A loan shark's a person or body that offers unsecured loans at high interest rates to individuals, often backed by blackmail or threats of violence. Throughout history, usury laws made loan sharks commonplace. Many moneylenders skirted between legal and extra-legal activity. In the western world in recent years, loan sharks have been a feature of the criminal underworld, but otherwise rare. Loan sharks are common in the UK, Italian Cosa Nostra and Triads in China. There're many registered and le… (More on Loansharking)