N.C. banks shrinking, fixing balance sheets

North Carolina's banks showed smaller but stronger balance sheets in the second quarter, according to a profile released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Monday.

Total assets at N.C. banks fell 1 percent, to $1.686 trillion, from the same time period a year ago. The number of banks fell to 93, from 99 a year ago. Total loans as a percentage of assets fell, too.

But the median percentage of past-due and nonaccrual loans as a percentage of a bank's total loan portfolio fell as well, hitting 4.16 percent from 5.42 percent a year ago.

Capital levels increased, as did return on assets.