Bank On It

More than 130 U.S. banks have collapsed this year due to bad loans and a crippled economy.

The pace of bank failures exceeds that of 2009, which was already a brisk year for shutdowns with a total of 140, according to an Associated Press article published in October. By this time last year, regulators had closed 106 banks. The pace has accelerated as banks' losses mount on loans made for commercial property and development. Many companies have shut down in the recession, vacating shopping malls and office buildings financed by the loans. That has brought delinquent loan payments and defaults by commercial developers.