Seaway Bank Faces Consent Order

Crain's Chicago Business
Friday, January 23, 2015

Chicago-based CDFI Bank Seaway Bank & Trust has been slapped with a consent order by the FDIC and the Illinois Division of Banking. The order requires the bank to hold elevated capital levels, strengthen management, halt dividend payments to investors and beef up controls to detect money-laundering and other criminal activity by customers. The order, which the bank consented to without admitting or denying charges of unsafe or unsound banking practices, requires Seaway to boost its “Tier 1” capital to 8 percent of its assets within 60 days. The bank would need to raise nearly $8 million to hit that benchmark. The order will also bar Seaway from seeking acquisitions or paying dividends to its investors.