OCC Punished Five Banks, Banned a Banker in July

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency took six enforcement actions and ended several others last month, the agency said Friday.

The $760 million-asset Ponce de Leon Federal Bank in New York has agreed to identify and reduce credit risk, improve asset quality and conduct a review of management.

First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Central Illinois, in Shelbyville, must revise plans regarding its loan-loss allowance, internal audits, loan policy, credit administration and compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act. It has assets of $111 million.

One action was taken against an individual. Katrina Caver, a former Wells Fargo (WFC) personal banker in Sioux Falls, S.D, was banned from banking. Regulators found that Caver sold customer information to an outside party in exchange for $2,000 in 2009. The outside party used that information in a fraudulent check-cashing scheme that ultimately cost the bank about $49,100.

The other three new actions involved banks that had already been targeted by the OCC.

The agency lifted a 2009 action against the $195 million-asset EH National Bank, formerly known as Excel National Bank in Beverly Hills, Calif., and issued a cease-and-desist order in its place. The bank must prepare a two-year strategic plan and revise its plan to reduce problem assets. It also has to maintain a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 9% and total risk-based capital of 12%.

A 2010 order against North Georgia National Bank, a $129 million-asset company in Calhoun, was also modified. North Georgia is now required to appoint a compliance committee, hire a new problem loan workout specialist and review its system for rating loan risk.

Canyon Community Bank in Tucson, Ariz., received a revised cease-and-desist order to replace a 2011 action that was terminated. The $84 million-asset Canyon must maintain minimum capital ratios, improve asset quality and credit-risk rating procedures and maintain an appropriate loan-lease allowance.

Four banks were freed from enforcement actions.

The OCC ended two orders that had been issued in recent years against the $66 million-asset Ripley Federal Savings Bank in Ohio. It ended a 2009 order against the $330 million-asset First National Bank of the Rockies in Grand Junction, Colo. A 2011 order against the $155 million-asset First National Bank of Polk County in Cedartown, Ga., was lifted, as was a 2011 order against First Federal Savings and Loan Association of McMinnville in Oregon.

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