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FDIC’s Sheila Bair Issues Summary Statement On Quarterly Banking Report

August 31, 2010 By Chuck Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 31, 2010

Commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) reported an aggregate profit of $21.6 billion in the second quarter of 2010, a $26 billion improvement from the $4.4 billion net loss the industry posted in the second quarter of 2009. This is the highest quarterly earnings total since the third quarter of 2007. Despite the improvement, earnings remain below historical norms. On the positive side, one in five institutions reported a net loss for the quarter, compared to 29 percent a year earlier. And, the average return on assets (ROA), a basic yardstick of profitability, rose to 0.65 percent, from negative 0.13 percent a year ago.

“This is the best quarterly profit for the banking sector in almost three years,” said FDIC Chairman Sheila C. Bair. “Nearly two out of every three banks are reporting better year-over-year earnings. As long as economic conditions remain supportive, most institutions should maintain profitability and increase their capacity to lend.”

She added, “Without question, the industry still faces challenges. Earnings remain low by historical standards, and the numbers of unprofitable institutions, problem banks and failures remain high. But the banking sector is gaining strength. Earnings have grown, and most asset quality indicators are moving in the right direction.”

The primary factor contributing to the year-over-year improvement in quarterly earnings was a reduction in provisions for loan losses. While quarterly provisions remained high, at $40.3 billion, they were $27.1 billion (40.2 percent) lower than a year earlier. Net interest income was $8.5 billion (8.6 percent) higher than a year ago, and noninterest expenses were $1.5 billion (1.5 percent) lower.

I have opined on this very issue in the past. The fact that banks and other financial institutions are taking money away from loss reserves and placing it back onto the ‘active’ balance sheet is simply a game with numbers. The banks are attempting to boost their numbers by sacrificing the funds set aside for future losses.

This places the banks and financial institutions in even greater peril by operating with lower loss reserves. This is hardly good news.

The FDIC noted signs of improvement in asset-quality trends as the amount of loans and leases that were noncurrent (90 days or more past due or in nonaccrual status) fell for the first time since the first quarter of 2006. Insured banks and thrifts charged off $49 billion in uncollectible loans during the quarter, down $214 million (0.4 percent) from a year earlier. This is the first time since the fourth quarter of 2006 that net charge-offs posted a year-over-year decline.

We shall see just how long this ‘trend’ lasts, I do not expect it to last very long at all.

Total loans and leases declined by $107.5 billion (1.4 percent) during the quarter. Total assets fell by $136.2 billion (1.0 percent).

Financial results for the first quarter are contained in the FDIC’s latest Quarterly Banking Profile, which was released today. Also among the findings:

Loan-loss reserves declined for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2006. Although almost two out of every three banks (62.1 percent) increased their loan-loss reserves in the quarter, the industry’s total reserves declined by $11.8 billion (4.5 percent), as a number of large banks reduced their loan-loss provisions. The industry’s ratio of reserves to total loans and leases fell from 3.50 percent to 3.40 percent during the quarter, but this is still the second-highest ratio in the 63 years for which data are available. “Particularly given economic uncertainties, we believe all banks should continue to exercise caution and maintain strong reserves,” Chairman Bair said.

The industry’s “coverage ratio” of reserves to noncurrent loans improved for a second consecutive quarter, from 64.9 percent to 65.1 percent, as the decline in noncurrent loans outpaced the reduction in loss reserves.

The number of institutions on the FDIC’s “Problem List” rose from 775 to 829. However, the total assets of “problem” institutions declined from $431 billion to $403 billion. Also, while the number of “problem” institutions is the highest since March 31, 1993, when there were 928, it is the smallest net increase since the first quarter of 2009.

Forty-five insured institutions failed during the second quarter.

The Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) balance improved for the second quarter in a row. The DIF balance – the net worth of the fund – improved from negative $20.7 billion to negative $15.2 billion during the second quarter. The improvement stemmed primarily from assessment revenues and from a reduction in the contingent loss reserve, which covers the costs of expected failures. The reserve declined from $40.7 billion to $27.5 billion during the quarter.

