Hence, the medieval practice of Jews having to resort to gentiles when seeking an interest-bearing loan, and vice-versa (Christians observed the prohibition too, and they, too, considered Jews strangers). By the time of the Renaissance and the dawn of modern finance, the perverse incentives inherent in the usury ban became apparent: A Jew was disinclined to help a fellow Jew with an interest-free loan, being able to allocate such capital toward interest-accruing gentile-lending instead. The biblical law was having the reverse effect of that intended.
