Banks on the Brink; Rough times ahead for USA's banks; Bad loans, competition take their toll
May 29, 1990
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Every day the news seems to get worse about the financial condition of the USA's banks. Bad real-estate loans are skyrocketing, earnings are falling, banks are failing.
And the federal fund that insures bank deposits covers only 70 cents of every $100 it insures - the lowest level of protection since the Great Depression.
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Banks' real estate blues; Loans turned sour fast; Glory days of 'rose-colored glasses' fade
May 30, 1990
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Five years ago when GM announced it would build its much ballyhooed Saturn plant in nearby Spring Hill, Tenn., Nashville bankers and developers struck up "We're in the Money." Up popped thousands of homes and millions of square feet of office space.
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Banks in deep trouble; Recession likely to bring shakeout
Aug. 30, 1990
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The USA's battered banking industry is facing gloom and doom time. Experts predict that the current recession will trigger the biggest banking shakeout this side of the Great Depression as some of the largest institutions fall on hard times. A shooting war with Iraq, and a consequent rise in interest rates, would exacerbate the crisis.
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Sounding the FDIC alarm; 'Serious picture' of deposit fund
Sept. 12, 1990
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If you've had a tough time getting a clear picture of how healthy the nation's banking system is - or isn't - look again.
It's coming into focus.
No need to panic yet. The savings you have in the corner bank are still safe. But the picture is getting bleaker.
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Worried depositors bail out; Consumer fears take hold of banks
Jan. 8, 1991
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One of the most enduring and vivid images of the 20th century is the run on the bank.
Seared into the national consciousness is the sight, the sound, even the smell of fear as panicked customers crowd the wood-slated teller windows demanding their money. Hollywood has made movies about it.
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More banks feel crush of bad loans; 180 banks expected to fail this year
May 28, 1991
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More banks got sick and big banks got sicker as the health of the nation's banks continued to weaken in 1990.
The bad real-estate loans that racked the Southwest in the 1980s, seriously infected New England and the Mid-Atlantic in 1990, began to spread to the West and South.
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Tracking the health of USA's banks
May 29, 1991
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For the second year, USA TODAY analyzed the health of the nation's commercial and savings banks. The analysis of 12,724 banks is based on year-end 1990 information filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. It is the most recent computerized information available.
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FDIC forecast darkens; Are banks heading for bailout?
Aug. 1, 1991
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Before the end of the year, taxpayers probably will cosign up to $70 billion in loans to the nation's 12,700 banks.
Sound scary? It should. If banks can't pay that money back - and some analysts are convinced they can't - taxpayers will be stuck with an S&&L-style rescue of the dwindling fund that insures bank deposits.
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Seidman resigns as FDIC head
Aug. 7, 1991
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William Seidman, the plain-spoken regulator who clashed with the White House but charmed Congress and the media, finally is resigning as chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Tuesday, Seidman, 70, said he'll step down when his term runs out Oct. 16. President Bush is expected to pick William Taylor, head of bank supervision at the Federal Reserve, to succeed Seidman.
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Seidman: $70 billion may not cover bank failures
Oct. 17, 1991
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On his last day as chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., William Seidman warned that the FDIC may need more than the $70 billion the Bush administration has requested to cover bank failures.
A surprisingly weak economy could raise the cost of closing banks and paying off their depositors well beyond current FDIC forecasts. And that could mean $70 billion won't be enough to replenish the FDIC fund that insures bank deposits, Seidman wrote the Senate Banking Committee.
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Banking panel dumps Clarke in bitter vote
Nov. 7, 1991
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WASHINGTON - After an angry, partisan debate, the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday denied Bob Clarke a second term as a top bank regulator - another big blow to the Bush administration.
The panel's 12 Democrats voted against Clarke's bid to stay on as comptroller of the currency. The nine Republicans voted for him.
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Bank fund drained by failures
June 3, 1992
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The government fund that insures bank deposits ended last year with a deficit of $7 billion - its first year in the red.
At the end of 1990, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. fund had a surplus of $4 billion.
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Bank profits hit record $7.6 bilion
June 11, 1992
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The nation's commercial banks earned a record $7.6 billion the first three months of this year, continuing a recovery that started last year.
But old loans gone bad and weak demand for new loans continue to cast a shadow over the industry.
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Building customer base; Big banks court small business
July 7, 1992
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Philip Roeske has listened to plenty of sales reps peddling copiers, office furniture and long-distance telephone service to the small computer-service firm he runs in Manhattan.
He never heard many pitches from bankers. Until now.
