The Federal Reserve Board has ordered Southwest Florida Community Bancorp Inc. to maintain its health so that it can serve as a source of strength for its ailing bank subsidiary, First Community Bank of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers.
Steep losses on real estate loans in recent years have depleted much of First Community's capital. The bank has lost more than $11 million since the start of 2010, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, and as of Sept. 30 it was considered to be undercapitalized.
In an enforcement order dated Dec. 28 and released Tuesday, the Fed said that the holding company is prohibited from paying dividends or repurchasing stock without regulators' approval and must ensure that the $301 million-asset First Community Bank complies with provisions of a consent agreement it signed with regulators two years ago.
