Home Savings and Loan

Home Savings and Loan

Recent developments for United Community Financial Corp., the holding company of Home Savings and Loan:

This summer: In July, it said it stopped taking government accounts, calling them too expensive.

Dividend: In May, it cut its dividend in half.

Canceled: In April, it called off a deal to buy the parent company of Park View Federal Savings Bank, which has 17 branches in the Cleveland area. The local company said it wanted to concentrate on its delinquent loan issues.

Bad loans: In January, it announced that it set aside $13.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2007 to cover loans that might not be repaid. It set aside just $1.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2006.

2007 earnings: $4.1 million, down from $24.1 million in 2006.

2008 earnings: $6.8 million in the first half of the year, down from $8.6 million during the same period last year.

Stock price: Closed down 36 percent Wednesday at $3.73 a share. The stock had traded as high as $8.74 in May.

Source: Vindicator files, Yahoo Finance