NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 9, 2012) - Earlier this month, the FDIC announced that they have shut down a small bank in Florida, bringing the total of bank failures this year to 23. Bank closures have slowed down significantly since 2010, where 157 banks were seized by regulators, but the end of a FDIC program set to expire in December could potentially mean doom for smaller banks across the U.S. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Savings and Loans Industry and provides equity research on Hudson City Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ HCBK ]) and People's United Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ PBCT ]).

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Small Business lending is set to take a major blow if a federal program, designed to insure small business accounts generally used for payroll, comes to an end later this year. The FDIC program provides unlimited insurance for $1.4 trillion in noninterest-bearing transaction accounts. The program began during the financial crisis in 2008 to prevent small business owners from moving their accounts from community banks to larger institutions. With the program set to expire at the end of December community banks are fearing companies will transfer billions of dollars in deposits to the nation's larger banks.

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Hudson City Savings Bank is among the top twenty-five banks and the largest thrift in the country. The company recently reported net income of $73.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 as compared to a net loss of $555.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2011. The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share payable on May 25, 2012 to shareholders of record on May 10, 2012.

Fidelity Bank and People's United Bank, a subsidiary of People's United Financial, Inc., recently announced a definitive agreement by which Fidelity Bank will acquire certain deposits and the branch office of the People's United Bank location at 75 Main Street, Leominster, MA. Completion of the transaction is anticipated mid-year of 2012 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals.

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