The parking lot was full at Barnes Bank in Kaysville Utah this morning. It's a bank that has beeen in business in this small town for over 119 years.  Yesterday last minute negotiations with investors failed to keep the bank open in time and today is its last day in business.

It was the talk of the town today. Rumors that the bank was in trouble started early December. My grandparents likely banked here and so did a lot of the town. It was an institution that had survived the Great Depression. That's why I chose it to open my bank account when I moved close by over a year ago.

Now the police and news media were there to document the end. Inside, customers waited to withdraw up to $500 of their accounts. Many more were waiting in line to get the contents of their safe deposit boxes.

On the door were notices from the FDIC and a press relaese to the public. The police men smiled as they opened the door and a nearby table had doughnuts and muffins for patrons. It has that same down home feel & friendliness -- except that it's never this busy on a Saturday morning.

Inside regulators were busy working. I talked to the branch manager to get the details. He said that though many banks wanted to buy the failing bank, none could qualify or they ran out of time.

Once the story hit the news there was a run on the bank, which threatened its liquidy. Customers have 30 days to remove their funds. Most likely another bank will lease the building.

Time to get new checks. What I thought seemed so solid and trustworthy has been shut down. Most of the town will go through this bank today. Tuesday it will reopen under FDIC control.