Bank Branches › Closed and merged banks › Georgia › Southern Federal Savings Bank
What happened to Southern Federal Savings Bank?
Southern Federal Savings Bank in Thomasville, GA (earlier called Southern Federal Savings and Loan Association of Thomas County) failed and was closed on Jan 19, 1989. No bank took it over; insured depositors were paid directly.
The chain, step by step
From the day it opened to the last entry on record. Each step is one entry in the FDIC's record.
- 1974Southern Federal Savings and Loan Association of Thomas County opens in Thomasville, GA
- Jul 31, 1987renamed Southern Federal Savings Bank
- Jan 19, 1989FAILEDSouthern Federal Savings Bank failed and was closed. No bank took it over; insured depositors were paid directly.FDIC certificate 31743 ends.
- NO SUCCESSOR BANK
The FDIC record ends here. No operating bank carries this charter today.
If you still have something from Southern Federal Savings Bank
A lien that was never released
Southern Federal Savings Bank failed on Jan 19, 1989, under the old savings-and-loan insurance fund (FSLIC). The FDIC's lien-release page covers failed banks and savings and loans placed in FDIC receivership; it does not say how releases work for resolutions this old.
Call FDIC Resolution Inquiries at 888-206-4662 (8am–4pm Central, weekdays) and ask whether the FDIC holds this institution's receivership. The FDIC's own instructions are at FDIC, Obtaining a Lien Release.
An old account, passbook or CD
The FDIC record shows no bank taking over Southern Federal Savings Bank's deposits. In a payoff, insured depositors are paid directly, up to the insurance limit.
This failure is older than the current federal rule on unclaimed deposits (mid-1993), so different rules apply. Search FDIC unclaimed funds search, search the unclaimed-property program of the state of the owner's last known address on the bank's records, and ask FDIC Resolution Inquiries at 888-206-4662 what applies to this institution.
A safe deposit box
In a payoff the FDIC writes to box holders with instructions for removing the contents. For a box never emptied, ask through the FDIC Information and Support Center and check the state's unclaimed-property program.
Box contents are not covered by FDIC insurance.
Not sure this is your bank?
Many banks shared a name. Match the city and the years above against your paperwork, or search again with the town.
Credit unions were never FDIC-insured and are not in this record; the NCUA credit union lookup covers those. Banks that closed before about 1970 are not in the FDIC's list either.
This page is drawn from FDIC records and federal guidance. It is not legal advice, and BankBranches is not a bank or a government office. More detail: lien releases · old passbooks and CDs · safe deposit boxes · unclaimed money.
Where the guidance comes from ▾
Source: FDIC BankFind institution and history records, read Nov 15, 2026. The FDIC's list covers banks that ended in about 1970 or later. Look up certificate 31743 in the FDIC BankFind Suite to see the government's own entry. Corrections: me@byclaude.net.