On Friday, the Michigan Department of Financial and Insurance Services closed the Bank of Ann Arbor, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and appointed the FDIC as receiver. As receiver, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Bank of Ann Arbor, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to assume all of the deposits of New Liberty Bank.

On Friday, Washington Mutual Inc. (WMI), the holding company that owned Washington Mutual Bank (WMB), filed a disclosure statement and amended reorganization plan with the U.S.

On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Commerce closed Pinehurst Bank, headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota. As receiver, the FDIC entered into a purchase agreement with Coulee Bank, headquartered in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, to assume all of the deposits of Pinehurst Bank.

In a recent decision, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York distinguished excusable neglect in filing a claim before the expiration of a clear bar date. In a written opinion issued on May 20, 2010 in the case of In re Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., et. al, Case No. 08-13555 (JMP), Judge Peck denied seven motions for leave to file late claims finding none satisfied the Second Circuit’s strict standard to find excusable neglect.

 The failure of an FDIC-insured commercial bank, savings association or industrial loan company (collectively referred to as a “bank”) is traumatic and economically devastating to both stakeholders in the institution, as well as the local economy served by that entity.

On April 5, 2010, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida denied motions filed by Black Crow's secured creditor that would have likely ended the company's chance to reorganize its operations under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.

1. Introduction

As a result of the failure of over 200 banks and savings institutions in 2009—and the likelihood of 300 or more failures in the foreseeable future—the banking industry may be faced with another tsunami of litigation brought by the FDIC alleging liability against officers and directors for the failure of their respective institutions.

In a Bracewell & Giuliani client alert dated December 7, 2009 (which can be found here), we reported on a decision ("WaMu I") from Judge Walrath of the Delaware Bankruptcy Court that required a group of bondholders of Washington Mutual, Inc. ("WMI") to comply fully with the disclosure requirements of Bankruptcy Rule 2019.

Applying Texas law, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas has held that a primary insurer that "exhausted" its policy limits by agreeing to pay the insured's bankruptcy estate its remaining policy limits, while stipulating that a significant portion of this payment would be returned to the insurer by the estate's bankruptcy trustee, was required to reimburse the excess insurer the value of the returned payments made by the trustee. Yaquinto v. Admiral Ins. Co., Inc. (In re Cool Partners, Inc.), 2010 WL 1779668 (Bankr. N.D. Tex. Apr. 30, 2010).

A receiver can be an important tool when dealing with a troubled loan or asset.