When can you get tested for herpes?
I had sex with a guy the other day, and now I've been hearing that he might have herpes. I don't think that this is true, but I'd like to get tested as soon as I can. Does anyone know when is the soonest I can do this?
Yes you can still get herpes if you use a condom. Condoms don't cover all areas that herpes can affect, herpes doesn't stick to just the shaft of the penis it can occur on the testicles, anus or any where on the genitals.
There is nothing to tell you for sure when to expect an out break. The usual time for herpes to show symptoms is between 2-14 days but your body can suppress it for months or even years after contracting it.
You don't even know for sure if he has genital herpes or not, for now it could be just a rumor and half of the time rumors are n ot true. Only time will tell if you get an out break or not. but if you do get an out break have the out break tested for herpes by your doctor.
It can take a few months for herpes to develop antibodies to test for. if you don't have enough antibodies you can get a negative result.
You may have symptoms before the herpes virus would show up in your blood stream. all of the sources I've seen recommend waiting at least 12 weeks from contact to have tests done, because your body won't have enough antibodies until then to show up positive.
Even though you used a condom, there is a small chance you could get it if he had any lesions or sores anywhere other than what the condom covers.
One thing to consider is that an estimated 25% of all sexually active people in the US already have herpes. Only 80% of those know they are infected. So, even if you have a positive test result, it may not be this particular partner that exposed you to the virus.
Best of luck!
Herpes is spread through skin to skin contact and can still be caught if a condom is used. Herpes is extremely common 1 in 4 women have it and 1 in 5 men. It does not discriminate.
The antibodies can show up in as little as a week and as long as 6 months to show up in your body. I'd go ahead and schedule a test….it is NOT given in routine std screens so many people that have it don't know.
ask your doctor, or you can go to a planned parenthood center they might do free/cheap tests there. i know they give exams down there. so try searching for a planned parenthood center near you.
use protection(condom) when having sex with more than one person, or someone that is not your partner. it reduces the chances of getting diseases while birth control does not.
from what I have read up on this subject you need to wait till you have at least one outbreak so your body will develop antibodies. The antibodies are what they check for. It is alright to correct me if someone knows something more about it. oh, sorry this may have happened to you.
you can get tested anytimes at hospitals even doctors but get tested fast please for you and ur health
Yes you can. Go to the doctor today and get test. The test takes only about a half hour to run so you could find out this afternoon.
KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS!
Unless you show physical signs, such as an outbreak it takes about 3 months for the herpes blood test to show positive.
Im sorry dude, but you got the herpely-erpelies!
you can learn in advance
if you stick your finger up your pee whole
then pee as much as you can and see what color it is
if its normal you have herpies if it isnt then you dont
this is due to the herpies keeping the pee the normal color
You can go to the doctor whenever you notice a rash coming on…
How to treat a Genital wart?
How would you treat a genital wart without going to the doctor?
You cannot treat them yourself. They are caused by hpv and are reoccurring . The only way to get rid of them is to have them removed by laser surgery or having them frozen.
Hey Joan,
Please post or PM me some pictures so I can have a closer look
Albert xxx
I treated one a year ago (my own) by burning it with a ciggy.
Are you sure they are not buttons?
How are warts on the tongue and throat removed?
I can't find any information about treatment for warts on the back of the tongue that go down into the throat. Can anyone help?
If you get a canker sore and give oral can they get genital herpes (STD)?
Like if they bit their lip and got a canker sore, or got it from stress, or whatever, and perform oral on someone can they get genital herpes?
canker soars are not an std. but then again how do you know that its a canker soar and not a herpe soar. you should not i repeat NOT be giving oral if you dont even know that you have it or not! how could you sleep at night? go to the doctor. if you are sure it was a canker soar then i doubt you can give it to someone else. but… if they have herpies. then you are pretty much screwed. use protected sex and know what you have and what they have before doing it. dont ruin you life or anyones else because of irresponsibility.
Cold sores are actually a form of herpes you don't get them from biting your lip or stress. Herpes simplex virus 1 is the virus that causes cold sores on your lips and mouth where as herpes simplex virus 2 is the form of the disease that gives you herpes on your genitals.
It is possible to spread hsv-1 to other parts of your body so the answer is yes but generally unlikely. more info at
yourstdhelp.com/herpes.html
canker sores and cold sores are two different things. cankers are not caused by the herpes virus, cold sores are. i would abstain from oral sex regardless of what you have until it is cleared up to be on the safe side…..if it IS a cold sore, you are putting your partner at risk.
Greetings, the answer is no. If it's a cankor sore then it's caused by stress, an irritation in the mouth, a food allergy, chemical imbalance in the mouth possibly from medications (antibiotics, ect). you have to be sure it's a canker sore though, those are IN the mouth not on the mouth. on the mouth could be what they call a cold sore which is from herpes virus. There are different kinds of herpes virus, one of them causes just cold sores and is not spreadable to the genitals but other kinds cause the cold sores too and are spreadable, so my advice to you would be for the male to wear a condom even for oral, unless you know for sure what you have.
I so know why you are worried. I use to get canker sores alot. Those have nothing to do with herpes. Canker sores are not contagious but herpes is.
If you are truly worried take a test that is the best solution. If you find you do get herpes, i would suggest a topical that i use. since using it i have only had 1 outbreak. and the one outbreak started to dry out with in minutes.
I have included the link.
choraphor.com/scart_affiliate…
If it truely is a cold sore also know has herpes simplex 1 …yes they can pass it on to herpes simplex2 genital herpes….if its just a canker sore, honestly I'm not sure but just to be safe…stay away from the goods until its cleared up
A cold sore is herpes – where do you think the first genital herpes came from.
You can only give somebody herpes if you actually have herpes. If your in doubt, you need to get a test by a doctor.
first cancker sores are not herpes cold sores are herpes. yes u can pass oral herpes onto someone elses genitals by giving them oral sex. if there was a cold sore at the time of oral sex then your risk would be very high. if u have genital herpes it is not a one time thing, there is no cure, just meds to control the oubreaks and it will be in your body permanentaly for the rest of your life.
The problem is that you have to be sure that this is a canker sore, otherwise called an aphthous ulcer. These are benign and are NOT caused by herpes simplex. They are also not contagious.
If you are not sure this is a canker sore, you shouldn't risk it. it could possibly be herpes simplex I or II, which you can transmit to your partner's genitals. Remember that herpes is forever. If you get herpes, there are medications that can reduce its outbreak, but you will still have eruptions.
a canker sore is not herpes so you cannot give it to another person. a cold sore (herpes simplex) can develop form stress, sunlight, cold/hot weather and that can be spread when oral sex is performed. beware!!!!
Not unless somebody allready has it.
My daughter has HPV is it contagious should she tell her boyfreind and will she be able to have kids if it is?
something that never goes away how can she have sex with her husband so they can have a child without affecting him.
Men are the HPV carriers but are not aware and there is no testing available for them. Having children should not be affected.
well if she has sex with her boyfriend then there is a 60% cChance she will transmit(give) the disease to him.
HPV is VERY contagious, she needs to see a DR and have a biopsy done. She could get cervical cancer….
Men have carried HPV and infected women with it for centuries, the only difference now is that we can detect it in women before it causes cervical cancer. that is good because then doctors know to watch for the signs of cervical cancer and treat it early for cures. HPV women have been having babies for centuries too, if a female child is produced it should recieve the HPV vaccine at the onset of puberty.
Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. some of these viruses are called "high-risk" types, and may cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina and anus. first you need to know which kind she has to know what to do next. Genital warts is an easier fix in comparison to ones that lead to cancer. get her to a doctor to check it out asap.
She should really tell her boyfriend so that he's aware, he'll probably catch it.
She should be able to have kids just fine, HPV doesn't usually have any affect in that area.
Yes, she should tell her boyfriend.. I know it would be hard but if it was the other way around wouldn't she want to know? And yes I have heard of couples with HPV having children. just I believe they have to be delivered by Cesarean. Also her boyfriend , if he is not infected, might want to look into getting vaccinated against HPV. though it is not completely full proof it decreases his chances greatly. no reason for them not to have a normal life together with children:-)
HPV is contagious. if your daughter is healthy, her immune system will get rid of the virus on its own. it usually takes 8 months for a normal immune system to get rid of the virus (no longer than 2 years). She should get the vaccine to prevent getting other types of HPV. She can pass the virus on to her husband, but it is usually asymptomatic and pose no real threat against men. There is no way to detect HPV in men (unless he has genital warts). Unless she had genital warts or a high risk type of HPV, it will have no effect on her being able to have children. even if she does have a high risk type or genital warts, she can be treated. Make sure she gets treated before becoming pregnant. HPV, overall, is pretty much a harmless virus. There is no cure (pills, injections, creams, et cetera), but her immune sytem will get rid of the disease.
I was diagnosed with genital warts (HPV) a little over a month ago. I thought it was the end of my life. I researched and asked questions to different doctors. 80% of sexually active people have HPV. Chances are her husband has some type of HPV. I say all of that to say that your daughter can function normally.
Do you know if she suffers from genital warts, which are caused by HPV? if so, you will want to speak with me regarding an all-natural treatment for that. I have a great testimonial to share with you.
i also have hpv. i found out about 8 monyhs ago. i have been with my fiance for 2 years. we stopped using condoms before i found out about my problem. so he 99.9% has it also. same with your daughter and her situation. and it DOES go away. it is the only one of the std viruses that does. it doesnt last long. does she have the cancer type or warts? i have the cancer one. it caused mild dysplasia. once i found out, i quite smoking and have been taking multi vitamins. i do for a further evaluation in late aug. hopefully all is well. she CAN have children. it doesnt effect any of the organs. it is a skin disease. there is no way of having children with him and NOT infecting him. like i said. he most likley already has it.
I hate to break it to you, but YOU probably have HPV too!!! A LOT of people do and they all lead perfectly normal lives. Yeah, she should tell her boyfriend just to teach others about it mainly because obviously there are SO MANY out there who are still clueless!!! about 85% of the population has this but most don't even know it because they don't show any symptoms.
Seriously, It's not a big deal.
Here's some info:
healthandhpv.com/
Also, you should get the book "what your Doctor Didn't Tell You about HPV and Pap Smears". that helped me out a lot especially because I found out that I had it about 10 years ago BEFORE all of the recent informational campaigns. I surely thought that people were more aware of this by now!!!
EDIT: the person above me is wrong. it does NOT go away!!! the virus stays with you forever. however, after a while your body's defense mechanisms contain the virus and it basically goes into hibernation. I haven't had a wart or an abnormal pap smear in over 5 years now. THAT's what the other answerer probably meant to say!
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Do I have genital warts or some other std?
recently i have one bump on my vagina. It doesn't hurt and it looks almost ;like a pimple but it doesn't really have any puss. I have a lot of discharge lately. and it doesn't smell or anything.
I've had similar bumps before a few months ago. I had three last time, and just one this time. what could it be?
Okay so first off do you shave? Because it could be razor burn or an ingrown hair from shaving…remember it is a sensitive area and God never intended that area to be shaved:). Okay so I have thought the same thing and if you are very uncertain go to your OBGYN she or he can swab test it. if there is no puss that is a good thing, I am not a doctor but I do a lot of research in this topic for I am a Bio major… As for the discharge is it discolored? no odor is a good thing too. It could be ovulation time which usually occurs about I wanna say 2 Weeks before your period or it could be a yeast infection this is why it is good to go see a doctor if something is unusually different but really think about if this occurs often? As for warts usually this occurs on the cervix and rarely on the outer area, it can happen but it is rare. if it is HPV(warts) certain strands can be burnt off and you will most likely never even get a break out again kind of like a remission. Go to your OBGYN and don't be afraid to ask questions its your body make sure to know what is going on with it at all times its the only one you have.
it does sound like genital warts but the only way to be sure is to buck up the courage and go to a doctor. 
in contrast, genital herpes causes itchiness, and other stds don't cause bumps- they cause itchiness, burning, discharge.
Is there any way to get rid of genital warts without seeing a doctor?
Not safely. I mean their are folk remedies but why would you not see a doctor? the can and do spread quite rapidly. I knew a guy that contracted some when I was in the Marine Corps and good God man it wound up looking like a cluster of grapes before it was taken care of and it made hi sterile. do not continue this behavior go see a doctor now.
No,
I had them once and thought they would just go away but they dont, you can get some cream prescribed but i found it useless, had to have mine frozen off!
It hurts like hell but after its dont they are gone for good.
Hope this helps.
Nope. So many people have them now a days that it isn't a big deal. if you want to remain anonymous just go to a planned parenthood and use a fake name. Don't feel too bad, like I said hpv is the most common std out there. good Luck!!
Nope, and you won't "get rid" of them . It's a virus, you have it for LIFE. best you can hope for is control of your symptoms at this time. Please use a condom and don't spread it to anyone else.
