FDIC Shuts Down NetBank Due to DefaultsFriday September 28, 6:27 pm ET
By Alan Zibel, AP Business Writer
FDIC Shuts Down NetBank Because of Excessive Level of Mortgage Defaults
WASHINGTON (AP) -- NetBank Inc., an online bank with $2.5 billion in assets, was shut down by the government on Friday because of an excessive level of mortgage defaults.
It was the largest savings and loan failure since the tail end of the industry's crisis more than 14 years ago. Federal regulators appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as a receiver for Alpharetta, Ga.-based NetBank.
Customers with less than $100,000 deposited with NetBank will be protected by FDIC insurance.
While dozens of mortgage companies have closed due to soaring defaults of home loans made to borrowers with weak, or subprime, credit, those problems previously had occurred among non-bank lenders such as New Century Financial Corp. NetBank, in contrast, is federally regulated.
Loose mortgage standards in recent years -- especially among lenders catering to subprime borrowers -- have resulted in a spike in home loan defaults.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070928/netbank_closure.html?.v=14