UN MERCATO "SENZA PREZZO". CREDITO E INTERMEDIAZIONE NOTARILE A VERONA NELL'ULTIMO QUARTO DEL SEICENTO.

The research analyses capital market in Verona during the second half of the 17th century. The study, based on about 11.700 contracts, 940 of which referring to credit, revealed that the notary played a crucial role inside such a circuit. Institutions and people of almost all ranks, coming both from the city and from the countryside, went to the notary to seal a will, to create a dowry, to register a sale, a rent, and to make a loan. The notary went to gather a set of precious information referred to his customers – such as who had liquid to invest, who need money, and also who was an honest debtor and a relible creditor - that put him in the position to combine demand and offer (in this case borrower and lender), reducing the asymmetric information and lowering transaction costs. In this market pivoted on notary, information rather than prices, played an essential role in allocating capitals. The research reveals that in Verona the demand coming from the middle class and also from state institutions - like the city and the villages - strongly spurred the mobilization of capitals. Credit in Verona was then demand following rather than supply leading.