Originally intended to be a family memoir, A Banker's Journey laser-focused on the LDC debt crisis of the 1980s and the banking consolidation of the 1990s after author Charles L. Coltman III realized how few insiders knew the true background of the merger of CoreStates Financial and First Union Corporation of Charlotte, North Carolina. Certainly, no other part of his personal story seemed as important to the bigger picture than his role during that merger and no other book has covered the LDC debt crisis from the perspective of regional bankers like Coltman. Drawing on his firsthand knowledge and experience. Coltman reveals the decisions that led to the First Union/CoreStates merger failure and, in the process, offers students of economic history and current commercial bankers dealing with risk and regulators a fascinating account full of lessons to be heeded.