Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2008-03-26-islamic-finance-sharia_N.htm
A customer showed up at little Devon Bank on Chicago's North Side, asking for a loan to open a neighborhood shop. But there was a hitch, the would-be borrower explained: "We can't pay any interest. Can you help?"
At the time, seven years ago, the answer was: "Nope," recalls David Loundy, Devon's vice president and legal counsel.
That was then. Since fielding that first request, Devon Bank has transformed itself into a specialist in the kind of no-interest Islamic financing the customer was seeking. Islamic financing now accounts for more than 75% of the bank's mortgage portfolio, and Devon has made mortgages compliant with Islam's sharia law in 36 U.S. states, Loundy says.