Short answer, no. It's not a big deal for the doctor to treat, really. He can either paint on a solution to kill them, or freeze them off with liquid nitrogen, depending on their location and your pain tolerance. while there are remedies available for the common wart on your fingers or elsewhere, you really don't want to be putting that in such a sensitive spot. the doctor isn't going to fall over laughing or horrified to see them. they are very common, unfortunately. you will be asked to inform all your contacts, though, as there is a lady out there somewhere who needs treating as well. if it's cost that worries you, then seek out a planned parenthood clinic or local health clinic for treatment. but don't try home cures, they usually just make matters worse.
You should not have been tramping around!
You cannot get rid of them even if you see a doctor you will have them for the rest of your life. Sorry you should have played it safer.
What is the Best Genital Warts Medical Treatment Product?
Me and my sister were now looking and searching for best genital warts treatment product. We've choosing over Wartrol (oil form) and OxyFend (cream form). But we've still searching for more medical treatment products. by the way, we've skip the option home remedies as what my mother said that the most safe and effective treatment are those in medical type/form. any suggestion guys? thanks!
No treatment is completely satisfactory as relapse is frequent and requires re-treatment. I prefer cryotherapy (freezing), electrocauterization, or surgical excision. though, in people with healthy immune systems, the warts may resolve without treatment.
Go to amazon.com and type "genital warts" in the search bar and the "health/personal care" department. It will pop up all the products for genital warts.
umm. your treatment ways sounds good..
See a professional Homeopath. Homeopathy can cure genital warts and other STDs completely without toxic drugs, lotions or potions.
The best method is to have them removed cyrogenically in a gynecologists office.
Period.
Homeopaths don't treat anything.
The bank job – FT.com
The pre-planning, Dallas, Texas, February 8. Ron Bieker, FDIC deputy director, takes a call following a meeting on the failure of Habersham Bank
The hit squad checked into the Hilton Garden Inn in Gainesville on Thursday under the name A-Z Technology. It was a perfect choice – an anonymous hotel in a suburban strip mall in north-east Georgia, 20 miles from the target; the local Rotary Club was meeting there at the same time and the receptionist was unlikely to pry.
On Friday, six hours before they swarmed the bank, the squad gathered at the Gainesville Civic Center. the blinds were drawn and large bouncers stood at the conference room entrance. about 80 people crammed inside as Ann Hill, a kindly looking middle-aged woman, stood to call the group to attention. “Welcome everybody to the first meeting and probably the last meeting of A-Z Technology,” she said.
Hill then went through the painstaking preparations for the day, which included, rather unusually for a bank job, a level of concern for the tellers and other employees. “Keep in mind what they’re going through,” she stressed. “We’re going to outnumber them, and it’s almost going to be like a herd of locusts descending on the place where they work.”
The staff were quickly rounded up in the lobby. Chandeliers hung from a high ceiling, illuminating stunned faces. One woman sobbed quietly and several covered their faces with their hands. Members of the squad moved among the shaken employees, each sporting a prominent badge emblazoned “FDIC”. this was no ordinary bank heist. the intruders were from the government and they were here to close down the failing bank and replace it with a profitable one in the course of a single night.
The set-up
The decision, Dallas, Texas, February 8. a map of the US looms over a meeting of members of the FDIC’s regional branch in Dallas as they hold a meeting to discuss the failure of Habersham Bank
It was another, more acute banking crisis that led to the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or FDIC. in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt implored his fellow citizens to stop runs on the banks that threatened a complete collapse of the financial system. “I can assure you that it is safer to keep your money in a reopened bank than under the mattress,” he said.
Further to ensure there was never a repeat of the crisis that saw 9,000 banks fail, FDR signed a new insurance system into law. from that day on, every bank in America has paid a premium to the FDIC to insure each depositor’s account, now up to a limit of $250,000. this new financial crisis has depleted the fund, with 157 bank failures last year alone. But the FDIC guards the balance closely. where possible the failed bank’s loans and deposits are transferred to an acquiring bank, at a discount to sweeten the deal.
Preparing to act, Gainesville, Georgia, February 18. Members of the FDIC task force gather to prepare for the afternoon’s planned closure of Habersham Bank – some 90 individuals are involved in the closure
This is what happened on that Friday night in Georgia. Habersham Bank was founded in 1904, surviving two world wars and countless economic crises. But all of this history vanished with the arrival of the squad. over the course of that evening, the branch became part of South Carolina Bank and Trust. the new owners, whose bank now has $4bn in assets and close to 100 branches, were there to watch, led by Robert Hill, SCBT’s young chief executive, and his team of slim, neatly dressed men and women. Their demeanour was serious but Hill’s face flushed as he strode in behind the FDIC, obviously pumped up.
