American Banking and Market News (2024)

FAQs

What is the largest bank failure in US history? ›

The receivership of Washington Mutual Bank by federal regulators on September 26, 2008, was the largest bank failure in U.S. history.

While the median bank account balance is $8,000, according to the latest SCF data, the average — or mean — balance is actually much higher, at $62,410.

The Short Answer: Yes. Share: The IRS probably already knows about many of your financial accounts, and the IRS can get information on how much is there. But, in reality, the IRS rarely digs deeper into your bank and financial accounts unless you're being audited or the IRS is collecting back taxes from you.

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.

2024 in Brief

There are no bank failures in 2024. See detailed descriptions below. For more bank failure information on a specific year, select a date from the drop down menu to the right or select a month within the graph.

Most American households have at least $1,000 in checking or savings accounts. But only about 12% have more than $100,000 in checking and savings.

9% of Americans have between $100,000 and $200,000 saved, and 4% have between $200,000 and $350,000 saved.

Certain retirement accounts: While the IRS can levy some retirement accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k) plans, they generally cannot touch funds in retirement accounts that have specific legal protections, like certain pension plans and annuities.

Does the IRS watch your bank account? ›

Generally, the IRS won't go rifling through your bank account transactions unless they have a good reason to. Some situations that could trigger deeper scrutiny include: An audit – If you're being audited, especially for issues like unreported income, the IRS may request bank records.

Banks must report cash deposits of more than $10,000 to the federal government. The deposit-reporting requirement is designed to combat money laundering and terrorism. Companies and other businesses generally must file an IRS Form 8300 for bank deposits exceeding $10,000.

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.

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.

Silicon Valley Bank's 48-hour collapse led to the second-largest failure of a financial institution in US history. Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California, US, on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

For just over one month, Silicon Valley Bank was the second-largest bank failure in US history. That was until First Republic Bank, a California lender that catered to wealthy clients, knocked it off that spot. First Republic was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The collapse of Washington Mutual (WaMu) in 2008 stands out as the largest bank failure in U.S. history, according to the FDIC. When regulators seized it, WaMu had more than $300 billion in assets and $188 billion in deposits, making it the sixth-largest U.S. bank.

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.