BANK ON IT: The new year shouldn’t...

BANK ON IT: The new year shouldn’t see the collapse of a major California bank similar to Bank of New England’s this week, says industry consultant Gerry Findley of Brea. Still, “we’ve got some banks on the fence under serious regulatory pressure,” he says. Findley predicts that five or six smaller banks in the state, including possibly two in Orange County, will be seized by regulators or forced to sell out to other banks this year. . . . One reason is regulators’ efforts to lower the value of properties banks own or have accepted for collateral. The county was hit heavily by failures of S&Ls;, but just two banks have been closed in the last four years.