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brass-plate bank

brass-plate bank
 n.— «He was first investigated 20 years ago when he became a subject of a joint Yard-FBI into so-called “brass-plate” banks on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. The investigation was set up after the tiny island, with a population of fewer than 13,000 people, had been targeted by criminals who set up more than 300 banks and rapidly found itself at the centre of a worldwide money laundering operation.» —“The Files: FBI’s first probe was 20 years ago” by David Connett, Stephen Foley Independent () Feb. 22, 2009. (: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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