The series consists of memoranda, letters, and telexes written or received by Stern during his tenure as Senior Vice President of Finance (FINSV) from 1988 to 1991. Stern assumed his duties in FINSV in May 1987 but there is a gap in his chronological files for the year 1987. Records consist mostly of internal memoranda to the President, the Regional Vice Presidents, other senior managers in the Finance Vice Presidency and President's Council as well as the Board of Directors. A smaller portion of the correspondence is with external banks or institutions and country ministers. Reports and draft papers are occasionally attached to the correspondence in addition to handwritten notes and annotations.

Issues covered in the files relate to: investment guidelines and operations; lending arrangements; monthly financial reports for clearance; market updates; currency management and policies to borrowers; country loan payments; comments on internal and external reports and papers; IDA9 deputies meeting administration and IDA9 negotiations; World Bank-International Monetary Fund collaboration and debt reduction; pension fund management; capital subscriptions; FINSV's work program and budget; and staffing matters. Topics of note are: U.S. Treasury's Brady Plan for international debt reduction and the role of the World Bank; review of the Bank's reimbursable programs; and the establishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in 1991.