Waiting outside, Cornelia, Georgia, February 18. Habersham Bank seen through a car windshield as members of the FDIC’s task force await orders to close the bank and notify its employees of its failure
As is usual for the FDIC, the Habersham transfer happened unbelievably fast – between 5pm on Friday and 9am Saturday when unsuspecting customers arrived to find their bank has changed owners. there was a lot of fiddly work to be done, reconciling accounts and balancing books. But the most important role for the FDIC’s accountants, lawyers, computer technicians and regulators was their subsidiary job as counsellors.
The entrance, Cornelia, Georgia, February 18. Arthur Cook (left) and Robert Hill enter Habersham Bank to notify the employees of the bank’s failure
Back at their base in Dallas, the FDIC managers had stressed the importance of handling bank employees with care. bill Zvara, who led the closing with Ann Hill, said: “Our experience in the past with old Georgia institutions with family ties is there’s lots of loyalty from the employees. Keep that in mind.”
“This is good news for y’all,” said Hill, the new SCBT chief executive to the stunned employees. he pointed out he had a family connection to Georgia, and the acquisition meant better job security for them. Hill, his unrelated FDIC namesake, announced that if “y’all” have a ball game, a wedding or have to go to church, then she would understand but she hoped most would stay to help get the books in order ready for the opening. Most did.
Breaking the news, Cornelia, Georgia, February 18. the FDIC’s resolution and receivership specialist, bill Zvara addresses Habersham Bank employees (the photograph is pixillated to protect their identities) as his team prepares to begin the closing and takeover process
The “y’alls” helped. the FDIC team are not your stereotypical feds, all grey suits and foreboding faces. They were at least southerners, most of them, and full of southern manners.
Eyes were dried, hands moved away from faces and before long the Habersham employees were scurrying around showing the nooks and crannies of the huge building to the FDIC team. apart from the southern charm, pay at time and a half and some sandwiches helped. On closing night, getting the staff onside keeps them as allies for the main job – keeping the customers calm: if they get spooked and start to withdraw their funds, then all the careful planning will be for nothing: the bank run will be disastrous.
Bank statements, Cornelia, Georgia. February 18. An FDIC facilities operations manager (on the floor) takes inventory of Habersham Bank’s vault with the aid of one of the bank’s employees
We left at about 10pm, with some staff still going through the books, and an armed state trooper guarding the door. Cook, who has done dozens of closings, says the FDIC tries not to use the local police as they can be too close to the bankers. he remembers one instance where he was slightly unnerved to learn that the outgoing bank chief executive had a gun in her office. he mentioned it to the local policeman on duty. “She took it out of there last night,” the officer said. “How do you know?” said a surprised Cook. “She’s my wife,” came the reply.
The job
Early the next morning, the squad arrived back in Cornelia to see the cash count before the customers came in. a few cars were already in the large parking lot and, despite the FDIC’s best efforts, some of the occupants were nervous. By a stroke of bad luck, the cash machines outside the bank were out of order due to a technical fault that the bank couldn’t control. Failing to get out your money and being told that the bank is closing is exactly what the FDIC’s process is supposed to avoid. “It makes you want to take your money out of every bank account you’ve got,” said Sadie Kelly, a retiree who moved up from Atlanta to be closer to her family, and who needed another fireside chat from FDR.
Final count, Cornelia, Georgia, February 19. Bank employees do a cash count at Habersham Bank prior to its reopening the morning after its holdings were transferred to new ownership
Kelly, who said that, like many moderately well-off Americans, the “1990s were big money years” for her before she lost a lot on the stockmarket, was reassured by an FDIC team member that her money is safe. she expressed concern for the bank employees, but not the management or owners, who will lose their jobs and shares in the company. “It seems like the big guys with the big bucks are the ones holding the reins. To be honest I’m quite happy to see them crumble.”
David Stovall, Habersham Bank chief executive, who was last seen on Friday night, wearing a neat moustache and black suit with pocket square, and complaining that the FDIC was keeping him waiting, was nowhere to be found. Attempts to find Gus Arrendale, the bank’s chairman, poultry baron and largest shareholder also failed.
