Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Complete Platinum Deal

Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp., Ocala, Fla., has completed its acquisition of a controlling interest in Platinum Bancshares Inc., a thrift holding company based in Rolling Meadows, Ill. Neither company is publicly traded. Office of Thrift Supervision approval of the deal was granted in late June. William Leaming, the chief executive of Platinum Community Bank, commented, "We are excited about the resources that TB&W will provide to Platinum. They are one of the premier national players in the prime residential mortgage arena. The transaction will allow Platinum to diversify the products and services that it offers." Platinum Community Bank's only office is located in Rolling Meadows. Its loan activities are concentrated primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area and consist of one-to-four-family residential mortgage loans, but it also originates and participates in commercial real estate and small business loans as well. "Platinum Community Bank is an opportunity for TB&W to participate in the community bank process and essentially pilot the offerings we ask our community bank customers to adopt," said Lee Farkas, chairman of TB&W. "The infusion of technology, resources and strength allows Platinum to offer more to their customers."