Final answer:
Medieval moneylenders circumvented the Church's ban on usury by charging service fees, using exchange bills, and entering into profit-sharing partnerships that effectively functioned as interest. In modern times, despite electronic transfers of capital, the debate on usury laws persists with many Americans using credit cards.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the medieval period, when the Christian Church banned usury, which is the act of lending money at interest, moneylenders had to find ways to circumvent this rule to continue their business practices.
They developed several methods, one of which was to charge a fee for the service of lending money, which did not count as interest per se. Another method was to include the interest charges indirectly by offering exchange bills at unequal values. Also, some entered into profit-sharing partnerships where the moneylender would provide capital for an endeavor and receive a portion of the profits, which effectively functioned as interest.
In more recent developments, particularly in the modern economy, we see that financial capital often shifts through electronic transfers, which is a significant change from the more visible transactions of the past. With approximately 200 million Americans owning credit cards today, usury laws and the setting of price ceilings on interest rates have become hot political topics.