Reopening, Cornelia, Georgia, February 19. Bank tellers conduct business as usual as customers line up on the Saturday morning as the bank reopens under new ownership
There was a lot of muttering from customers who didn’t seem entirely reassured when an FDIC employee tried to explain that the bank had been taken over by SCBT overnight, that their money was safe and the bank would open in a few minutes. A woman noted that in 2009 “they had big fireworks out the back” for July 4, but not last year. So she knew Habersham were in trouble. And she “really doesn’t think it’s very nice not to let their customers know”. she works at a local factory and like Kelly was inherently suspicious of the local bigwigs.
But before long the customers were in and doing banking business as usual. a plate of cookies offered further reassurance and the FDIC employees – warned off the snacks – tried to keep a low profile as they continued the paperwork.
Going through the files, Cornelia, Georgia, February 19. the FDIC investigation team sort through boxes and files left by the former owners of the bank
Eric Raines, whose job on the closing is to calm any worried customers and fend off any (other) nosy reporters, says it can be more tense. Customers arrive with suitcases to try to take out all their money and the FDIC is left – like Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life – trying to explain that the money’s safe but not sitting there in cash.
Just over a year ago in the same town, SCBT took over an even older bank, Cornelia Bank & Trust, in another FDIC process. the executives think that this experience has made things smoother this time – like much of America, Cornelia is getting used to having its banks closed on a Friday night.
The plan
Kevin Hagler, a big, ruddy-cheeked man in his forties, is someone who can explain why banks are dying in Georgia, the state with the most failures in the country. As deputy commissioner from Georgia’s state bank authority (its now ironic motto: “safeguarding Georgia’s financial services”) he was also at the closing.
The closing manager, Dallas, Texas, February 11. Arthur Cook stands outside the FDIC’s regional office
The state regulators are supposed to be in charge of supervision, but Hagler is embarrassed to admit he is ever more reliant on the FDIC nowadays to oversee his remaining banks. Hagler’s department charges banks chartered in Georgia a total of $20m in fees but the cash-strapped state keeps half of that and leaves him about $10m to watch over 250 lenders. this is not nearly enough and instead of increasing the number of bank examiners to cope with the crisis, Hagler has had to cut them.
He was promoted to his job just before the crisis hit Georgia. “In August 2008, just before we had the first failure we had a retirement party on the Thursday and the next day I was taking away a charter.” Two-and-a-half years later he still looks shell-shocked but wants to emphasise that Georgia looks worse than it is. Perverse local rules that restricted banks’ ability to open branches across counties mean it has had a larger number of failures than most other states but its banks are smaller.
The new boss, Cornelia, Georgia, February 18. Robert R. Hill, Jr., CEO of SCBT Financial Corp. sits for a portrait inside the newly acquired Habersham Bank
However, the regulator is candid enough to admit what few of his fellow supervisors across the country will acknowledge so openly – banks made bad decisions and the regulators let them. “Our community banks did not make the ‘innovative’ mortgage loans … the subprimes … but what they did do was lend to developers and builders. That’s what killed us – the value of the land.”
Until he was promoted, Hagler was a bank examiner, patrolling the Georgia countryside trying in vain to exert some regulatory control. It was tough to put the brakes on, he says, when a banker wanted to lend to a property developer who, in turn, had five builders fighting to work on his project. “I say, ‘that’s a bit risky’ and they say ‘get the hell out of here – you’re taking food out of my baby’s mouth!’”
The specialist, Cornelia, Georgia, February 19. bill Zvara the FDIC’s resolution and receivership specialist, inside Habersham Bank as his team conducts a closing and takeover process
Habersham Bank was hit by the bust in land prices the same way – its website still has plots of land and houses for sale that have been taken back from borrowers who couldn’t keep up with payments. a maintenance man who used to just look after the bank, now spends much of his time driving around the properties, checking they are in working order and trying to slow their inevitable decline.
Cornelia is not close enough or pretty enough to be a commuter town from Atlanta and not near enough to the tourist attractions of the Appalachian mountains. It is hard to see where a sustainable property boom here was ever supposed to come from. Nearby there is the Tallulah Gorge, where the Habersham County website threatens that visitors can “enjoy three more weekends of aesthetic water releases”. even the small local Elvis Presley museum was closed for the winter so I didn’t get to see its trophy asset: a wart removed in 1958 from Elvis’s wrist or buy a T-shirt proclaiming “The King is gone but the wart lives on”.
