Q: Decatur First Bank was closed on Oct. 21 by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. website identifies Decatur First as a "failed bank.” What exactly caused it to fail?
—Shelton Jones, Decatur
A: Bad real estate loans in Morgan and Greene counties caused Decatur First Bank to fail, Fidelity Bank Chairman James B. Miller told Patch.com, which reported that Decatur First Bank also operated the Bank of Morgan County and Lake Oconee Community Bank. Miller told the website that those branches made bad loans in the troubled real estate market around Lake Oconee. Decatur First Bank had $191.5 million in assets and $179.2 million in deposits as of June 30, according to the FDIC. Fidelity Bank acquired Decatur First Bank. There have been 83 bank failures in the U.S. this year, through Oct. 21, with Georgia accounting for 22 of them, according to the Associated Press.
Q: What happened to Tariq Aziz, the spokesman for Saddam Hussein? Last I heard, he was in jail awaiting execution.
—Paul Barry, Marietta
A: Aziz remains in jail and has asked Iraqi officials to speed up his execution because of deteriorating health, several international media outlets reported in August. Aziz, who is 75, is suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and prostate problems, and ulcers. He also had a stroke last year. Iraq President Jalal Talabani has said he will never sign the execution order.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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