Before an auction, both Sotheby's and Christie's ask for bank references from bidders or talk to major dealers to find out if the bidder has a good track record.

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The papers showed the name and address of Ersin Tatar and details from Barclays bank statements and references to financial transfers to Impexbank in 1990, a Turkish bank purchased in 1988 by Asil Nadir.

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Bloomfield provides references to major central bank balance sheets around the world.

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False negatives could also be an issue, there are consumer brands that are universally bitched about but still in everyday use and generating loads of social media references, like for example, almost every major bank or credit card company.

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Sims references a little better by the name of Muhammad Yunus, who launched the microfinancing industry with Grameen Bank and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

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