Protecting your deposits
With the recent headlines of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank in March — as well as the stress that First Republic Bank is currently experiencing — depositors are rightly concerned about the safety of their deposits and their current Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) coverage. It has been reported that 88% of SVB’s deposits and 90% of Signature Bank’s were uninsured. It’s important for you to understand what is covered and how to maximize that protection, as well as understand the different organizations that have been established to protect your financial assets.
The FDIC is an independent agency created by U.S. Congress that protects depositors against the loss of their insured deposits if an insured bank or savings association becomes insolvent. Premiums are paid to the FDIC by the depository institution and deposits are insured up to at least $250,000 per depositor, per FDIC-insured bank, per ownership category (e.g., single accounts, joint accounts, business accounts, trust accounts etc.) even if held at the same bank. Also, adding or naming beneficiaries to accounts changes the “ownership category” as to where each beneficiary added would have an additional $250,000 of coverage.
You can get a detailed breakdown of your specific coverage by accessing the FDIC’s Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator (edie.fdic.gov).
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It's important to understand ... the different organizations that have been established to protect your financial assets.
To maximize protection, wealthy investors may want to consider a strategy of establishing a brokerage account and purchasing brokered certificates of deposits within that brokerage account. This allows investors to spread their money among brokered CDs from various banks in a single account, with each CD being FDIC insured up to the limit. This strategy may be more convenient than opening accounts at several banks and can potentially help depositors earn more interest on those funds.
It is important to note that FDIC coverage does not apply to securities or life insurance. The Securities Investor Protection Corp. (SIPC), created under the Securities Investor Protection Act, is a nonprofit membership corporation that oversees the liquidation of a brokerage firm that is in financial trouble. If customer assets (e.g., stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.) are missing, SIPC protects each customer up to $500,000 for securities and cash (including a $250,000 limit for cash only).
From a client perspective, cash management is a potentially complex task. Working with an advisor can help to simplify the process and ensure that FDIC protection is maximized.
Jarrett E. Hindrew, CFP®, ChFC®, Financial Advisor
Important Disclosure Information
This content is general in nature and does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult with competent legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment professionals based on your specific circumstances. We do not make any warranties as to accuracy or completeness of this information, do not endorse any third-party companies, products, or services described here, and take no liability for your use of this information. Diversification does not ensure against loss.