Silverton's rapid rise and fall

But it turned out that Atlanta-based Silverton was on an express trip that ended in oblivion. The fallout from its failure in May 2009 -- Georgia's largest bank failure ever -- helped sink dozens of its customer banks as well.

A growing pile of lawsuits points to Silverton's audacious growth plans and lavish spending -- such as the $4 million it allegedly spent on the Amelia Island meetings over eight years -- as key reasons why the bank crashed.

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The FDIC's lawsuit alleges gross negligence and poor supervision by Silverton's leaders. It seeks at least $71 million in damages from 17 of Silverton's top executives and board directors, and two firms that insured their actions against such claims.