First Commercial Bank, Minnesota, Closed By Regulators

First Commercial Bank, Bloomington, MN, was closed today by the Minnesota Department of Commerce.  The FDIC, which was named as receiver, sold the failed bank to Republic Bank & Trust Company, Louisville, KY. Founded in 1999, First Commercial Bank was a privately held company with total assets of $215.9 million as of June 30, 2012. […]

Banks Desperate For Funds Victimized By Con Men

This post should trigger a snicker from many consumers who feel that they are victims of the banking industry.  In a new twist, banks themselves are now at the top of the list for many con men One would think that with the increased regulatory scrutiny of the banking industry, banks would be last on […]

FDIC Issues 48 Enforcement Actions In June

The FDIC announced in a press release today a total of 48 enforcement actions taken against banks and individuals in June 2012.  In May, the FDIC issued 56 enforcement actions. Enforcement actions issued in June included three consent orders, two prompt corrective actions, nine removal and prohibition orders, twelve civil money penalties, five modifications of […]

Five Bank Failures Bring Year’s Total To 38 – FDIC Losses Top $1.9 Billion

Regulators had a busy week closing five banks in four different states on Friday.  Although bank failures have been proceeding at a slower pace than last year, the total losses to the FDIC Deposit Insurance Fund now top $1.9 billion and the number of problem banks remains very high considering that we are four years […]

The Royal Palm Bank of Florida Closed By Regualtors

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

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

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

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

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

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 […]