 In the middle of the 19th century, a number of German Jewish immigrants founded investment banking firms which later became mainstays of the industry.Most prominent Jewish banks in the United States were investment banks, rather than commercial banks.Although Jews played only a minor role in the nation's commercial banking system, the prominence of Jewish investment bankers such as the Rothschilds in Europe, and Jacob Schiff, of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. in New York City, made the claims of antisemites believable to some.