US thrifts' lost $5.4B in 2Q, second largest ever

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators say U.S. thrifts lost $5.4 billion in the second quarter and set aside a record amount to cover losses from bad mortgages and other loans.

Data from the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision show federally-insured savings and loan institutions posted their second-largest quarterly loss ever in the April-June period, after the $8.8 billion loss in the fourth quarter of last year. Heavily focused on mortgage lending, thrifts have been stung by mounting home-loan defaults.

The $5.4 billion quarterly loss compared with net profits of $3.8 billion in the year-ago period, and a loss of $627 million in the first quarter.

The roughly 830 thrifts also set aside a record $14 billion to cover losses from bad mortgages and other loans.