deral Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) board will vote this Friday on a proposal for replenishing the agency's insurance fund, which is rapidly falling due to bank failures – 33 this year alone. Controversy surrounds the proposal, because it charges lenders fees based on assets instead of deposits – a structure that will impact the biggest banks the hardest. The FDIC might impose a fee of 5% to 6% of a bank's assets, excluding capital, [link=http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54H4OY20090518][u]Reuters reports[/u][/link], citing an unnamed source familiar with internal FDIC conversations. "Community banks have been unfairly maligned in the public discussion," Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., told Reuters. "It's very appropriate to do a more risk-based assessment. SOURCE: