Rental Properties
I am a small multi-real estate investor. I provide decent rental homes to those who need them. I am now finding it hard to borrow money on great and needed rental properties because of the more stringent regulations for my local small bank. I have to be pentalized because of the larger, "too big to fail banks" mistakes. This is not the American way, and it is not right. Please help main street not the select few who own the banks which made bad decisions.

Make the Big Banks Pay for Their Mistakes
I am concerned that the small banks will start to fail, because they are being made to pay for the mistakes of the big banks. Already, you can see profits dwindling for these institutions. While the big banks are taking bonuses and big paychecks, assessments are being applied to the little banks to make up for others mistakes. That doesn't seem fair. We need to send a message that the reckless behaviors of the BOAs and Wachovias are not acceptable - they need to pay the FDIC assessments. Thank you!

Service
closed my account at Wells because they kept messing up deposit and then they blamed me and took to long to fix. Went to Founders Bank explained the problem and a very nice lady named jessica helped me move my account. It was nice to be treated as a customer not as a pain.

In The Shadow of Big Banks
For more than a year now, I have watched the news, read the papers, and continue to wonder why the media and government allow the Community Banks of this country to be cast in the shadow of the larger corporate banks that have created a multitude of abuses. The time has come for community bankers to band together in a grass roots movement to exit the shadow of these larger institutions that should be allowed to fail.....just like any other business in our free market society! Community Banks are growing and continue to serve Main Street families and small businesses. All banks are not created equal and I encourage everyone to explore the value of community banks! Te best way for people to show their disgust with these larger banks is to simply stop doing business with them. The move is on to community banks in 2010.......so join the movement and enjoy your banking experince again!

Refinance with a Big Bank
We had an mortgage with Countrywide (now Bank of America). Originally we had a fixed, interest only mortgage which converted to an ARM after 5 years. The mortgage was scheduled to convert in October 2009. We began the refinance process with Bank of America in April to ensure we had enough time. In December our loan was still not finalized! They had "accidentally" deleted our loan, lost documents, had to get a new appraisal, etc, etc. We were fed up and decided to go through a community bank, Security State Bank of Hibbing. They had the loan completed in 3 weeks (even with the holiday season), gave us a great rate and excellent service! Who needs the Big Banks?!

Loss Prevention for All
My family is one of many that has lost our home due to the economy. My thoughts are that if the government would have taken all that money they handed over to the big guys, and instead, dispursed it out among the hard-working, bill-paying, taxpaying, mortgage-paying, struggling, but have always managed to pay their bills even if they had to sell everything (till now), good people, and give them a break by paying off their mortgage (probably way less than a single bonus to a single CEO); therefore paying off the bank, which in turn helps the bank prevent bad loans in the first place. How did they get into business in the first place? Pennies add up. Don't forget the little people.

Community Banks will lead the recovery
Community banks not big banks will be the answer to leading the economy out of recession. It is small and medium sized businesses and entrepeneurs that are the life of the american economy not large corporations. Most jobs are created at the smaller and medium businesses and that is what will drive re employment. Only through lending by the community banks to these busiensses will a sustained recovery occur. Help make the community banks strong by using them for your business and personal banking needs and buy thier stock. Its an investment in your community.

Your Hometown Bank
First Harrison Bank is one of the few banks left in our community that continues support of our local school programs, baseball teams, charitable giving, and small loans to help in communities which we serve. Please make sure community bank survive and don't let the too big to fail banks cost us our local banks serving local people.

My Community Bank is Hyperion Bank
I have been in marketing and specifically a Community Bank marketing director for over 10 years. Whether with a 100 year old suburban or now a young three year old community bank in the city...community banking is the only way to bank. Community Bankers value and treat thier customers like the special people and business owners that they are. They strive to provide the very best in personalized customer service. The service you receive should be personal...must be personal, because if your money isn't 'personal' then I don't know what is. At Hyperion Bank, a small community bank in the Northern Liberties section of downtown Philadelphia, we are dedicated to serving the needs of our local coummunity. We are involved in our local schools, business and civic organizations. We volunteer, we participate and we support our community. We offer competitive rates on our deposit products and we have money to lend to local resdients and businesses. We DO NOT have any toxic assets on our books and because we are locally owned and managed by a team of experienced professionals we have created a strong, safe and secure financial institution, focusing on long-term fiscal responsibility through disciplined and safe business practices. Today's community bank no longer has to play second fiddle to the bigger banks when it comes to technology. We have state of the art online banking and bill payment services that provide our customers with easy access 24/7. So there you have it. If you are not banking with a Community Bank - I encourage you to make the move today! Suzanne Mooney VP/Marketing Director Hyperion Bank Philadelphia, PA

Triple Whammy
The Triple Whammy….. Or is there more? The plight of Community Banks in my state and others is a sad story about the destruction of the dual banking system that is unique to the United States and represents the foundation of American Banking. With the onset of the Financial Crisis in America and the world, the sins of Wall Street have shown how fragile this country’s economy actually is. “I promise to pay..” The words upon which this nation was built and has prospered for decades have become a meaningless phrase atop a promissory note. The paradigm shift in America today is one that resembles a blame-free attitude as it relates to our actions and our borrowings. To further exacerbate the problem, this country has attempted to corral the problem by creating a system of financial measurements and bail outs that have become as shameful as the borrowing that started the whole parade. The three concepts of T.A.R.P., mark to market accounting and revised FDIC assessments all have converged to cripple the very foundation of the banking system – the Community Bank. Whammy 1 The Troubled Asset Relief Program in its roots was a brilliant idea - to capitalize ALL banks with sufficient investment to deal with the impending financial crisis. By taking a financial stake in banks, the investment had the same prospect of success as that of any other investment, some would win and some would lose. In the end the winners would far out perform the losers and the competitive nature of the market place would prevail. The investment would be by nature American and the victory would mean a sizable return on the investment while at the same time placing responsibility in the hands of those closest to the trouble. The problem was that this funding did not find its way down to the Main street level of the community bank. Billions of dollars have been spent on Wall Street Banks propping up investment portfolios and risky derivatives while at the regional level, billions have been spent reinforcing banks and bailing out huge speculative portfolios of land and acquisition loans. The Community Bank(s) never received its share and as a result suffers from the fallout of several factors aimed at reigning in Wall Street. The fact that TARP was inexcusably allocated to money center banks, regional banks, some insurance companies and who really knows where else, has created an unfair competitive advantage in the banking industry. TARP reinforced banks now set the market in the selling of repossessed real estate. A slush fund of government capital has allowed unadulterated selling of assets at the taxpayer’s expense; while non-TARP banks attempt to hold on and sell assets more cautiously - intent on protecting their investor’s value. Whammy 2 To further exacerbate the problem we have allowed mark to market accounting to viciously undervalue bank real estate assets by falling victim to the very problem that TARP has created, a falsely capitalized selling machine that is not responsible for spending their own money. Valuation of real estate by the “last worst sale approach” does not indicate true value; instead, it punishes those institutions that are attempting to be good stewards of their stockholders investment and to sell into a competitive market. Whammy 3 Now in an attempt to compensate for the impending losses that Whammy 1 and Whammy 2 have caused, the FDIC is instituting a new surcharge on membership. Now the 8,000 community banks in America, many of whom were ignored by the TARP program and subject to the rigors of mark to market accounting, get to make up the deficit in the FDIC fund by increased premiums and assessments. In a time when all banks are strapped for cash, the governing body steps in to penalize their members with one more unforeseen and punitive attack. In the midst of this global crisis, no one has had the guts to take the locomotive by the helm and provide much needed guidance. Here are a few recommendations from a simple banker in a simple town watching a horrific meltdown of our society. ANTI WHAMMY 1 Use TARP II to invest in Main Street. Make investments in the bread and butter banking system that stands on Main Street. Capitalize these institutions before the calamities caused by Whammy 1 have caused too much damage to this very important sector of the financial industry. A capital investment on Main Street, in Community Banks, stands to level the playing field and allow for fair competition, a building block of the American society. No longer will tax dollars be used against the very entities that serve as the foundation of the system. ANTI WHAMMY 2 Suspend Mark to Market Accounting for a period of time; three years then phase the ruling back in over the next three years. The effect of suspending this accounting rule will have deep rooted effects for all banks. Breathing room will be allowed for banks to re-capitalize and deal with the disposition of assets. An immediate floor to real estate values would be realized as banks would no longer be held hostage to the “last worst sale appraisal” and each bank could afford to hold assets over an investment period allowing truer market conditions to return. ANTI WHAMMY 3 Remove community banks from the special assessments being charged by the FDIC. Require those banks that represent systemic risk to the system to shoulder the burden. The very foundational banks in this country capable of pulling the country out of the mess created by Wall Street should be invested in and not penalized. Today we have a chance to make some changes that will immediately and resolutely bring positive change to this embattled industry and country. By making hard choices today we can bring promise to tomorrow. If indecision persists, the financial system of tomorrow is a ghost.

