Henry left with no local banks

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By Tammy Joyner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A decade ago, few places rivaled Henry County for raw growth.

The southside county was among the nation’s fastest-growing, propelled by an unprecedented real estate boom. Feeding the gold rush: a cadre of homegrown community banks that went on a land development and lending spree.

Now the county of about 204,000 people holds a new distinction: largest in Georgia without a hometown bank.

All five of Henry’s locally owned banks failed during the shakeout that followed the real estate bust. They are among 75 banks in Georgia that have failed since 2008, the most in any state.

While three new banks — Hamilton State, Ameris and Regions — have stepped in to replace three failed banks and have promised to be good community players, some worry there will be no focus on making loans to entrepreneurs and small-business people. The local banking landscape has changed so much that it could be hard for Henry to attract entrepreneurs, small business and other financial risk-takers, they fear.

In Sunday’s newspaper, the AJC takes a deep look at the loss of Henry County's hometown banks. It’s a story you’ll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper’s iPad app. Subscribe today.