The commissioner, Cornelia, Georgia, February 18. Kevin Hagler, deputy commissioner for supervision, Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, pictured inside the newly acquired bank
Apples are the local produce and can be seen everywhere, including an apple sculpture in the town centre that was part financed by the extinct Cornelia Bank & Trust. now, of course, CBT and Habersham, which has lent to local businesses for over a century, are just divisions of the SCBT, the local links stretched if not extinguished.
Unlike most of the country, which fetishises community banking to a fault, SCBT’s Robert Hill has little time for this sentimental nonsense. “They made it through the Great Depression and they haven’t made it through the Great Recession,” he says of Habersham. then he adds: “Georgia is over-banked.” He’ll merge more into his expanding empire if he finds the right opportunities.
His energetic team was already going through the Habersham books on Saturday morning, poring through lists of old customers. things have been so bad that there hasn’t been any proper lending for three years. “One that we called on said he’d always banked at Habersham but hadn’t been able to do business there,” says Hill. he extended the businessman a $1m equipment loan there on the spot.
The aftermath
Over the next couple of days the FDIC peeled away back to their home bases in Florida and Texas, ready for the next mission. Back in Washington, Sheila Bair, the agency’s combative chairman explained how she recently won new powers to use a variation of the closure process seen in Cornelia on the largest financial groups. why should Citigroup receive billions of dollars of government bail-out money and keep its shareholders and management in place while Habersham is forcibly sold?
Sheila Bair, chair FDIC: ‘For us just to throw up our hands and say they’re too big to fail, we’ve got to keep bailing them out – I’m not buying that’
Bair’s term expires next week and she is using her final days to evangelise on this subject. But translating the skills used in Georgia to the trading rooms of new York and London is no easy task and there is still doubt to overcome. When I asked Eric Raines of the FDIC whether he could see a big bank closed in the same way, he smiled: “You mean like a Chase or Bank of America? … It gets political.”
Bair, though, is determined to keep the politicians out of the picture and ensure that her legacy will be ending the dreaded “too big to fail” phenomenon. she says that complexity is not an excuse. “For us just to throw up our hands and say they’re too big to fail, we’ve got to keep bailing them out – I’m not buying that. I don’t think anyone should buy that,” she says. “I think for the very largest ones we will need to see some structural changes occur.”
If she is right, then a quirky US system that has worked for 75 years could prove critical in the next crisis – from the orchards of Georgia to the Big Apple up the east coast and across the world. But if she is wrong or her departure means there is no one left in government with the zeal to end the bail-outs then too big to fail will be too hard to fix.
Tom Braithwaite is the FT’s US banking editor
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This article is subject to a correction and has been amended
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Too big to fail?
What to do with the big banks
Three years after the financial crisis the world is still dealing with its inability to kill big banks.
In the past month, the rump of Northern Rock, whose queues of panicked depositors signalled the start of the crisis for many in Britain, has been put up for sale by the UK government which expects to realise a loss on taxpayer bail-out money in the process.
Ireland, whose citizens are saddled with the losses of its zombie institutions, is trying to enlist international support to make bondholders pay part of the bail-out costs.
Switzerland, terrified of a repeat of the turmoil at UBS and Credit Suisse – giant banks that vastly exceed the size of the country’s economy – has opted to impose draconian capital levels so they should be able to see out an even bigger crisis in the future.
In the US, where once collapsing banks like Citigroup have recovered, there remains concern that banking has become even more concentrated and the “too big to fail” institutions have consolidated their power.
But small banks in the US fail all the time, with some local heartache but limited impact on depositors, borrowers and local economies. the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is now busy replicating its successful procedures for small banks to be used on large financial groups – whether they are Wall Street companies such as Goldman Sachs, insurers such as AIG or hedge funds such as Long Term Capital Management, which blew up in 1998.
It’s an elegant idea. instead of the huge turmoil on the financial system wrought by the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008 or the vast cost to taxpayers of bailing out Royal Bank of Scotland, the banks’ executives would be fired, shareholders likely wiped out and bondholders also pick up the tab. the government would have the power to seize, stabilise and sell off the good parts of the business while leaving the bad loans to rot.
There are plenty of sceptics, though, who worry that messy realities and realpolitik will prevail in the next crisis. Will countries work together to wind down an institution or, as last time, look after their own taxpayers first? Will they want to make bondholders and shareholders take the pain of losses if that means panic spreads across the system? Do governments and regulators have the mettle to be executioners of banks or will they reach into the public purse for expensive life support?