Bad Loans and the Bankers Who Love Them

The FDIC’s list of “problem” banks grew by 30 percent in the last quarter, with more on the way. The net income of FDIC-insured lenders, meanwhile, has plummeted 87 percent. IndyMac, one of nine banks to kick the bucket in 2008, cost the FDIC $8.9 billion.

Bloomberg:

The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said its “problem list’’ of banks increased 30 percent in the second quarter to the highest total in five years as more commercial real-estate loans were overdue.

The list had 117 banks as of June 30, up from 90 in the first quarter and the highest since mid-2003, the agency said today in its quarterly report without naming any institutions. FDIC-insured lenders reported net income of $4.96 billion, down 87 percent from $36.8 billion in the same quarter a year ago.

“More banks will come on the list as credit problems worsen,’’ FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said at a news conference in Washington.

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