It is 1992 and the financial services industry is in chaos with banks merging at an astonishing rate. But one banker, Teddy DeMarco, in the title role, is trying to make his bank do the right thing. Like many other lenders in this era, First Northeastern Bank (1NEB) must overcome years of redlining and racial discrimination in it mortgage lending operations. And to move the bank in a positive direction, DeMarco negotiates agreements with the big protest group known as People United for Movement and Progress, and the African American Ministry for Justice and Economic Development. These agreements are designed to improve the lives of the people living in the distressed low-income communities in the bank’s marketplace. But sinister forces, both internal and external, arise to block Teddy’s efforts and make life miserable for the bank’s in-house politician.

  This novel is filled with characters you will either love or hate because they are all true believers. It is a tale of money in politics, race relations, protests, debates, courtroom drama, and deaths—some accidental, others not so much. It also illustrates a period in the banking business that was chaotic, sad, darkly humorous, and often ending in unintended consequences.