The Royal Palm Bank of Florida, Naples, FL, was closed today by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation which appointed the FDIC as receiver. Opened in 2001, The Royal Palm Bank had served all of Southwest Florida through three offices in Collier & Lee counties, offering full service commercial banking services. In 2006, The Royal […]
Non Stop Banking Scandals Are Dangerously Eroding Public Trust In The Financial System
July 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I am old enough to remember when most people considered banks to be rock solid bastions of financial strength and integrity. That was then, this is now, and a long running, non stop series of banking scandals seems to be dangerously eroding public confidence in the entire financial system. In recent weeks we have seen […]
Montgomery Bank & Trust, Georgia, Closed By Regulators
July 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Montgomery Bank & Trust, a long time presence in Ailey, Georgia, was closed today by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. Montgomery Bank and Trust, which had been in business since 1926, became insolvent after a large amount of borrowers defaulted on their loans. The FDIC was appointed as receiver and sold the failed […]
Barclays Libor Scandal Expands – Why British Taxpayers Will Pay In The End
July 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Barclays Libor scandal continues to escalate after revelations that senior officials at the Bank of England pressured Barclays to artificially lower the Libor rate. Documents released by Barclays suggest that U.K. treasury officials pressured Barclays to lower the Libor rate. This latest development threatens to turn the Libor rate fixing scandal into a showdown […]
Large Banks Simply Can’t Be Trusted – The Cultural Mindset Of Barclays and JP Morgan Management
July 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Continuing scandals in the banking industry are making it difficult to avoid the conclusion that the entire crony capitalism structure of banking has become endemically corrupt. Even as the too big to fail banks vehemently lobby against new regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act, recent scandals at Barclays Plc and JP Morgan make it clear that […]
FDIC Issues 53 Enforcement Actions In May
June 29, 2012 By 1 Comment
The FDIC announced today a total of 53 enforcement actions for May 2012. In the previous month, the FDIC had issued 56 enforcements actions. Enforcements actions issued in May included 9 consent orders, 10 civil money penalties, 8 section 19 orders, 13 orders terminating previous consent and cease and desist orders, 2 orders terminating prompt […]
Credit Ratings of 15 Global Banks Cut In Largest Downgrades Since 2007
June 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In the most sweeping credit downgrades since 2007, Moody’s Investor Service lowered the credit ratings of fifteen global banks, including the five largest banks in the United States. The scope of the credit downgrades left many wondering if we are entering a new phase of the global financial meltdown that started in 2008. Despite trillions […]
Three Banks Fail In Tennessee, Georgia and Florida – Total 2012 Bank Failures At 31
June 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Regulators closed three banks in three different states, as loan losses continue to plague the banking industry. Efforts by small banks to raise additional capital have become increasing difficult due to low loan demand, a slowing economy and investor antipathy towards banking stocks. The latest three banking failures in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida bring total […]
The Farmers Bank of Lynchburg, TN, Closed By Regulators After 124 Years Of Operations
June 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
One of the oldest banking institutions in the country was closed by regulators after becoming critically undercapitalized. The Farmers Bank of Lynchburg, established in 1888, was closed by the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions which appointed the FDIC as receiver. In order to protect depositors, the failed bank was sold by the FDIC to Clayton […]
Security Exchange Bank, Marietta, GA, Fails After Loan Defaults Soar
June 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Security Exchange Bank, Marietta, GA, a locally owned community bank headquartered in Marietta, GA, was closed today by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. The FDIC, acting as receiver, sold the failed Bank to Fidelity Bank, Atlanta, GA. Both branches of the failed Bank will reopen on Monday as branches of Fidelity Bank and […]