Word: fdic
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...nation's banks are still stable. But the report notes that 12 banks failed last quarter and a total of 25 failed last year. That was the highest number since 1993, when 50 failed. More disturbing, an additional 252 banks, representing $159 billion in assets, went on the FDIC's "problem list," up from 76 institutions, worth $22 billion, at the beginning of 2008. That increase is already translating into what could be a record number of bank failures in 2009. Already this year, 19 banks have failed...
...higher rate of bank failures is increasing strain on the FDIC's resources. The agency's insurance-fund balance dropped by almost half in the fourth quarter, from $35 billion to $19 billion. To keep funds from dwindling, the FDIC is going to raise deposit-insurance assessment rates beginning in the second quarter of 2009, adding to the burden that already-troubled banks will have to bear...
Once a quarter, the FDIC does something which seems to have little purpose. It releases its list of "problem" banks. These are institutions which face a high risk of failure because of their balance sheets and business prospects. The agency keeps a particularly watchful eye on them because it could be called on at any moment to take them over. The list for the final quarter of 2008 had 252 banks on it. This figure was up nearly 50% from the previous quarter, but given that some of the nation's largest banks seem to be on the brink...
...reason that releasing the figure is without purpose is that none of the banks are mentioned by name. The FDIC's argument is that if the public knew which institutions were in trouble, customers would withdraw money so quickly that the firms would be out of business in a day. That would put a large burden on the FDIC because it insures the deposits at each of those banks, which have combined assets of $159 billion. (See pictures of the Top 10 scared traders...
...When discussing the new list, FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said she expected her agency to pay out $22 billion in insurance this year. On the back of an envelope that number would seem to indicate that the banking industry will not have such a bad year. The FDIC may not even have to go to the Treasury for the extra capital that might be needed as problem banks fail. No matter what the agency says about its list, the actual figure for problem banks is much too low. The FDIC can claim that it historically accurate measurements, but most financial...