January 20, 2009

The abrupt closure of Bank of Clark County on Friday brings to mind "It's a Wonderful Life," Hollywood's classic take on life, love and banking.The well-respected bank may have been too much the good-hearted George Bailey when it really needed to release its tougher "Old Man Potter" when the housing industry tanked and bad development loans piled up.

"This bank was overly reluctant to take back properties," said Troy Hershey, a prominent southwest Washington Realtor. "They've been a great community bank. They wanted to work with people and they didn't want to take them down."Ray Davis, CEO of Umpqua Bank, which acquired Bank of Clark County's deposits, voiced similar sentiments.