Six Florida Banks Depositors Should Worry About

Earlier this year, TheStreet.com Ratings identified the 20 banks and thrifts with the biggest exposure to bad construction loans; not surprisingly, three of them were in Florida, one of the centers of the speculative housing boom and bust.

So we decided to home in on the Sunshine State's banks and thrifts with the most exposure to problem loans of any kind. It turns out there are at least six that could be facing a capital shortage unless the real estate market turns around quickly.

As we saw with Coast Bank of Florida, First Florida Bank and Florida Community Bank, it is not just mortgages but also construction loans that are a big problem for troubled institutions in this market. Many large housing developments in Florida have gone bad as national builders pull out of major projects.

BankAtlantic Bancorp(BBX Quote), another Florida institution (which is controlled by BFC Financial(BFF Quote)), also has taken some heat for its outsized bets on commercial real estate. ...