Big Banks
The big greedy banks caused the problems we're having in our financial industry, yet the the small community banks are feeling the pain. FDIC examiners are ruthless to the community banks, but some how all these examinations missed the red flags on the big boys.Why? Reminds me of cops who shoot radar on Sunday mornings at church goers, but don't see a one on on Friday and Saturday night when all the real trouble starts. JHMO
Not Our Fault!
Community banks are essential to the farmers, mechanic, used car dealers, etc...the community banks did have anything to do with the mess the big banks caused.

Government should protect us - not "too big to fail"
Our government should be working to ensure that the people are protected from the corruption and usury that these corporations are using for their benefit. These banks and corporations flaunt their wealth and ability to get away with their thievery when they pay their CEOs billions of dollars after receiving bailouts and nothing is done about it. If our government will let that stand, what will be next? It's time to say enough is enough! It's time for those corporations to be told that if they don't follow the rules that everyone else has to, that they will suffer consequenses as any other business would. The government should be running the country for the people, not the corporations.

Better Service
I have used a local community bank for the last 20 years. Whenever I needed any banking services, the bank was willing to help and to provide the service. For instance, I used my local bank to open a Blocked Account for my father-in-laws probate estate. Gloria, the Bank Manager, who was a patient of my wife, help us out through all of the red tape. I would never use one of the mega-monster banks as I learned many years ago. My first bank account was opened with Crocker Bank which was bought out by First Interstate Bank (FIB) and then I left.

F & M Bank
I was pleased to see that our bank Farmers and Merchants Bank was listed as a bank to support. I have found them so helpful and good to work with over the years.

Bank Fees
Over the past six weeks I have been charged over $1,000 in bank fees. I have a debit card which is linked to my checking account. Whenever I charged something the merchant is repsonsible for posting the charge. I am told by the branch manager (Toni Liberta at the Bank of America) that the merchants are posting to my account later and posting multiple times which has caused the fees of $35.00 a per charge. This is robbery. I will stop using my debit card which will stop profit for the credit card companies and go back to old fashion banking. Withdrawals, deposits and checks. You need to defend the people who elected you into office not big business. As soon as my account is fixed, I am taking my baking to a local bank. ENOUGH is ENOUGH.

Community Banks make the town go 'round!
My money has been in a community bank for a long, long, time, from when I didn't really have any, and now that I do. I trust my local bank, I know the people who run it, and I appreciate the way they contribute to the community. They give money, they provide leadership and they are vested in the social welfare of the town in which they live and do business. The big guys who rape and pillage don't deserve any of anybody's money!

Too Big
Is being too big to fail like the Titanic??? To big to sink. Come on people, open your eyes. Our small banks are our small community life lines. Our small, hometown, corner banks, who have not made the irresponsible decisions of our mega banks, still have money to lend. But due to your irresponsible behavior, we're being made to suffer along with everyone else who has lost their job, their home. What have we done??? We've been here, we've been responsible, we've been ready to lend. Stop the sinking ship, stop this failed policy!!! Make us the best we can be.

Not Again !
Having worked in the banking industry during the late 80's, early 90's, it seemed unfair how banks were having to play by tighter rules than their S&L counterparts. And then when the careless lending practices of that financial sector came to light, the community banks bailed the water out of the sinking economic ship. Now enter the banks that were termed "Too Big To Fail" and guess who is being asked once again to bail the water out? First time could have been just poor judgement, but how many times are we going to expect our community banks to bail out the actions of a few. How many of those big banks donate and work as volunteers in our grass-roots type of communities?

Large Companies Get in over their heads.
Why should small banks suffer from mistakes made from large companies. What ever happen to good customer service. Why do computers determine fees? This is terrible and needs to be fixed.

Unreal
Large corporate companies should have the chance of failure like any other business.