Another Local Bank Fails – First Heritage Bank Closed by Regulators

Regulators closed First Heritage Bank Friday Afternoon

Another local bank is gone as First Heritage Bank has been closed and as of Tuesday will become part of Tacoma’s Columbia State Bank. Here’s the official word…

First Heritage Bank, Snohomish, Washington, was closed today by the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Columbia State Bank, Tacoma, Washington, to assume all of the deposits of First Heritage Bank.

Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the five branches of First Heritage Bank will reopen on Tuesday as branches of Columbia State Bank. Depositors of First Heritage Bank will automatically become depositors of Columbia State Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of First Heritage Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from Columbia State Bank that it has completed systems changes to allow other Columbia State Bank branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of First Heritage Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of March 31, 2011, First Heritage Bank had approximately $173.5 million in total assets and $163.3 million in total deposits. Columbia State Bank will pay the FDIC a premium of 0.75 percent to assume all of the deposits of First Heritage Bank. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Columbia State Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and Columbia State Bank entered into a loss-share transaction on $142.2 million of First Heritage Bank’s assets. Columbia State Bank will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers with questions about today’s transaction should call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-815-0286. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (PDT); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., PDT; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., PDT; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., PDT. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC’s Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/firstheritage.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $34.9 million. Compared to other alternatives, Columbia State Bank’s acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC’s DIF. First Heritage Bank is the 44th FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the second in Washington. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Summit Bank, Burlington, on May 20, 2011.
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