Trading halted in shares of two more US lenders as fears of banking crisis mount

Regulators step in after PacWest and Western Alliance shares plunge as investors fear repeat of First Republic, SVB and Signature failures

• US banks are failing, and the authorities seem unlikely to intervene

Trading in the shares of two more regional US lenders was temporarily suspended on Thursday amid a widening crisis for the country's mid-sized banks.

Regulators stepped in to halt trading in the Los Angeles-based PacWest and Arizona's Western Alliance following dramatic drops in their share prices.