Please be advised you will not receive any email notification to claim/unlock/unsuspend your account or to provide any private information. Please be aware of any Phishing Scams to obtain information from you.
On Friday, January 8, 2010, Horizon Bank, Bellingham, WA was
closed by the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, and
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
was named Receiver. No advance notice is given to the
public when a financial institution is closed.
The FDIC has assembled useful information regarding your relationship with
this institution. Besides a checking
account, you may have Certificates of Deposit, a car loan, a business checking
account, a commercial loan, a Social Security direct deposit, and other relationships
with the institution. The FDIC has compiled the following information,
which should answer many of your questions.
The FDIC has issued a press release
(PR-004-2010) about
the institution's closure. If you represent a media outlet and would
like information about the closure, please contact
David Barr at 1-202-898-6992.
All deposit accounts, excluding certain brokered deposits, have been transferred to
Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association, Seattle, WA ("assuming
institution")
and will be available immediately. On Saturday, January 9, 2010,
the former Horizon Bank locations will reopen as branches of
Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association.
Your transferred deposits will be separately insured from any accounts
you may already have at Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association for six
months after the failure of Horizon Bank. Checks
that were drawn on Horizon Bank that did not
clear before the institution closed will be honored as long as there are
sufficient funds in the account.
If you have questions about your account(s) transferred to the assuming bank, you may speak to an FDIC representative
by calling 1-800-430-6165.
For general questions about FDIC deposit insurance coverage, please call 1-877-275-3342 or visit EDIE, the FDIC's Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator.
You may withdraw your funds from any transferred
account without an early withdrawal penalty until you enter into a new deposit
agreement with Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association as long as
the deposits are not pledged as collateral for loans. You may view more
information about Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association by visiting their web site.
The Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and online service will remain available.
As of Saturday, January 9, 2010,
you may continue to use the services to which you previously had access,
such
as
safe deposit boxes, night deposit boxes, wire services,
etc.
Your checks will be processed as usual. All outstanding checks
will be paid against your available balance(s) as if no change
had occurred. Your new bank will
contact you soon regarding any changes in the terms of your account. If
you have a problem with a merchant refusing to accept your check, please
contact your branch
office. An account representative will
clear up any confusion about the validity of your checks.
All interest accrued through Friday, January 8, 2010, will
be paid at your same rate. Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association will
be reviewing rates. You
will be notified of any changes.
Your automatic direct deposit(s) and/or automatic withdrawal(s) will be
transferred automatically to your new bank. If
you have any questions or special requests, you may contact a representative
of your assuming institution at your
branch office.
If you had a loan with Horizon Bank, you should continue to make your payments as usual. The terms of your loan will not change, because they are contractually agreed to in your promissory note.
Checks should be made payable as usual and sent to the same address until further notice. If you have further questions regarding an existing loan, please contact your loan officer.
For all questions regarding new loans and the lending policies of Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association, please contact your branch office.
Claims against failed financial institutions occur when bills sent to the
institution remain unpaid at the time of failure. If you or your company provided
a service or product, leased space, furniture,
or equipment to Horizon Bank after
Friday, January 8, 2010 and have
not been paid, you do not have
a claim against Horizon Bank. Please follow
your normal billing procedures by providing an invoice as instructed.
If you or your company provided a service
or product, leased space, furniture, or equipment to Horizon Bank prior
to Friday, January 8, 2010 and have not
been
paid, you may be
entitled to a claim against the bank. If you provided a product to or a service
for Horizon Bank prior to the bank's failure for
which you have not
been
paid
and you have not received communication, please
contact:
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Receiver: Horizon Bank 1601 N. Bryan Street Dallas, TX 75201-3430 Attention: Claims Agent
Please note: There are time limits for filing a claim, your claim must be filed on or before 4/14/2010.
All shares of Horizon Bank were owned by its holding company, Horizon Financial Corp., Bellingham, WA. The holding company was not included in the closing of the bank or the resulting receivership. If you are a shareholder of Horizon Financial Corp., please do not contact or file a claim with the Receiver. You may contact Horizon Financial Corp. directly for information as follows:
Horizon Financial Corp.
c/o The Registered Agent
Keller Rohrback, LLP
Attn: Thomas A. Strecken, Esq.
1201 3rd Avenue, Suite 3200
Seattle, Washington 98101
The FDIC offers a reference guide to deposit brokers acting as agents for their investor clientele. This site
outlines the FDIC's policies and procedures that must be followed by deposit brokers when filing for pass-through insurance
coverage on custodial accounts deposited in a failed FDIC Insured Institution.
