Regulators close 3 banks in Fla., Ore.; total now at 72

ByABC News
August 8, 2009, 7:33 AM

NEW YORK -- Regulators on Friday shut down two banks in Florida and one in Oregon, bringing to 72 the number of federally insured banks to fail this year under the weight of the weak economy and rising loan losses.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the banks: First State Bank, of Sarasota, Fla.; Venice, Fla.-based Community National Bank of Sarasota County, and Community First Bank, of Prineville, Ore.

First State Bank had total assets of $463 million and deposits totaling $387 million. Community National Bank had $97 million in assets and $93 million in deposits. Community First Bank had $209 million in assets and $182 million in deposits.

The FDIC said Stearns Bank, of St. Cloud, Minn., agreed to assume all the deposits of both Florida banks. Stearns Bank also agreed to buy $451 million of First State Bank assets and $94 million of Community National Bank assets.

The nine branches of First State Bank will reopen Monday as Stearns Bank branches, while Community National Bank's four branches will reopen Saturday.

Nampa, Idaho-based Home Federal Bank agreed to assume all of Community First Bank's deposits, except about $31 million in brokered deposits. Home Federal also agreed to buy about $197 million of the failed bank's assets.

Community First Bank's eight branches will reopen on Monday as branches of Home Federal Bank.

There were 25 bank failures nationwide last year and three the year before.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the deposit insurance fund from the failure of the three banks will be around $185 million.

Record unemployment, sinking home prices and dwindling personal wealth have put major constraints on consumers this year, making it difficult for them to pay off debt. Bank failures have cascaded as the economy soured and loan losses soared, sapping billions of dollars out of the deposit insurance fund. It now stands at its lowest level since 1993, $13 billion as of the first quarter.