So You Want to be a Pirate: Means

 It has occurred to me I have failed in giving out advice to other referees. I neglected a golden opportunity to spin stories and screw with players (you players, keep reading, I will give some ideas to mitigate a lot of the crap you get handed.) See, I've always referred to THE BANK -a monolithic institution, that makes the subsector and nay even the sector government thread lightly. It controls the loans to buy ships, you see. Despite nearly everyone messing with free traders, they are vital for healthy interstellar commerce. They also provide a lot of stimulus to your local economies. 

Banks know economic depressions only rank (slightly) behind plagues in toppling governments. They are very careful to keep the traders they underwrite working to make their mortgages. The traders often wind up very wealthy, the bank gets a huge return on their investment, the economy improves and the governments stay in power. So all should be peaceful.

Not necessarily. 

See there's more than one bank. A collection of worlds will form a trade union, filling in holes in their economies: a rich agro world trades food for manufactured products and such. Eventually, one bank (or association of banks) becomes the primary bank of that trade union. Other banks will look to this union and smack their lips. Dismembering and reordering another trade union can be incredibly profitable. this involves breaking their primary and affiliated banks and usually changing the governments' attitudes or failing that toppling them. Remember what I said about economic depressions toppling governments? Govenrments going down will surely take some financial institution with them.

Banks subsidize piracy. In some trade unions this might be quasi-legal. Letters of mark will be issued to privateers and they'll go bother the other bank's shipping. Except the other bank will be backing their own privateers or pirates and it will go back and forth. Sometimes, some large amount of credits will pass under the table. Sometimes, a ship defaulted on will be deemed unusable by the bank and sold as scrap, only... it isn't unusable. The ship gets shuffled off to a likely captain and then splits for the enemy trade union.

The ramifications of a piracy campaign can be far reaching. If trade dries up, everyone hurts, the local bank may even agitate to remove leaders. Too many traders skipping, to avoid piracy and renege on mortgages they can't pay may lead to a run on the bank. This can get messy but banks also make loans to mercenary companies.

If trade does dry up, the pirates can sell their loot (or ship) for big bucks. If the government buys more ships to smash them, they ply their trade in out of the way systems. The navy can't be everywhere. The expanded navy means higher taxes. High taxes can topple governments. They can cause all manner of problems for investors (like banks).

Pulp SF is a haven for pirates!

While we are on the subject of skipping: a bank using piracy as a tool can also probably call in a favor: this captain is skipping, if you find them and bring them to heel there's something in it for you -their ship! A captain on the run will feature the patrol, but the patrol will only grab your ship and lock you up. If pirates catch you all bets are off. It sends a message to other captains. 

If you skip, you will not face justice. You will taste revenge. 

After all banks may work with lesser crooks, but none of them will tolerate deadbeats.