China Photos | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China's real estate problems have again drawn attention to the world of shadow banking and the risks it poses to the economy. Shadow banking — a term coined in the U.S. in 2007 — refers to financial services offered outside the formal banking system, which is highly regulated. Estimates of the size of shadow banking in China vary widely, but range in the trillions of U.S. dollars. Shadow banking and real estateChina's property sector, an estimated one-fourth of the economy, lies at the intersection of shadow banking, local government finances and household assets. "These trust companies were basically part of the shadow banking system in China."

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Persons: —, Logan Wright, Wright, Shimao, PwC, Edward Chan, Nomura Organizations: Getty, BEIJING, Developers, Logan Wright Center for Strategic, Center for Strategic, Studies, PricewaterhouseCoopers, CNBC, CSIS Locations: Shanghai, China, U.S