I'm sure the president would tell us that "Hey! Without my brilliant policies, it could have been worse:" The FDIC expects the wave of bank failures that started in 2008 to peak sometime this year. Lending activity has picked up in some areas and many troubled firms have found new sources of capital.FDIC spokesman Andrew Gray said the agency expects the number of failed banks to exceed last year's total of 140, though he added that failures this year will not approach the historic levels seen during the savings and loan crisis. In 1989, a record 534 banks were closed by regulators.Still, banks have been failing at a rapid pace this year. At this time in 2009, regulators had closed a total of 57 banks.Because of changes to bank rules, fewer banks are going under than during the Great Depression or Savings and Loan crisis. But that doesn't mean that thousands of other banks aren't underwater and receiving assistance from the FDIC.It is more likely that your neighborhood bank...(Read Full Post)