With this sort of contract, the owner of a big, highly appreciated stock position gets an upfront payment from an investment firm--typically for 75% to 85% of the value of his shares--in exchange for agreeing to deliver a variable number of shares or cash in the future, with the exact amount dependent on how the stock performs.

FORBES: Billionaires' Taxes

Benkler equates the court's position with that of a homeowner who demands a payment from every airliner that passes over his property.

FORBES: Name that Note

"That was a group of people who had a good track record of payment and pretty low level of arrears, thrust into a position where they are now is significant arrears, " said Mr Forbes.

BBC: Roofs

The first senior position he took at the bank in 1990 was as a director in the financial and payment system department.

WSJ: Departing BOJ Governor Shares Doubts on New Policy

One of Ritholtz's friends was in a similar position and kept telling the banks that they didn't want to have to miss a payment and hoped the banks would work with them.

FORBES: Intelligent Investing

Federal prosecutorial efforts against online poker have in recent years focused on the role of payment processors, making it seem to some that the government does not have a high degree of confidence in its position that facilitating for-money online poker violates U.S. law, specifically the wire act.

FORBES: Feds Quietly Freeze Online Poker Cash in Washington