There were hundreds of local banks that have struggled to survive the volatile economic wave over the past two years. Since 2008, 238 banks have failed. That translates to 613.2 billion in assets, not to mention the amount of losses that had to be covered by the FDIC for depositors. In 2009 alone, 140 neighborhood banks across the country were forced to shut their doors, accounting for nearly 60% of the total number of banks that have failed during this recession. Apparently, they were too small to succeed. Totally passed over by the TARP bail outs distributed to banks identified as “too big to fail”, the small and midsized banks were left to sink or swim, with little or no support from the Federal Government. 
It may appear to the layman, that neither the Bush, nor the Obama administration saw a need to include the little guys, who made up over a half a trillion dollars in assets. Meanwhile the small banks are the backbone of many communities throughout the country. It is the small bank that often provides construction loans, and mezzanine loans for housing development projects and small businesses that make up a more than 50% of our GDP. This year has seen 73 banks close, and we are only in the second quarter. I am not a big fan of banks, given their unsavory role in the near collapse of the financial makets, but I always take a stand for the overlooked and underserved.
K. Reilly
The Cohn-Reilly Report
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