FDIC Issues 53 Enforcement Actions, Number of Problem Banks Remains Elevated

The FDIC released the list of enforcement actions taken in February 2012 against 53 banks.  In the previous month of January, the FDIC had issued 42 enforcement actions. The orders issued by the FDIC included 10 civil money penalties, 1 prompt corrective action, 13 consent orders, 1 order terminating deposit insurance and 19 orders terminating […]

Fidelity Bank of Michigan Closed By Regulators, Sold To The Huntington National Bank

Fidelity Bank of Dearborn, Michigan, was closed today by the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation which appointed the FDIC as receiver. Fidelity Bank, owned by holding company parent Dearborn Bancorp, Inc. was established in 1994 and had a total of 15  branches.  According to the failed Bank’s website, Fidelity Bank is the only […]

Bank Stress Tests Viewed As Fed Deception By Critics

Every banker knows that public confidence in the banking industry is essential. With the banking industry approaching a near meltdown last year, the Federal Reserve decided to conduct a series of “stress tests” on the country’s largest banks in order to restore confidence in the banking system.  After reviewing the results of the stress tests, […]

What Big Bank Stock Has The Largest Price Gain In 2012?

After getting pounded during 2011, bank stocks have soared this year, especially after the Federal Reserve completed its “stress tests” and said that almost every big bank could survive “extremely adverse” economic conditions. During 2011 bank stock shareholders experienced the biggest price declines since the financial panic of 2008.  As worries mounted over both the […]

Big Bank CEOs Take Home Massive Paychecks As Savers and Shareholders Get Crushed

Right or wrong, most consumers have an overwhelmingly negative opinion about big banks.   According to a survey by Research and Markets, 86% of social media comments about U.S. and European banks are negative. The negative perception of big banks by the public has become so pervasive that most bank executives probably just ignore it at […]

Fed Says Banks Can Withstand Financial Hurricane – Savers, Borrowers and Shareholders Not So Lucky

Stress tests of the largest banks in the country against a financial hurricane of “extremely adverse” economic conditions shows that almost all of the largest banks in the country would be able to maintain adequate capital levels.  The Federal Reserve said that 18 of the 19 banks stress tested would survive even if stock prices […]

Bank Of America, Hated By Many, Could Make Some People Rich In 2012

During 2011, some of the smartest investment pros in the world bet heavily on Bank of America and lost big as the stock price collapsed. Concerns over the looming collapse of the European banking system sent U.S bank stocks into a tailspin as panicked investors sold.  From a price of $15 in January 2011 the […]

Banking Industry Slowly Recovers – 813 Banks Remain On “Problem Bank List”

The FDIC’s Quarterly Banking Profile for the fourth quarter of 2011 shows a modest but steady recovery in the banking industry.  Despite the fact that a majority of banks reported improved quarterly earnings, 813 institutions remain on the Problem Bank List, comprising 11% of all FDIC insured banks and savings associations. Highlights of the 2011 […]

Not All Banks Made Poor Lending Decisions During The Bubble Years – 5 Banks Worth Buying

With hundreds of bank failures over the past four years and the Problem Bank List at a 20 year high, it is sometimes easy to get the impression that all banks were engaged in reckless lending during the real estate bubble years. While virtually all of the “Too Big To Fail Banks” engaged in highly […]

Central Bank of Georgia Fails After Serving Public For 102 Years

Any bank that can last for 102 years deserves special recognition for surviving business panics, stock market crashes, world wars and economic depressions.  The Central Bank of Georgia, Ellaville, GA, is in this category, having been established on September 16, 1910 and surviving until today when the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance closed the […]