Negative $15.2 Billion insurance fund, still broke. Any questions?

The FDIC’s liquid resources – cash and marketable securities – remained strong. Liquid resources stood at $44 billion at the end of the second quarter, a decline from $63 billion at the end of the first quarter. The decline in cash balances reflects previously anticipated outlays, primarily related to three bank failures in Puerto Rico on April 30th.

“As we expected,” Chairman Bair said, “demands on cash have increased this year. But our projections indicate that our current resources are more than enough to resolve anticipated failures.”

Total insured deposits declined by 0.7 percent ($39 billion) during the quarter.

Not only are people withdrawing money from mutual funds of all types, they are even withdrawing funds from deposit accounts.

The complete Quarterly Banking Profile is available at http://www2.fdic.gov/qbp on the FDIC Web site.

Filed Under: Market Updates Tagged With: ,

More Bailouts at Taxpayer Expense

August 2, 2010 By Chuck Leave a Comment

Just two weeks ago President Obama claimed that bailouts funded by taxpayers would end. Well that did not last long.

A new bill that would provide upwards of $30 Billion to smaller banks is being put together. But instead of calling it a bailout the administration is calling it an assistance payment. That is taxpayer funds will go to smaller banks in the harder hit regions of the country to help them with deteriorating balance sheets. The cover story for the bill will be that the funds will enable the banks to make more loans. Where have we heard that before?

Congress is at work on a new program that would send $30 billion to struggling community banks, in a process similar to the huge federal bailouts of big banks during the financial crisis. This time, money is more likely to disappear as a result of bank failures or fraud.

{…} In his (President Obama) weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday, he described the new bailout program as “a common-sense” plan that would give badly needed lending help to small-business owners to expand and hire.

At its core, the program is another bank rescue. Some lenders need the bailouts to survive. Others could take the bailouts and crumble anyway. That’s what happens when banks run out of capital – the money they must keep in case of unexpected losses. Banks with too little capital can be shuttered to protect the taxpayer-insured deposits they hold.

Or, under this proposal, many could get bailouts. The new money would be available to banks that are short on cash. It’s supposedly reserved for banks deemed “viable.” But regulators won’t consider whether banks are viable now. They’ll envision how strong a bank would be after receiving a fresh infusion cash from taxpayers and private investors. If the bank would become viable because of the bailout, the government can make it happen. {…} (HuffPo)

The FDIC is responsible for absorbing the costs of failed banks and protecting depositors, that is why banks pay a fee to the FDIC reserve fund. But as I have written in the past, the FDIC has been struggling to keep the reserve fund in the black. The FDIC still has an open credit line with the Treasury for $500 Billion, just in case.

It is not the responsibility of the taxpayers to bailout banks, period.

The bill that President Obama spoke of during his radio address is nothing more than another taxpayer funded bailout. He can call it whatever he wants but it is simply another bailout using taxpayer funds. Looks like we have been duped, again.

Filed Under: Market Updates Tagged With: , ,

Bank Failures For Week Ending June 18, 2010

June 20, 2010 By Chuck Leave a Comment

nevada security bank

Nevada Security Bank, Reno, Nevada, was closed today by the Nevada Financial Institutions Division, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Umpqua Bank, Roseburg, Oregon, to assume all of the deposits of Nevada Security Bank.

The five branches of Nevada Security Bank will reopen on Monday as branches of Umpqua Bank. Depositors of Nevada Security Bank will automatically become depositors of Umpqua Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage. Customers of Nevada Security Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from Umpqua Bank that it has completed systems changes to allow other Umpqua Bank branches to process their accounts as well.{…}

The FDIC and Umpqua Bank entered into a loss-share transaction on $368.2 million of Nevada Security Bank’s assets. Umpqua Bank will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. {…}

Information for customers of Nevada Security Bank

Filed Under: Bank Failures, Market Updates Tagged With: , ,

One in Ten Banks Is a “Problem”

May 22, 2010 By Chuck

The recent FDIC’s latest banking health report now shows 775 banks, or one-tenth of all U.S. banks are classified as “problem institutions”.

