Four more Ga. banks get consent orders - Atlanta Business Chronicle

In the article, the author notes " With 38, Georgia has had more bank failures than any other state since August 2008. The most recent, and eight this year, was the May 14 failure of Satilla Community Bank in southeast Georgia."

Georgia isn't the most populous state, the one with the most foreclosures, or the one with the highest unemployment rate. Therefore, something must be wrong at the regulatory end that is unique to Georgia.

It is worth noting that these problems were not present during the last banking crisis in the 1980s. In fact, The Georgia Department of Banking & Finance was praised at that time for keeping it's state banks under control and out of the quagmire that existed back than. Silverado Bank, The Keating Five, and Neil Bush come to mind when I think of those failures, corruption, and bad land deals. Indeed, when I arrived at the Department in 1988, the Agency was extremely proud that Georgia state banks hadn't gotten into trouble. In fact, Georgia was one of the few states that used the examination of the state examiners to determine the safety and soundness of the financial institutions. In other words, 20 years ago, at least, the FDIC had confidence in the Agency head, the examiners, and their procedures.

Notwithstanding the horrible economy, is it possible the new administration, different political party, and anti-regulatory philosophy has created this horrible situation in Georgia?



Read more: Four more Ga. banks get consent orders - Atlanta Business Chronicle


Four more Ga. banks get consent orders - Atlanta Business Chronicle