The collapse of two US banks raises the stakes for the Fed (2024)

FAQs

What are the two banks that collapsed in us? ›

Two regional US banks, California-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and New York's Signature Bank, have collapsed under the weight of heavy losses on their bond portfolios and a massive run on deposits.

Bank failure is one of the biggest fears of many savers when they believe a recession is on the way. Banks generally fail when they become insolvent, which means they don't have enough funds to cover total customer deposits and whatever money they owe to others.

There are no bank failures in 2024. See detailed descriptions below.

Many of the small banks had lent large portions of their assets for stock market speculation and were virtually put out of business overnight when the market crashed. In all, 9,000 banks failed--taking with them $7 billion in depositors' assets.

Banks affected were First Republic Bank, PacWest Bancorp, Regions Financial and Zions Bancorporation. Even shares of big banks lost ground in the aftermath of the SVB and Signature collapses, including Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.

These banks were brought down by customers withdrawing deposits en masse, both because many were tech or crypto businesses that needed money to cover losses, and because there were better savings rates available elsewhere.

When banks fail, the most common outcome is that another bank takes over the assets and your accounts are simply transferred over. If not, the FDIC will pay you out. Funds beyond the protected amount may still be reimbursed, but the FDIC does not guarantee this.

The fallout from a bank collapse can be widespread, hurting the bank's customers, employees, creditors, and even the entire economy. The bank and its shareholders are not the only stakeholders who suffer in a banking crisis. The bank's customers and account holders can be hit hard too.

Banking regulation has changed over the last 100 years to provide more protection to consumers. You can keep money in a bank account during a recession and it will be safe through FDIC and NCUA deposit insurance. Up to $250,000 is secure in individual bank accounts and $500,000 is safe in joint bank accounts.

Is bank of America in trouble? ›

Overall, Bank of America appears to be in a relatively healthy financial position and is not currently in imminent danger of collapse.

Generally, credit unions are viewed as safer than banks, although deposits at both types of financial institutions are usually insured at the same dollar amounts. The FDIC insures deposits at most banks, and the NCUA insures deposits at most credit unions.

Ensure Your Bank Is Insured

If a bank or credit union collapses, each depositor is covered for up to $250,000. If your bank or credit union isn't FDIC- or NCUA-insured, however, you won't have that guarantee, so make sure your funds are at an institution covered by deposit insurance.

The depressed economy caused many banks (especially small banks) to go bankrupt. At that time there was no deposit insurance, so many people withdrew their deposits from banks and kept their money as currency. Many bank runs occurred, as depositors were wary of bankruptcy.

Deposits Are Protected by the FDIC. This is overwhelmingly the main form of protection that consumers have in case their banks fail due to an economic downturn or other issue. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is a semi-private organization that was created in the wake of the Great Depression.

In 2023, the US government and America's largest banks joined forces in a rare moment of comity. They were forced into action after Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed on March 10, 2023, quickly followed by two other lenders, First Republic and Signature Bank.

There were 566 bank failures from 2001 through 2024. See Summary by Year below.

SVB's collapse marked the second largest bank failure in U.S. history after Washington Mutual's in 2008. While bank failures aren't uncommon, it's rare to see banks of SVB's size become insolvent.