The 775 problem banks is up from 702 in the previous banking report from the prior quarter. The cause indicated for the increase in problem banks is the rise in bad commercial real estate loans.

[…] Poor loan performance in other sectors also continued to hurt banks, with the total number of loans at least three months past due climbing for the 16th consecutive quarter, FDIC officials said in a briefing on Thursday. "The banking system still has many problems to work through, and we cannot ignore the possibility of more financial market volatility," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said.[…]

[…] FDIC officials said they expected the number of failed banks to peak this year after climbing steadily over the past three years. Regulators have shut 72 banks so far this year, more than double the number closed by this time last year. Ms. Bair said regulators were preparing for a steady pace of additional closures through the end of the year. A total of 237 banks have failed since the beginning of 2008.

The failures continue to strain the FDIC’s fund to protect consumer deposits, although officials signaled they were confident they had enough cash on hand to deal with the expected spate of failures, without having to assess new fees on the banking industry. The agency’s deposit insurance fund stood at negative-$20.7 billion at the end of the first quarter, a slight improvement from the end of 2009. (emphasis added) (WSJ)

A slight improvement? Looks like they are still broke to me.

Filed Under: Bank Failures, Market Updates Tagged With: , ,

Financial Reform – Another Shell Game Leaves Tax Payers on the Hook

May 4, 2010 By Chuck

The financial reform bill has a backdoor bailout clause that would have utilized $50 Billion of funds set aside to be used when another big bank needed a bailout or winding down. This backdoor bailout is a fact, even with some politicians, and the President, saying it was no such thing.

Well now it gets worse. Tonight senate leaders agreed to scrap the $50 Billion fund and instead use a system by which the FDIC would provide the necessary funding to handle the failed institution. The source of this new funding would be accomplished by setting up a new line of credit with the treasury department, and it would be backed by the failed company’s assets.

Ok, so let us walk through this one. The first idea in the bill was to set aside $50 Billion, which Geithner claimed would have been funded by the big institutions themselves. The reason it has been referred to as a backdoor taxpayer bailout is that the increased levies on the big banks would simply be passed along to the tax payer.

So then if in the future a Citigroup, or Bank of America for example needed another bailout or needed to be ring fenced if the firm goes into core meltdown then the funds would be drawn from the $50 Billion reserve.

Now, the newest idea is even worse than the first one. Under this agreement the $50 Billion is scrapped altogether. In its place will be a new credit line established between the treasury department taxpayer and the FDIC. So if a Citigroup for example goes into a meltdown then the firm would be wound down and costs to perform the bailout / wind down would be provided by the FDIC / Treasury credit line. And when the nuclear dust settles the assets of the firm will be sold to reimburse the Treasury.

[…] Aides to the committee chairman, Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, and the panel’s senior Republican, Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, said the two senators had agreed to scuttle a $50 billion fund proposed by Democrats.

The fund, which was opposed by the Obama administration, drew criticism from Republicans who had warned that it would promote rather than prevent taxpayer bailouts of failed financial companies.

Under the deal, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation would finance the liquidation of failed financial companies, using a new credit line with the Treasury Department backed by the failed company’s assets. The money would be recouped later through the sale of assets, with shareholders and creditors forced to take losses.[…] emphasis added (NYT)

The problem with this ridiculous plan is that the taxpayers only get reimbursed if the assets of the failed firm are enough to cover the original outlay of funds that were needed to wind them down. It puts the taxpayers on the hook yet again for Wall Street screw ups. Only this time it is disguised even better with the FDIC being front and center, and behind the FDIC is the treasury and taxpayers.

