Woodland Park Overview
A hyperlocal information website online dedicated to in-depth reporting on problems regarding Woodland Park, Illinois.
On Feb. 15, the FDIC seized and closed Lawndale’s Covenant Financial institution – a small neighborhood financial institution with large ties to Woodland Park. The failure of the financial institution itself isn’t peculiar. Round 40 neighborhood banks within the Chicago house have failed previously few years.
What’s distinctive about Covenant, whose director and CEO was once Woodland Park mega-church pastor Rev. Invoice Winston, is the collection of traders who’ve been burnt up — round 3,000 shareholders to be precise. Many are individuals of Winston’s Residing Phrase Christian Church, in addition to Woodland Park citizens.
Winston despatched out a letter to shareholders on March 28 clarifying that percentage values have been nugatory.
“Regrettably all of our stocks, together with mine, at the moment don’t have any price ($0),” he wrote.
The entire financial institution’s insured depositors have been coated below $2.1 million of depositor’s insurance coverage, in line with the FDIC. The financial institution reopened on Feb. 16 as a department of New Orleans-based Liberty Financial institution and Agree with Corporate, which assumed all the deposits.
“A regular neighborhood financial institution has a bunch of commercial folks locally they usually make investments better quantities,” stated Chicago Banking Lawyer James Hannon of Gozdecki Del Guidice Americus Farkas, LLP.
“In most cases there are between 100 and 150 traders, they usually’re refined folks, they perceive the dangers,” Hannon stated.
He advised Crain’s Chicago Industry ultimate 12 months that Covenant Financial institution’s capitalization scheme “out of the field.”
“We’re speaking investments of $1000-$5,000,” Hannon stated. “To a large number of the ones folks that was once a vital sum of money, their financial savings, or nest egg or no matter you wish to have to name it.”
On the financial institution’s inception, traders may purchase no less than 100 stocks of commonplace inventory at $10 in step with percentage, or $1,000, defined Kim Clay, a spokesperson for Residing Phrase.
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (seventh) was once one of the crucial financial institution’s early traders and a depositor.
“I’ve been seeking to save that financial institution for the previous 30 years,” Davis stated of the financial institution that started within the overdue ’70s as Neighborhood Financial institution in Lawndale. “It was once owned by way of the neighborhood. It was once probably the most distinctive banks since the neighborhood if truth be told owned it.”
Davis was once a supporter for the reason that financial institution was once began by way of Cecil Butler of Pyramid West Construction Company, the use of cash financed by way of the feds when a construction undertaking alongside Roosevelt Highway fell via. Butler were given permission to make use of the cash to begin a financial institution for the world, Davis recalled.
“I began the use of that financial institution [through its various incarnations] from the day it was once began,” Davis stated. “I’ve watched it have its difficulties and issues.”
The financial institution over time has modified management and team of workers. At one time, one of the crucial financial institution’s principals was once Michael W. Scott, former Chicago Board of Schooling president and a pal of Davis.’ Scott dedicated suicide in 2009.
A bunch of international traders owned the financial institution by the point Winston purchased it in 2008.
Davis had hope when Winston in the long run bought the financial institution, which he known as “the delight of the world.”
“I’m an investor,” he stated. “My spouse (Vera) and I purchased $2,000 value of stocks. I used to be very excited and likewise very hopeful. It was once an idea extra than simply an funding. I imagine strongly in neighborhood and folks coming in combination in team spirit seeking to do issues in combination.”
However the world financial system was once about to bitter, leaving residential construction loans in a poisonous state.
Maintaining corporate Covenant Bancshares, Inc. purchased the sick Lawndale Neighborhood Financial institution in March 2008 for $3.1 million by way of investments from 3,002 shareholders. No less than part the traders have been amongst Residing Phrase’s congregation, in line with Safety Trade Fee paperwork.
The financial institution couldn’t have began at a worse time, Hannon stated, with an international monetary meltdown only some months away following the financial institution’s acquire.
Covenant administrators made a number of missteps, together with lending quite a lot of rehab loans to house owners of multi-unit structures at the West Aspect because the housing crash started — loans that quickly defaulted.
“That’s why such a lot of neighborhood banks failed,” Hannon stated. “The marketplace was once in line with the true property type — actual property lending and construction lending. No one did the rest flawed; the financial system simply became on them.”
As the true property crash happened, local people banks were given every other blow.
New state banking accounting regulations went into impact, requiring distressed houses’ mortgages issued to be written down within the financial institution’s accounting to mirror truthful marketplace price. This harm Covenant and plenty of different Illinois-chartered banks. Covenant Bancshares didn’t have the capital to take in those losses.
Because the financial institution’s woes endured, Covenant’s Board of Administrators and best team of workers started to surrender. In 2010, John L. Sorensen, Jr., president and CEO of the Corporate and Senior Mortgage Officer for the financial institution, resigned. Winston then stepped in as intervening time CEO. Director Addie Husbands surrender each the financial institution and protecting corporate in February of 2012.
SEC paperwork filed days ahead of the financial institution was once seized display the financial institution’s auditors, McGladrey and Pullen, additionally withdrew their services and products.
