Bank of Oldtown

The Bank of Oldtown was established in the aftermath of the Rogare bank’s collapse, turning House Hightower’s substantial wealth into a lasting financial institution. Its founding connected the fortunes of Oldtown to the upheaval surrounding the Rogare family and further strengthened one of Westeros’s wealthiest houses.

Founding and Circumstances

During the trials that followed the collapse of the Rogare bank, Lotho Rogare was taken in by Samantha Hightower, the paramour of Lord Lyonel Hightower, and returned with her to Oldtown. Her family had not entrusted any of its gold to the Lyseni bankers and remained among the richest houses in Westeros, rivaled only, perhaps, by the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. Against this background of preserved wealth and a failed banking enterprise, Samantha wished to learn how the Hightowers’ money could be put to better use.

Establishment and Purpose

The account presents the Bank of Oldtown as the outcome of Samantha’s interest in making more effective use of House Hightower’s wealth. It does not describe the bank’s internal organization, lending practices, or founding arrangements; its creation is instead marked by the decision to turn a great house’s accumulated gold toward a new financial undertaking. The institution was thus not an extension of the Rogare bank: the Hightowers had kept their funds out of that bank, and Oldtown’s bank emerged in its wake.

Wealth and Financial Context

Before the Bank of Oldtown was established, Oldtown already figured in the movement and custody of royal wealth. During the dispute over the succession to Viserys I, a portion of the royal treasury was sent to Oldtown, while other portions went to the Iron Bank of Braavos and Casterly Rock. Later, when Rhaenyra took King’s Landing, treasure entrusted to the Hightowers of Oldtown remained beyond her reach. These episodes concern the Hightowers’ custody of wealth, not the Bank of Oldtown itself, but they show the financial standing on which the institution’s creation could build.

Consequences

The bank’s establishment increased House Hightower’s wealth further. Its founding is a compact but consequential reversal in the aftermath of the Rogare collapse: while that failure impoverished lords and tradespeople, the Hightowers’ decision to keep their gold outside the Lyseni bank left them able to establish a financial institution of their own.