CSI: FORECLOSURE

Published: November 18, 2009

The coroner’s report left no doubt as to the cause of death: toxic loans.

A sign noting the takeover of Haven Trust. Regulators told the bank to reduce its risky loans, but the warning came too late.

That was the conclusion of a financial autopsy that federal officials performed on Haven Trust Bank, a small bank in Duluth, Ga., that collapsed last December.

In what sounds like an episode of “CSI: Wall Street,” dozens of government investigators — the coroners of the financial crisis — are conducting post-mortems on failed lenders across the nation. Their findings paint a striking portrait of management missteps and regulatory lapses.

via Mario Kenny.