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Re:Panama: The Hidden Trillions by dpark on Tuesday October 11, 2016 @10:49AM (#12684878)
Sure. But the bank isn't going to give random Joe a loan to buy a Monet. That's why all this is far-fetched. There are scenarios that could result in 20MM loans being suddenly called. People with little assets generally don't get those loans though.

It's doubly far-fetched to talk about loans to individuals for $20MM. If you're applying for a $20MM loan, you should have an accountant and your accountant should have told you to put this kind of thing in a corporation. You'll still lose a lot but it shouldn't bankrupt you personally.

Re:Panama: The Hidden Trillions by charlesdm on Tuesday October 11, 2016 @11:58AM (#12685600)
Well, it depends on how wealthy you are and the jurisdiction you live in. Loans are not taxable income and if you would have to pay some sort of withholding tax on a dividend (if you would want to borrow against your illiquid shares for example), then it might make sense to take out a personal loan. A bank might also be more keen to give you a loan personally.

But yes, obviously not that common. Random Joe won't be getting these. Random Joe doesn't have $20m in assets either, though.