CORRECTED-U.S. thrifts post record $5.24 bln quarterly loss

(Corrects description of the quarter in the third paragraph to October through December, not September through December, as earlier sent)

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. thrifts and savings institutions lost a record $5.24 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007, mainly due to write-downs of good will, the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision said on Wednesday.

The thrift industry, which is largely comprised of mortgage lenders, is facing a major downturn in the U.S. housing market and losses stemming from home loans provided to borrowers with poor credit history.

The loss in the October through December period of 2007 was the first for the industry since the third quarter of 1996, the OTS said. By comparison, the U.S. thrift industry had net income of $3.14 billion in the fourth quarter of 2006. (Reporting by John Poirier; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)