Regulators have closed six other banks, bringing to 130 the number of U.S. banks to be demolished so far in 2009 by the recession and the mountains of bad debt.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., on Friday took over the Ohio AmTrust Bank, the fourth largest bank to fail this year, with around 12 billion dollars in assets and 8 billion dollars in deposits. Failures in a Cleveland-based bank is expected to cost the federal health insurance fund an estimated deposit of $ 2 billion.

About a year ago, the federal Office of Thrift Supervision to AmTrust restrictions because of concern that its reserves against losses were dangerously low. Regulators told banks to restrict new loans for land purchase, development or speculative housing.

In addition to its branches in Ohio, AmTrust - formerly Ohio Savings - had branches in Florida and Phoenix area.

New York Community Bank, headquartered in Westbury, NY, agreed to assume the deposits of AmTrust Bank and about $ 9 billion of assets. The FDIC will keep the remainder for the final sale. 66 AmTrust branches will reopen Saturday as offices in New York Community Bank, said the FDIC.

It was also agreed FDIC and New York Community Bank to share the loss of about 6 billion dollars in bank loans and other assets in bankruptcy.

Also seized by the FDIC Friday were three banks in Georgia: Buckhead Community Bank, headquartered in Atlanta, with 874 million U.S. dollars in assets and 838 million U.S. dollars in deposits, First Security National Bank, based in Norcross, Georgia, with U.S. $ 128 billion in assets and 123 million U.S. dollars in deposits and Tattnall Bank in Greensboro, Georgia, with assets of $ 49.6 million and deposits of 47.3 million U.S. dollars.

Reference Bank, headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, $ 170 million in assets and 181 million U.S. dollars in deposits, was also closed, as were most of the Atlantic Bank of Reston, Virginia, with 203 million dollars in assets and 179 million U.S. dollars in deposits.

The collapse of the Buckhead Community Bank is expected to cost the federal health insurance fund an estimated deposit of 241.4 million U.S. dollars, the first Security National Bank, approximately 30.1 million U.S. dollars; Tattnall Bank, 13.9 million; Reference Bank, around 64 million U.S. dollars, and more Atlantic Bank, $ 35 million.

The three stops in Georgia, brought to 24 the number of bank failures in this state so far this year. Bank reference of failure was 20 in Illinois. The error has also been concentrated in California and Florida.

As the economy has deteriorated, with rising unemployment, falling house prices and rising loan defaults, bank failures have accelerated and undermined million federal funding of deposit insurance. She fell into the red.

The FDIC expects that the cost of bank failures to rise to around 100 million U.S. dollars over the next four years.

Depositors' funds - insured to $ 250,000 per account - not in jeopardy, with the government-backed FDIC. The FDIC still has about 21 billion dollars in cash reserves for losses other than health insurance fund. You can also tap a line of credit from the Treasury Department up to $ 500 million.

Banks have been particularly hard hit by the non-real estate loans. The banks had apparently robust companies are suffering losses as buildings remain vacant. Since the collapse of development projects developers default on their loans.

If the economic recovery falters, could defaults on subprime loans spike. Many regional banks have large concentrations of these loans. Approximately $ 500 billion of commercial real estate loans are expected to look a year over the next few years.

130 bank failures are the most in any year from 1992 to the height of the savings and loan crisis. It has cost the federal health insurance fund for deposits more than 28 billion dollars so far this year. Compared to 25 last year and three in 2007.