Can banks seize your money if economy fails?
The short answer is no. Banks cannot take your money without your permission, at least not legally. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures deposits up to $250,000 per account holder, per bank. If the bank fails, you will return your money to the insured limit.
Money deposited into bank accounts will be safe as long as your financial institution is federally insured. The FDIC and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) oversee banks and credit unions, respectively. These federal agencies also provide deposit insurance.
If your bank fails, up to $250,000 of deposited money (per person, per account ownership type) is protected by the FDIC. 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.
Banks can take money from your checking account, savings accounts, and CDs when you owe the same bank money on loans. This is called the "right to offset." Banks will typically seize money from your accounts when you're behind on loan payments and not working with them to repay the debt.
FSCS will pay compensation within seven working days of a bank or building society failing. You don't need to do anything, FSCS will compensate you automatically. More complex cases, including temporary high balance claims, will take longer and you'll need to contact us to request an application form.
In short, if you have less than $250,000 in your account at an FDIC-insured US bank, then you almost certainly have nothing to worry about. Each deposit account owner will be insured up to $250,000 — so, for example, if you have a joint account with your spouse, your money will be insured up to $500,000.
Bank of America is just one place below JPMorgan Chase on both the 2023 G-SIBs list and the Federal Reserve's list of the largest U.S. banks, which is why it was chosen in our research as one of the safest banks.
SHFS | SHF Holdings | $0.50 |
---|---|---|
WAL | Western Alliance | $27.32 |
ECBK | ECB Bancorp | $11.24 |
PACW | PacWest Bancorp | $5.97 |
FFWM | First Foundation | $4.35 |
Still, the FDIC itself doesn't have unlimited money. If enough banks flounder at once, it could deplete the fund that backstops deposits. However, experts say even in that event, bank patrons shouldn't worry about losing their FDIC-insured money.
By law, after insured depositors are paid, uninsured depositors are paid next, followed by general creditors and then stockholders. In most cases, general creditors and stockholders realize little or no recovery.
Can banks take your money in a depression?
If you have money in a checking, saving or other depository account, it is protected from financial downturns by the FDIC.
If you are under the FDIC insurance limits, there is not much to worry about. Even if your bank did fail, the FDIC would send you your cash within two days of the failure.
Withdrawal limits are set by the banks themselves and differ across institutions. That said, cash withdrawals are subject to the same reporting limits as all transactions. If you withdraw $10,000 or more, federal law requires the bank to report it to the IRS in an effort to prevent money laundering and tax evasion.
Most deposits in banks are insured dollar-for-dollar by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. This insurance covers your principal and any interest you're owed through the date of your bank's default up to $250,000 in combined total balances. You don't have to apply for FDIC insurance.
bank in a recession, the credit union is likely to fare a little better. Both can be hit hard by tough economic conditions, but credit unions were statistically less likely to fail during the Great Recession. But no matter which you go with, you shouldn't worry about losing money.
Your money is safe at Capital One
The FDIC insures balances up to $250,000 held in various types of consumer and business deposit accounts.
Unless your bank has set a withdrawal limit of its own, you are free to take as much out of your bank account as you would like.
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.
It's safe from the stock market: If a recession causes short-term market volatility, you won't lose money on your high-yield savings deposits, unlike investing in the stock market.
Asset-heavy, diversified and regulated banks like JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, PNC Bank and U.S. Bank are among the safest banks in the U.S. and should be considered if you are weighing your options.
Which banks are going under?
The collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March 2023—then the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history—took consumers by surprise. Subsequently, three more banks failed in 2023: First Republic Bank in May, Heartland Tri-State Bank in July and Citizens Bank of Sac City in November.
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 NameBank | CityCity | Closing DateClosing |
---|---|---|
Heartland Tri-State Bank | Elkhart | July 28, 2023 |
First Republic Bank | San Francisco | May 1, 2023 |
Signature Bank | New York | March 12, 2023 |
Silicon Valley Bank | Santa Clara | March 10, 2023 |
- First Republic Bank (FRC) . Above average liquidity risk and high capital risk.
- Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) . Above average capital risk.
- KeyCorp (KEY) . Above average capital risk.
- Comerica (CMA) . ...
- Truist Financial (TFC) . ...
- Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR) . ...
- Zions Bancorporation (ZION) .
2024 in Brief
There are no bank failures in 2024. See detailed descriptions below.
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