by Calculated Risk on 7/18/2009 12:07:00 AM

Click on painting for larger image in new window.

"The Money Game"

Image posted with permission from Laguna Beach artist Scott Moore.

This images is of a five foot by seven and a half foot oil painting.

Scott posted a step-by-step outline here of how he designed and painted the image (with much more detail). In the detail you can see Fannie and Freddie, Madoff, Countrywide, and much more. Enjoy.

by Calculated Risk on 7/17/2009 09:23:00 PM

This makes four today. We've discussed these two before ...

Pitcher throws to home
Failure swings.... to deep center
A double this time.
by Soylent Green is People
From the FDIC: California Bank & Trust, San Diego, California, Assumes All of the Deposits of Vineyard Bank, National Association, Rancho Cucamonga, California

Vineyard Bank, National Association, Rancho Cucamonga, California, was closed today by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver.
...
As of March 31, 2009, Vineyard Bank, N.A. had total assets of $1.9 billion and total deposits of approximately $1.6 billion.
...
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $579 million. ... Vineyard Bank, N.A. is the 56th FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the seventh in California. The last FDIC-insured institution to be closed in the state was Mirae Bank, Los Angeles, on June 26, 2009.

From the FDIC: First-Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Raleigh, North Carolina, Assumes All of the Deposits of Temecula Valley Bank, Temecula, California

Temecula Valley Bank, Temecula, California, was closed today by the California Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver.
...
As of May 31, 2009, Temecula Valley Bank had total assets of $1.5 billion and total deposits of approximately $1.3 billion.
...
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $391 million. ... Temecula Valley Bank is the 57thth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the eighth in California. The last FDIC-insured institution to be closed in the state was Vineyard Bank, National Association, Rancho Cucamonga, also today.

by Calculated Risk on 7/17/2009 08:08:00 PM

No surprise ...

From the NY Times: State Tax Revenues at Record Low, Rockefeller Institute Finds (ht Ann)

The anemic economy decimated state tax collections during the first three months of the year ... The drop in revenues was the steepest in the 46 years that quarterly data has been available.

Over all, the report found that state tax collections dropped 11.7 percent in the first three months of 2009, compared with the same period last year.
...
All the major sources of state tax revenue — sales taxes, personal income taxes and corporate income taxes — took serious blows ...

Here is the report: State Tax Decline in Early 2009 Was the Sharpest on Record

And it looks much worse in Q2:

Early figures for April and May of 2009 show an overall decline of nearly 20 percent for total taxes, a further dramatic worsening of fiscal conditions nationwide.

Note: an earlier report was on state pesonal income taxes - this is all state taxes.

by Calculated Risk on 7/17/2009 06:14:00 PM

Lets chug a lug, lug
Two down, many to follow
Quaff to banks gone bye.
by Soylent Green is People
From the FDIC:

BankFirst, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was closed today by the South Dakota Division of Banking, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Alerus Financial, National Association, Grand Forks, North Dakota, to assume all of the deposits of BankFirst.
...
As of April 30, 2009, BankFirst had total assets of $275 million and total deposits of approximately $254 million.
...
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $91 million. ... BankFirst is the 55th FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in South Dakota. The last FDIC-insured institution to be closed in the state was First Federal Savings Bank of South Dakota, Rapid City, on April 24, 1992.

That makes two today ...

by Calculated Risk on 7/17/2009 05:47:00 PM

Summer days heat up
Does Taxpayers cool cash quench?
Not so for Piedmont.
by Soylent Green is People
From the FDIC:

First Piedmont Bank, Winder, Georgia, was closed today by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with First American Bank and Trust Company, Athens, Georgia, to assume all of the deposits of First Piedmont Bank.
...
As of July 6, 2009, First Piedmont Bank had total assets of $115 million and total deposits of approximately $109 million.
...
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $29 million. ... First Piedmont Bank is the 54th FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the tenth in Georgia. The last FDIC-insured institution to be closed in the state was Neighborhood Community Bank, Newnan, on June 26, 2009.