As construction of the wall progressed, the common people complained that they were unable to feed their families because the Jewish elites were loan sharking. Since this sort of practice was one of the major reasons for Judah having gone into exile, Nehemiah put a stop to the practice and made the elites pledge to return all of the interest and collateral that they had gained. Also, as with Ezra, the Samaritans and the Amorites tried to stop the wall building project.