LITTLE ROCK—Federal regulators have sanctioned two Arkansas banks, one in Little Rock and one in Springdale, that had loans that became troubled when the commercial real estate market in northwest Arkansas foundered.

The federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency cited Metropolitan National Bank of Little Rock and Legacy National Bank of Springdale, though both banks say they are financially sound. The banks entered into written agreements with the comptroller, which announced the actions on Monday.

In May, ANB Financial of Rogers was closed by regulators, saying that it was likely headed for losses that would substantially deplete its capital. That bank’s problems were mainly with construction and development loans at its offices in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.

Metropolitan, which has $1.8 billion in assets, was found to have “unsafe and unsound banking practices relating to some aspects of credit risk management and capital adequacy,” according to the agreement signed by the bank and the OCC. Metropolitan was ordered to be more aggressive in identifying and collecting problem loans, which totaled more than $47.4 million at the end of the first quarter.

Metropolitan President and CEO Lunsford W. Bridges said in a news release the bank’s past-due loans are less than 1 percent of its total loans and its non-performing assets are 2.43 percent of total assets. He said two-thirds of the non-performing assets are in northwest Arkansas.