January 14, 2010 – The Georgia Department of Banking and Finance closed Oglethorpe Bank, Brunswick, Georgia, today and appointed the FDIC as receiver. The FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Bank of the Ozarks to assume all deposits of Oglethorpe Bank. The two branches of Oglethorpe Bank will reopen on Saturday as […]
Oglethorpe Bank of Georgia Closed By Regulators And Sold To Bank of the Ozarks
January 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Big Banks Say Mortgage Crisis Is Over
January 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
The latest financial results from the banking industry point to a resolution of the mortgage crisis that nearly resulted in the nationalization of the country’s biggest banks three years ago. In a dramatic turnaround the country’s largest banks have repaid government loans, often with large profits to the government. Billions of dollars in new capital […]
Court Ruling Against Bank Foreclosures Could Spiral Into Full Blown Financial Crisis
January 12, 2011 By 4 Comments
The recent Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling against Wells Fargo and U.S. Bancorp is likely to bring foreclosures to a crawl, resulting in a further destabilizing of housing markets. The Court ruling is a major win for debtors and a severe blow for creditors trying to clear a backlog of millions of defaulted mortgages. The Massachusetts […]
Legacy Bank of Scottsdale, Arizona Closed By Regulators And Purchased By Bank With Unpaid TARP Loans
January 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
January 7, 2011 – Legacy Bank of Scottsdale, Arizona, was closed today by the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed the FDIC as receiver. The FDIC, acting as receiver, sold failed Legacy Bank to Enterprise Bank & Trust, St. Louis, Missouri. Enterprise will assume all deposits and purchase essentially all assets of failed Legacy […]
First Commercial Bank Of Florida Becomes First Banking Failure of 2011
January 7, 2011 By 2 Comments
January 7, 2010 – The first banking failure of 2011 occurred today in Florida, a state which has seen numerous banking failures due to collapsing real estate values. The Florida Office of Financial Regulation closed the First Commercial Bank of Florida, located in Orlando and appointed the FDIC as receiver. The FDIC, acting as receiver, […]
The Compelling Case For A New Wave Of Mortgage Defaults And Bank Failures
January 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Two new reports make a compelling case that the markets have not fully discounted the probability of another flood of residential foreclosures precipitated by the continuing decline in home values. The potential impact of price depreciation on the quality of loan portfolios casts serious doubt on the notion of a long term profit recovery for […]
Banks With $1.2 Billion In Unpaid TARP Loans Buy 18 Failed Banks From FDIC
January 5, 2011 By 1 Comment
During 2010, 12 different banks with $1.2 billion in outstanding TARP loans to the US Treasury purchased 18 different failed banks from the FDIC. According to a recent report from the Congressional Oversight Committee, TARP funds totaling $205 billion were distributed to a total of 707 banks. The largest recipients of TARP money have repaid […]
157 Bank Failures In 2010 Highest Since 1992 – Why Next Year Will Be Worse
December 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment
December 31, 2010 – Banking failures for 2010 were at the highest level since 1992 as 157 financial institutions collapsed, the victims of collapsing real estate prices, a weak economy and poor lending decisions. The depth and breath of the current banking crisis makes the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980’s and early […]
Whitney National Bank Acquired By Hancock Holding As Banks Seek Profits Through Takeovers
December 23, 2010 By 1 Comment
December 22, 2010 – Besieged by slow loan growth, loan defaults and costly new regulations, the banking industry is turning to mergers and acquisitions to rebuild profits. In the latest wave of recent bank acquisitions, Hancock Holding Company and Whitney Holding Company announced that Whitney would merge into Hancock in a stock-for-stock transaction. Both banks […]