Government Seizes Two Banks in Southeast, One in N.M.

Three more banks failed late Friday, at an estimated additional cost to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. of $285 million.

Regulators shuttered the $644 million-asset Peninsula Bank in Englewood, Fla., the $252 million-asset First National Bank in Savannah, Ga., and the $80 million-asset High Desert State Bank in Albuquerque, N.M.

The FDIC found takers for the deposits of all three institutions, which brought the year's failed-bank total so far to 86. Last year 140 banks failed, and the agency has said it expects this year's total to top that.

The Southeast closures reflected continuing troubles for the battered region. Failures in Georgia have now totaled 34 going back to the start of 2009, with 28 banks failing in the Sunshine State over that same stretch.

Peninsula, a state-chartered bank, was sold to Premier American Bank in Miami, which agreed to assume all $580 million of deposits and acquire essentially all of the failed bank's assets. It did not pay a premium. The acquirer and the FDIC agreed to a loss-sharing deal on $438 million of those assets. The failure was estimated to cost the agency about $195 million.

First National, which was closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, was sold to Savannah Bank. The buyer agreed to pay the FDIC a 0.11% premium to take over all of the failed bank's $232 million in deposits, and will also acquire an unspecified amount of assets. The failure was estimated to cost the agency about $69 million.

First American Bank in Artesia, N.M., agreed to assume all $81 million of High Desert's deposits and will not pay a premium. The buyer also will acquire roughly all of the failed bank's assets and share losses with the FDIC on $68 million of those assets. The failure was estimated to cost $21 million.

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