[iand]

I don't think it's a stereotype. In the Middle Ages Christianity and Islam both had strict usary laws forbidding the charging of interest on loans. Judaism only forbade it amongst fellow Jews so they could charge interest to followers of other religions. This allowed them to afford to make loans where others could not. Obviously they also became the focus of anger when people could not repay the loan and the subject of jealousy when they became rich from loaning money. This is probably the root of many historic pogroms.