Chris Pattas Blog

A man walked into a bank in Sydney and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was going overseas on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of the bank. The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the man handed over the keys to his new Ferrari. The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. The man produced the title and everything checked out.  The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest.
Later, the bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the man for using a $250,000 Ferrari  as collateral for a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parked it.
Two weeks later, the man returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest of $23.07 in full.  The loan officer said, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow $5,000 when you are a millionaire?"
The man replied, "Mate, where else in Sydney can I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?