Abacus Small enough to jail

Documentarian James (Hoop Dreams; The Interrupters) here tells the story of New York City's family-owned Abacus Federal Savings Bank, the only bank prosecuted after the subprime mortgage crisis. The Chinese American founder and his family talk on camera about how in 2009 they discovered loan irregularities made by several bank officers, whom they then fired before notifying their regulator. The local district attorney's office opened an investigation that led to a fraud indictment of the officers and the bank despite it having one of the nation's lowest mortgage default rates. The film follows the case's five-year duration through excerpts from court testimony, artist renderings, and news footage, plus on-screen discussions by experts, attorneys, jurors, and the Sungs. What make this film so riveting are its insights into the Chinese American community, extraordinary access to the family, and the spirit of the founder, his wife, and daughters. Verdict All viewers will find meaning in this sympathetic portrayal of a small bank against what appears to be the legal system's grasping for a scapegoat rather than taking on banks considered "too big to fail." [Nominated for a 2018 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Ed.]-Lawrence Maxted, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.