Click image to open full size in new tab
Article Text
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 12 (AP).βFailure of the Merchant's Bank and Trust company and the Atlantic Bank and Trust company at Daytona Beach today, brought to five the number of financial institutions to close in Florida within the past two days.
The Volusia County Bank and Trust company and the First National bank, both of Deland, and the Colonial Bank and Trust company, of Miami, closed yesterday.
Meanwhile, pending re-organization or liquidation, John L. Fouts, president and director of four central Florida banks, which failed recently, was at liberty under $10,000 bond, following his arrest on charges of violating the state banking laws.
Failure of the two Daytona Beach banks today was followed immediately by runs on the Daytona Beach Bank and Trust company and the First National bank of that city, but they were able successfully to meet the demands.
Notices posted on the doors of the two closed institutions stated that they had been closed by the state banking department for the protection of depositors, pending reorganization.
Fouts, who was president and director of the State Bank of Bartow, the First National bank, of Lakeland, the First National bank, of Auburndale, and the State Bank of Winter Haven, was arrested at Winter Haven on a charge that he had unlawfully "lent" himself $5,000 from the funds of the State Bank of Bartow without consent of the board of directors.
He also was charged with altering the minutes of the board to make the "loan" appear regular, and with having taken the money when the resources of the institution were not up to legal requirements.
Officials of the two closed Daytona Beach banks would make no statement.
The Merchant's Bank and Trust company at Daytona Beach was the largest banking institution in that city. The notice on its doors was signed by E. R. Conrad, president, and F. J. Niver, secretary.
The wording of the directors' notice at the Atlantic bank was identical.
F. N. Conrad, president of the Atlantic bank, is chairman of the board of the Merchant's bank, and was president of the latter institution until a few weeks ago when he resigned. He was succeeded by his nephew, E. R. Conrad, who also is a director of the Volusia County Bank and Trust company, that failed at Deland yesterday.
Niver, who is executive vice-president and secretary of the Merchant's bank at Daytona Beach, also is secretary of the Atlantic bank there.
The Merchant's bank had resources of $3,749,984.46; deposits of $2,921,030.53; capital stock of $100,000, and surplus of $250,000.
The Atlantic bank had resources of $785,719.94; deposits of $461,934.70; capital stock of $100,000 and surplus of $31,330.24.