Forex market Derivatives market Commodity market Money market Spot (cash) Market OTC market Real Estate market Private equity Market participants Investors Speculators Institutional Investors Corporate finance Structured finance Capital budgeting Financial risk management Mergers and Acquisitions Accounting Financial Statements Auditing Credit rating agency Leveraged buyout Venture capital Personal finance Credit and Debt Employment contract Retirement Financial planning Public finance Tax Banks and banking Fractional-reserve banking Central Bank List of banks Deposits Loan Money supply Financial regulation Finance designations Accounting scandals History of finance Stock market bubble Recession Stock market crash History of private equity This box: view • talk • edit A loan is a loan in order to put the borrower in a position that one can gain advantage over him or her. Where the moneylender is not authorised, it could be considered a loan shark. Usury is a different form of abuse, where the lender charges excessive interest. In different time periods and cultures the acceptable interest rate has varied, from no interest at all to unlimited interest rates. Credit card companies in some countries have been accused by consumer organisations of lending at usurious interest rates and making money out of frivolous "extra charges". [1] Abuses can also take place in the form of the customer abusing