def METHOD_NAME(path):
    i = path.rfind('.')
    module, attr = path[:i], path[i+1:]
    try:
        mod = import_module(module)
    except ImportError as e:
        raise ImproperlyConfigured('Error importing authentication backend %s: "%s"' % (module, e))
    except ValueError as e:
        raise ImproperlyConfigured('Error importing authentication backends. Is AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS a correctly defined list or tuple?')
    try:
        cls = getattr(mod, attr)
    except AttributeError:
        raise ImproperlyConfigured('Module "%s" does not define a "%s" authentication backend' % (module, attr))
    try:
        getattr(cls, 'supports_object_permissions')
    except AttributeError:
        warn("Authentication backends without a `supports_object_permissions` attribute are deprecated. Please define it in %s." % cls,
             PendingDeprecationWarning)
        cls.supports_object_permissions = False
    try:
        getattr(cls, 'supports_anonymous_user')
    except AttributeError:
        warn("Authentication backends without a `supports_anonymous_user` attribute are deprecated. Please define it in %s." % cls,
             PendingDeprecationWarning)
        cls.supports_anonymous_user = False
    return cls()