I don’t see things as optimistically as the NYT does. Take for example the bank failures of the past 18 months. When the FDIC moves in a seizes the bank they establish an estimate of what the costs will be to the insurance fund. In later months, the FDIC issues additional reports on the failed bank, and in many instances the true cost ends up being much higher than first estimated when it is discovered that the assets the institution was holding was worth much less than what was being reported. We have mark to myth accounting rules to thank for that.

So if the treasury taxpayer is going to be reimbursed by the assets held from the failed institution then I say this is just one more shell game being played on the American people.

Filed Under: Financial Reform, Market Updates Tagged With: , , ,

FDIC Insurance Fund is Broke to the Tune of Nearly $21 Billion

February 23, 2010 By Chuck

Today the Federal deposit Insurance Company released the latest quarterly banking profile. There is much information contained within this latest report and I will highlight the important parts for you here:

The most important revelation is that the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF), the money available to pay back customers at failed banks, has dropped to a record low.

The Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) decreased by $12.6 billion during the fourth2-23-2010 11-32-13 AM quarter to a negative $20.9 billion (unaudited) primarily because of $17.8 billion in additional provisions for bank failures. Also, unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities combined with operating expenses reduced the fund by $692 million. Accrued assessment income added $3.1 billion to the fund during the quarter, and interest earned, combined with termination fees on loss share guarantees and surcharges from the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program added $2.8 billion. For the year, the fund balance shrank by $38.1 billion, compared to a $35.1 billion decrease in 2008.

The DIF’s reserve ratio was negative 0.39 percent on December 31, 2009, down from negative 0.16 percent on September 30, 2009, and 0.36 percent a year ago. The December 31, 2009, reserve ratio is the lowest reserve ratio for a combined bank and thrift insurance fund on record.

DIF Reserve Ratio Graph

In layman’s terms, the FDIC is in the hole by nearly $21 Billion, and it is very likely that they are tapping their $500 Billion credit agreement with the US.Treasury taxpayers.

The number of banking institutions that the FDIC has identified as ‘problem institutions’ has risen once again and now stands at 702 with assets of $403 Billion. If there is $403 Billion in assets recognized as being contained in problem banks, and the insurance fund is negative $21 Billion then where will the money come from to pay our insurance claims when these banks fail? Taxpayers, that’s where.

The FDIC also reported that loan losses rose for the 12th consecutive quarter.

Asset quality indicators worsened in the fourth quarter. Net charge-offs (NCOs) totaled $53.0 billion, an increase of $14.4 billion (37.2 percent) over the same period in 2008. The annualized net charge-off rate rose to 2.89 percent, up from 1.95 percent a year earlier and 2.72 percent in the third quarter of 2009. This is the highest quarterly NCO rate reported by the industry in the 26 years for which quarterly NCO data are available. […]

Noncurrent loans still growing

Noncurrent loans and leases continued to rise through the end of the year, with a few notable exceptions. The total amount of loans and leases that were noncurrent (90 days or more past due or in nonaccrual status) increased by $24.3 billion (6.6 percent) in the fourth quarter, to $391.3 billion, or 5.37 percent of all loans and leases at yearend. This is the highest level for the industry’s noncurrent rate in the 26 years that all insured institutions have reported noncurrent loan data. The increase in noncurrent loans in the quarter was largely driven by noncurrent residential mortgage loans, which rose by $23.2 billion (14.9 percent).[…]

All in all the FDIC looks to be in sad shape. Expect to see FDIC Chairwoman Shelia Bair to be before Congress again this year trying to explain why it is that the insurance fund is broke and what she is going to do about it.

 

 

Filed Under: Market Updates Tagged With: , , ,

Bank Failure Friday – Barnes Banking Company, St. Stephen State Bank, and Town Community Bank & Trust

January 16, 2010 By Chuck

Another Friday and another day of the FDIC rapid response team going into action. Today’s targets of acquisition were Barnes Banking Company of Kaysville, UT, St. Stephen State Bank,St. of Stephen,MN, and Town Community Bank & Trust of Antioch,IL:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2010

logo-barnes Barnes Banking Company, Kaysville, Utah, was closed today by the Utah Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC created the Deposit Insurance National Bank of Kaysville (DINB), which will remain open until February 12, 2010 to allow depositors access to their insured deposits and time to open accounts at other insured institutions.