On the time of the seizure, the financial institution’s board individuals integrated Winston and President Belinda Whitfield, who additionally works for Residing Phrase Christian Church. Different individuals integrated Director Jay C. Plourde, a New York founded financier, and CFO Herman L. Davis, who additionally served as treasurer/secretary for the board. Consistent with the SEC, the financial institution hired 25 folks.
Newly-published SEC paperwork expose the financial institution’s downward slide into failure.
Because the financial institution stumbled, Winston himself attempted to prop it up with loans and by way of purchasing stocks of the financial institution protecting corporate, Covenant Bancshares.
Consistent with the SEC, in December 2010, the financial institution crafted the primary of 2 unsecured, year-long debenture loans from Winston to the financial institution. The senior convertible be aware for kind of $230,000 earned 8 % hobby and may well be paid pack in stocks at 1.5 instances the truthful marketplace price. Winston made every other 8 % mortgage to the financial institution in March 2012 for $335,000.
In April of 2011, the financial institution offered $350,000 value of stocks to Woodland Plaza, LLC, an organization managed by way of Winston that owns the Woodland Park Mall. The ones stocks too have been burnt up in February.
In June of 2011, the financial institution was once issued a “Consent Order” from the FDIC and the Illinois Division of Monetary and Skilled Law. The feds and Illinois division demanded that the Covenant board rent an “impartial 3rd birthday celebration” advisor inside of 60 days to evaluate the potential of the financial institution’s control. The order additionally demanded that the board grasp conferences no less than per month and broaden “good enough inside routines and controls” to run the financial institution.
The Consent Order additionally gave Covenant a harder job: carry to no less than 9 % the “capital ratio” quantity of Tier 1 price range to be had to hide losses. The volume required was once over $3 million.
Winston in my opinion started to shop for stocks of the ailing-bank’s shares. On June 30, 2011 he purchased $150,000 value of most well-liked inventory. In October 2011 he purchased $50,000 value of stocks. The next 12 months, he purchased $50,000 value, and in August of 2012 but every other $75,000. That November, Winston injected some $775,000 into the financial institution — all now burnt up by way of the financial institution’s failure. All advised, Winston purchased or managed $1,450,000 value of inventory, and held about $565,000 of unsecured loans made to the financial institution.
Covenant Bancshares was once notified by way of the Illinois division on Aug. 28, 2012 to extend its Tier 1 leverage capital ratio not to not up to 5 %. As of Sept. 30, 2012, the financial institution’s reported Tier 1 leverage capital ratio was once 1.19 %. The financial institution was once suggested below a Stop and Desist order to make no additional uninsured loans.
On Nov. 6, 2012, the FDIC issued a “Instructed Corrective Motion (PAC),” announcing the financial institution was once “seriously undercapitalized.” The federal company demanded the financial institution to boost capital ratio price range, or make itself to be had to be received by way of every other financial institution. The corporate injected $775,000 into the financial institution, in line with SEC information.
However it was once now not sufficient.
In overdue November, State Rep. LaShawn Ford attempted to lend a hand. Despite the fact that indicted by way of the feds himself overdue ultimate 12 months for alleged financial institution fraud, Ford requested the Common Meeting to offer Covenant Financial institution extra time to boost capital. The request, alternatively, was once now not a success.
In February-filed SEC paperwork, the corporate stated that it “did not broaden good enough inside routines and controls to permit proper knowledge to go with the flow between the administrators, board and staff and to correctly fill out paperwork required by way of the SEC.”
The financial institution was once then seized and its belongings offered to Liberty Financial institution and Agree with on Feb. 15.
Nonetheless, Winston believes the financial institution was once a good fortune. In his March letter to shareholders, he issues out that the financial institution “earned the accept as true with and trade of 75 % of the North Lawndale deposit marketplace.” The financial institution, he added, supplied greater than $16 million in financing for roughly 130 low-income house owners, in addition to labored with debtors to stay houses from being foreclosed. Covenant created payday mortgage choices for “suffering debtors in order that they wouldn’t have to choose from striking meals at the desk or paying again predatory loans,” Winston said.
The financial institution won 4 Financial institution Endeavor awards between 2008-2011, from the Neighborhood Construction Monetary Establishments (CDFI) fund of the Federal Treasury Dept.
“It was once concerning the imaginative and prescient,” Residing Phrase spokesperson Kim Clay, stated. “With any funding there’s possibility concerned.”
“Obviously, the aim of beginning the financial institution was once to do excellent,” Clay added. “Pastor stated he sought after to lend a hand city spaces which are experiencing financial hardship, to revitalize the ones communities. That was once the imaginative and prescient of getting a financial institution and beginning a financial institution…Rev. Winston continues to be hooked in to that imaginative and prescient.”
Congressman Danny Davis agreed.
“I feel [Winston] will proceed his efforts to be a spiritual non secular chief and do financial excellent,” Davis stated.
Covenant Financial institution shareholder letter by way of wednesdayjournal
Jean Lotus loves neighborhood journalism. She covers information, options, two faculty forums, village council, crime, park district and writes obits for Woodland Park Overview. She additionally covers the police beat for… Extra by way of Jean Lotus

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