UPDATE 1-Florida banks seek capital waivers due to oil spill

* Asks regulators for 12-month relief

* Seeks fewer cease-and-desist orders

* Requests regulators to visit affected areas

* FDIC statement on oil spill soon - source (Recasts; changes source; adds details, comments from FDIC, FBA)

By Anurag Kotoky

BANGALORE, July 13 (Reuters) - Banks in Florida, feeling the heat from the worst oil spill in U.S. history, are asking regulators for a 12-month exemption from higher capital requirements, a letter from the Florida Bankers Association (FBA) showed.

The FBA is also seeking a suspension on appraisals for loans and a minimization on cease-and-desist orders, according to the letter from its chairman to regulators, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC).

Since Transocean's (RIG.N) rig exploded and sank late April, claiming 11 lives, hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude have gushed into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP-owned (BP.N) (BP.L) well, with no easy solution in sight. "This oil spill crisis will decimate our communities, first in the Panhandle and then around the state as the oil spill spreads. Furthermore, no one knows how long this will last," FBA Chief Executive Alex Sanchez wrote in the letter on Monday.

A FDIC spokesman declined to comment.

There is an interagency statement on the oil spill in the works that will be issued shortly, may be even as early as Wednesday, a source close to the matter told Reuters.

The FDIC, in a May 7 letter sent to banks regarding the spill, said it was "encouraging banks to work constructively with borrowers experiencing difficulties beyond their control because of damage caused by this "spill of national significance."

"In supervising institutions impacted by this oil spill, the FDIC will consider the unusual circumstances they face," the regulators said in that letter.

Banks in Florida have already been battered by a precipitous fall in value of residential and commercial real estate; and with the oil spill affecting tourism and leading to massive job cuts, no immediate relief is expected.

Of the 264 FDIC-insured banks operating in Florida, the biggest ones by deposit include Northern Trust (NTRS.O), Raymond James (RJF.N), City National (CYN.N) and Prosperity Bank PRSP.O.

"The loss of jobs and business to our commercial and residential customers will affect our industry when otherwise good customers stop paying their loans. A bank can only be as good as the community it serves," FBA's Sanchez wrote in the letter obtained by Reuters.

On Monday, the FBA urged banking regulators to send their representatives to the affected areas and get a first-hand account of the trouble the banks face, and asked for suggestions on how the crisis can be handled. (Reporting by Anurag Kotoky; Additional reporting by Sakthi Prasad; Editing by Unnikrishnan Nair)