At the time of closing, the receiver immediately transferred to the DINB all insured deposits of Barnes Banking Company, except for brokered deposits, certificates of deposits (CDs) and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The receiver also transferred to the DINB all secured deposits by public entities.

The FDIC will mail checks directly to customers with CDs and IRAs. For the brokered deposit customers, the FDIC will pay the brokers directly for the amount of their insured funds. Customers with brokered deposits should contact their brokers directly for information concerning their money.

The main office and all branches of Barnes Banking Company will open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., on Saturday. The DINB will maintain Barnes Banking Company’s normal business hours thereafter. Zions First National Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah, will provide operational management of the DINB. Banking activities, such as direct deposit and writing checks, ATM and debit cards, can continue normally for former customers of Barnes Banking Company until February 12, 2010. Barnes Banking Company official checks will continue to clear and will be issued to customers closing accounts.

All insured depositors of Barnes Banking Company are encouraged to transfer their insured funds to other banks during this transitional period. They may do so by asking their new bank to electronically transfer their deposits from the DINB or by writing checks for the amount in their accounts. For depositors who have not closed or transferred their accounts on or before February 12, 2010, the FDIC will mail checks to the address of record for the amount of the insured funds.

Under the FDI Act, the FDIC may create a deposit insurance national bank to ensure that depositors have continued access to their insured funds where no other bank has agreed to assume the insured deposits. This arrangement allows for uninterrupted direct deposits and automated payments from customers’ accounts and allows them time to find another institution with which to do business.

As of September 30, 2009, Barnes Banking Company had $827.8 million in total assets and $786.5 million in total deposits. At the time of closing, there were approximately $100,000 in deposit funds that potentially exceeded the insurance limits. Uninsured deposits were not transferred to the DINB. This estimate is likely to change once the FDIC obtains additional information from these customers.

Customers with accounts in excess of $250,000 should contact the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-528-4893 to set up an appointment to discuss their deposits. This phone number will be operational this evening until 9 p.m., Mountain Standard Time (MST); on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., MST; on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., MST; and thereafter from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., MST. Customers who would like more information on today’s transaction should visit the FDIC’s Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/barnes.html.

Beginning Monday, depositors of Barnes Banking Company with more than $250,000 at the bank may visit the FDIC’s Web page "Is My Account Fully Insured?" at http://www2.fdic.gov/dip/Index.asp to determine their insurance coverage.

The FDIC as receiver will retain all the assets from Barnes Banking Company for later disposition. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

The cost to the FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund is estimated to be $271.3 million. Barnes Banking Company is the fourth bank to fail this year and the first in Utah. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was America West Bank, Layton, on May 1, 2009.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2010

st stephen state bank logo St. Stephen State Bank, St. Stephen, Minnesota, was closed today by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with First State Bank of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, Minnesota, to assume all of the deposits of St. Stephen State Bank.

The two branches of St. Stephen State Bank will reopen during normal business hours as branches of First State Bank of St. Joseph. Depositors of St. Stephen State Bank will automatically become depositors of First State Bank of St. Joseph. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship to retain their deposit insurance coverage. Customers should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from First State Bank of St. Joseph that it has completed systems changes to allow other First State Bank of St. Joseph branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of St. Stephen State Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2009, St. Stephen State Bank had approximately $24.7 million in total assets and $23.4 million in total deposits. First State Bank of St. Joseph did not pay the FDIC a premium to assume all of the deposits of St. Stephen State Bank. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the St. Stephen State Bank, First State Bank of St. Joseph agreed to purchase essentially all of the failed bank’s assets.

The FDIC and First State Bank of St. Joseph entered into a loss-share transaction on $20.4 million of St. Stephen State Bank’s assets. First State Bank of St. Joseph will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today’s transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-591-2845. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., CST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., CST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., CST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC’s Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/ststephen.html .

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $7.2 million. First State Bank of St. Joseph’s acquisition of all the deposits was the "least costly" resolution for the FDIC’s DIF compared to all alternatives. St. Stephen State Bank is the third FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Minnesota. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Prosperan Bank, Oakdale, on November 6, 2009.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2010

logo-towncommunity Town Community Bank and Trust, Antioch, Illinois, was closed today by the Illinois Department of Financial Professional Regulation, Division of Banking, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with First American Bank, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, to assume all of the deposits of Town Community Bank and Trust.

The sole branch of Town Community Bank and Trust will reopen on Saturday as a branch of First American Bank. Depositors of Town Community Bank and Trust will automatically become depositors of First American Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship to retain their deposit insurance coverage. Customers should continue to use the former Town Community Bank and Trust branch until they receive notice from First American Bank that it has completed systems changes to allow other First American Bank branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of Town Community Bank and Trust can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2009, Town Community Bank and Trust had approximately $69.6 million in total assets and $67.4 million in total deposits. First American Bank did not pay the FDIC a premium to assume all of the deposits of Town Community Bank and Trust. In addition to assuming all of the deposits, First American Bank agreed to purchase approximately $67.6 million of Town Community Bank and Trust’s assets. The FDIC retained the remaining assets for later disposition.

The FDIC and First American Bank entered into a loss-share transaction on $56.2 million of Town Community Bank and Trust’s assets. First American Bank will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today’s transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-877-894-4710. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., CST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., CST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., CST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC’s Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/towncommunity.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $17.8 million. First American Bank’s acquisition of all the deposits was the "least costly" resolution for the FDIC’s DIF compared to all alternatives. Town Community Bank and Trust is the second FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Illinois. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Independent Bankers’ Bank, Springfield, on December 18, 2009.

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Filed Under: Market Updates Tagged With: , , , ,

The FDIC Reserve Is Gone

November 24, 2009 By Chuck

The cash reserves needed for the FDIC to keep paying depositors at failed banks has all been used up. Don’t panic (yet anyways), the FDIC has an open credit line to the Treasury Department (uh, that means us tax payers) that will keep the FDIC floating in cash to keep paying out money to Grandma and Grandpa at the failed banks.

You see, the FDIC is supposed to be self maintaining, it charges banks a fee to have their deposits insured. Think of it as the banks paying an insurance premium. That money goes into the FDIC kitty and is used to pay depositors when a bank fails. That is all well and good except when the financial system blows up like it has over the past 2 years.

As of today’s quarterly report issued by the FDIC they are now broke, and I mean that in the literal sense.

FDIC deposit insurance fund now -$8.2B v $10.4B last quarter

Yep, they are broke, no money left in the cash drawer. So what now? As long as the FDIC has an open credit line with the Treasury then any bank that fails it will be the taxpayers who reimburse Grandma and Grandpa.

Think of it this way: you have a checking account at (let’s pick a name out of the air) ShittyBank and they get closed by the FDIC. Your very own money will be reimbursed to you via the FDIC insurance fund, but you will actually be paying yourself back in part because taxpayers will be on the hook to keep the FDIC floating in funds. So in the end you still lose some money.

The FDIC has recently asked member banks to pre-pay insurance premiums for the next 3 years in an attempt to fund the reserve pool as quickly as possible. But many smaller banks are objecting to this as it will further cut into their balance sheets. Besides, will prepayment of 3 years of insurance premiums be enough to cover the increase in bank failures that still lie ahead? I think not. In which case it will eventually end up in the tax payers lap.

Not only has the FDIC announced that their cash drawer is empty, but the number of banks on their hit list has grown yet again. That number now stands at 552 compared to 416 just in the previous quarter.

Recall that just a couple months ago the FDIC opened a satellite office in Florida with a staff of roughly 500 to deal with the bank issues (aka future bank failure) in the Southeast region. Expect more bank failures from Florida and surrounding states in the future.


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