In Brief: Fla. Bank, Calif. S&L Get Lowest CRA Rating

Two institutions got "substantial noncompliance" grades on their Community Reinvestment Act exams recently, bringing the year's total to 10.

Great Eastern Bank of Florida in Miami received the lowest CRA grade from Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. examiners after its April review. This was the eighth "substantial noncompliance' rating given by the agency this year.

The Office of Thrift Supervision hit West Coast Savings and Loan Association, Pacific Palisades, Calif., with the other low rating last month.

Compliance officer Brady Miller said West Coast had gotten its low grade because it hasn't made a loan since 1989. The thrift specializes in mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations, she said, and doesn't fit under the new CRA rules, which emphasize originating loans.

Officials of Great Eastern didn't return calls.

Uinta County State Bank, Mountain View, Wyo., is the only Federal Reserve member bank to get a "substantial noncompliance" rating this year. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has given none.

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