A man from the Hythe area walks into a London Branch of his bank and asks for a loan.
He tells the bank manager he is going to Australia on business for two weeks and needs to borrow £5,000.
The bank official tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan, so the man of Kent hands over the keys and documents of new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produces the Log Book and everything checks out. The loan officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan.
The bank manager and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the Kent farmer for using a £120,000 Ferrari as collateral against a £5000 loan. The bank manager then instructs an employee of the bank to drive the Ferrari into the bank’s underground garage, where he parks it.
Two weeks later, the man returns, repays the £5,000 and the interest of £15.41.
The bank officer says to the Kent farmer, “Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled …… whilst you were away, we checked you out further and discovered that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow £5,000”?
The man from Hythe replies: “Where else in London can I park my car for two weeks for only £15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?”
Ah!, the mind of a true Man of the Ports. This is why they survive.
First Published in “Cinque Ports” November 2015
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