Payment
to Depositors
How does the FDIC resolve a closed bank?
In the unlikely event of a bank failure, the FDIC acts quickly to protect
insured depositors by arranging a sale to a healthy bank, or by paying depositors
directly for their deposit accounts to the insured limit.
Purchase and
Assumption Transaction. This is the preferred and most common
method, under which a healthy bank assumes the insured deposits of the failed
bank. Insured depositors of the failed bank immediately become depositors
of the assuming bank and have access to their insured funds. The assuming
bank may also purchase loans and other assets of the failed bank.
Deposit Payoff. When there is no open bank acquirer for the deposits, the
FDIC will pay the depositor directly by check up to the insured balance in
each account. Such payments usually begin within a few days after the bank
closing.
When can I expect to receive my money?
Federal law requires the FDIC to make payments of insured deposits "as
soon as possible" upon the failure of an insured institution. While every
bank failure is unique, there are standard policies and procedures that
the FDIC follows in making deposit insurance payments. It is the FDIC's goal
to
make deposit insurance payments within two business day of the failure
of the insured institution.
Note: Some deposits that require supplemental documentation from the depositors,
such as accounts linked to a formal written trust agreement, funds placed
by a fiduciary on behalf of an owner such as a deposit broker or deposits
placed by an administrator of an employee benefit plan may take a little longer.
The timing of the completion of the deposit insurance determination is based
solely on the depositor providing the documentation needed by the FDIC to
determine insurance coverage.
What if the depositor placed money at the failed bank in the name of a trust?
In determining the insurance coverage for a deposit account opened in the
name of a formal trust agreement, either revocable (commonly called a "living" or "family" trust)
or an irrevocable trust, the FDIC may request the owner or trustee of
the trust agreement to provide the FDIC a current copy of the trust document
which the FDIC would review to confirm the applicable amount of deposit
insurance coverage. The FDIC would review the trust agreement for the
purpose
of determining information such as the existence of beneficiaries, the
kinship relationship of the owner to each beneficiary (for revocable trusts
only)
and the interests of each beneficiary under the trust when the owner(s)
are deceased. The owner or trustee of either a formal revocable trust
or an informal trust deposit may be required to complete a declaration of
testamentary
trust statement attesting to the relationships of the beneficiaries to
the trust owner.
For more information on the requirements
for revocable living trust accounts or irrevocable trust accounts, see the
FDIC’s brochure “Your Insured
Deposits” which can be accessed at www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/insured
What if the depositor placed money at the failed bank through a fiduciary?
A “fiduciary” is a person (or company) who serves as an agent
on behalf of their client(s) in opening or purchasing a deposit (such as
certificate of deposit) account at an insured bank. In order to determine the
deposit
insurance coverage for such deposits, the FDIC will typically need to obtain
from the fiduciary supplemental information such as a list of the owner
or owners of each deposit and the dollar interest of each owner in the deposit
account. As soon as the fiduciary provides the needed information, the
FDIC
will pay insurance through one of the means previously described.
Although the FDIC will provide pass-through deposit insurance coverage to
the actual owner(s) of a fiduciary deposit the FDIC does not pay the deposit
insurance directly to the owners or customers. Rather, the FDIC will pay the
deposit insurance coverage to the fiduciary. In turn, the fiduciary will be
responsible for distributing the deposit insurance payments to their customers.
The FDIC does not attempt to supervise the relationships between fiduciaries
and customers or the distribution of funds from fiduciaries to customers.
Customers are urged to contact their agents/brokers regarding the status of
their investment funds, as the FDIC depends on those parties to supply the
necessary information to determine insurance coverage.
It is also important
to recognize that the FDIC is not responsible for the failure (for any
reason) of a fiduciary or a custodian to:
- actually
establish a deposit account on your behalf in an FDIC insured institution,
- maintain
proper documentation in support of a deposit account that
is made on your behalf
- the opening
of a deposit account on your behalf that results in uninsured funds.
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For more information
on the requirements for fiduciary accounts, see the FDIC’s brochure “Your Insured Deposits” which
can be accessed at www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/insured
The FDIC offers a reference guide to deposit brokers acting as agents for
their investor clientele. This site outlines the FDIC's policies and procedures
that must be followed by deposit brokers when filing for pass-through insurance
coverage on custodial accounts deposited in a failed FDIC Insured Institution,
which can be accessed at www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/brokers
How does a bank closing affect interest accruing on my deposits?
The FDIC's insurance coverage includes principal and interest through the
date of the bank failure up to applicable insurance limit for each deposit.
The accrual of interest ceases on all accounts once the bank is closed. If
an open bank acquires deposits from the failed bank, the acquiring bank becomes
responsible for re-establishing interest rates and beginning the accrual of
interest after the date of the failure of the bank. The acquiring bank may
change the interest rate on the acquired deposits, but the depositor may withdraw
their insured funds without penalty if they chose to do so. If no acquiring
bank is found for the deposits and the FDIC pays the depositors directly for
their insured amounts, interest does not accrue past the date of failure.
What happens to my direct deposits if my bank closes?
If the failed bank is acquired, all direct deposits, including Social Security
payments, will automatically be re-directed to the deposit accounts at the
acquiring bank.
If there is no acquiring bank, the FDIC typically attempts to find a nearby
bank to take over the direct deposit function temporarily, to make Social
Security and other government annuity payments available to the customers.
Specific information about any changes in the payment of direct deposits will
be made available at the office locations of the failed bank.
What happens to checks and automatic payments that have not cleared an account
before my bank is closed?
When the failed bank's deposits are assumed by an open bank, some or all
of the offices typically reopen the next business day and there is usually
no interruption in the processing of checks drawn on the failed bank. An exception
to this procedure may include checks that were drawn against a deposit account
that has been determined to be uninsured or an account that the deposit insurance
determination is pending.
In a payoff, however, any outstanding transactions or checks presented after
the bank has closed cannot be paid or charged against the account. The FDIC
needs to freeze all deposit accounts at the time the bank is closed to quickly
pay the depositors for the insured deposit balances in their accounts. Any
outstanding checks or payment requests presented after the bank failure will
be returned unpaid and will be marked to indicate that the bank is closed.
This does not reflect on your credit standing. However, it is your responsibility
to make other funds available to creditors who receive checks that were returned
and did not clear your deposit account because of the bank closing.
Can I continue to use my checks and deposit slips at the new bank?
If there is an acquiring bank, it will accept the checks and deposit slips
of the failed bank for a short time. You will receive information about
new checks and deposit slips from the acquiring bank.
When can I have access to my safe deposit box?
When the failed bank's deposits are assumed by a healthy bank, the branch
offices usually reopen the next business day. At that time, you will have
access to your safe deposit boxes. In the event of a depositor payoff, the
FDIC will send a letter to you informing you of the closing. The letter
will instruct you on how you can remove the contents of your box. Access
to the safe deposit boxes is typically granted to the safe deposit holders
the next business day after the closure.
If
I have more than $250,000 in a closed bank and I am paid $250,000 by
the FDIC, what happens to the amount in excess of $250,000?
If for example, a depositor has only a single account with a balance of
$255,000, he or she would be paid $250,000
through FDIC insurance and would receive a claim against the estate of
the closed
bank for the remaining
$5,000 which is not insured. The depositor would be given a Receiver's
Certificate as proof of this claim and would receive payments as the assets
of the
bank
are liquidated. Deposit accounts are insured by ownership capacity.
You can obtain additional information about deposit insurance coverage amounts
from the FDIC website www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits
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