Nationwide

Banking Woes

It's been a sour housing market of late with rising mortgage defaults and consumer debt. And big banks have been feeling the hurt too. Birmingham's Regions Financial reported second quarter profits are down by more than 50% and cut their dividends by an even higher percentage. Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia had losses approaching $9 billion and is cutting more than 6,300 jobs nationwide, including some jobs in Alabama.