JacksonHeraldTODAY

The beleaguered banking industry continues to struggle in Georgia, but there may be signs of some stability.

In the Jackson-Barrow County area, three community banks landed on a recently published list of troubled Georgia banks with high “Texas ratios” above 100 percent. But a fourth local struggling bank fell off that list from a year ago, a sign that perhaps stability may be taking hold in the industry.

Much of the change — and potential future change — is due to the injection of new capital at several local banks.
Although Hometown Community Bank of Braselton continued to be on the state’s troubled bank list with a Texas ratio of 224 percent in March, up from 144 percent a year ago, the injection of new capital has slowed the bank’s slide. [Full Story »] 

You can almost hear local officials licking their lips in anticipation of another SPLOST tax renewal. Local towns and the county government are currently drawing up their plans for how they want to spend some $47 million in anticipated revenues. [Full Story »]