What three banks failed in the US?
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.
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.
It prompted a massive liquidity crisis, thereby leading to the collapse. Over the last week, we've observed the collapse of three major banks in the United States - Silvergate, Silicon Valley, and Signature. However, what led to this occurrence, and is there a connection between their simultaneous decline?
The largest bank failure ever occurred when Washington Mutual Bank went under in 2008. At the time, it had about $307 billion in assets. During the uncertainty of the banking crisis, however, Washington Mutual experienced a bank run where customers withdrew almost $17 billion in assets in less than 10 days.
The most common cause of bank failure is when the value of the bank's assets falls below the market value of the bank's liabilities, which are the bank's obligations to creditors and depositors. This might happen because the bank loses too much on its investments.
Three banks in the U.S. (Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and Silvergate) have collapsed since early March. The collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank are the two biggest bank failures since 2008.
Two major California banks — Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic — have failed. While some banking industry leaders have said the immediate crisis is over, stock prices for other regional banks, including PacWest and Western Alliance, fell this week.
The collapses of First Republic Bank, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were the second-, third- and fourth-largest bank failures in the history of the United States, respectively, smaller only than the collapse of Washington Mutual during the 2007–2008 financial crisis.
There were 566 bank failures from 2001 through 2024. See Summary by Year below.
Bank | City | Assets at time of failure |
---|---|---|
Inflation-adjusted (2022) | ||
First Republic Bank Corporation | Dallas | $80 billion |
American Savings and Loan | Stockton | $75 billion |
Bank of New England | Boston | $47 billion |
Which two US banks failed recently?
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.
There was an average of 4.3 bank failures per year between 1996 and 2006, and 3.6 between 2015 and 2022. Before SVB and Signature, in fact, it had been over two years since the last bank failure.
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.
- 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) .
Here's what typically happens. The FDIC announces that the bank is closed, and the FDIC is appointed as its receiver so it can help use the bank's assets to pay depositors and creditors. In most cases, the FDIC will try to find another banking institution to acquire the failed bank.
Bank NameBank | CityCity | Closing DateClosing |
---|---|---|
Silicon Valley Bank | Santa Clara | March 10, 2023 |
Almena State Bank | Almena | October 23, 2020 |
First City Bank of Florida | Fort Walton Beach | October 16, 2020 |
The First State Bank | Barboursville | April 3, 2020 |
Bank | Forbes Advisor Rating | Learn More |
---|---|---|
Chase Bank | 5.0 | Learn More Read Our Full Review |
Bank of America | 4.2 | |
Wells Fargo Bank | 4.0 | Learn More Read Our Full Review |
Citi® | 4.0 |
The worst banks are Wells Fargo and Citibank. Wells Fargo is the worst bank overall, with a high percentage of unresolved complaints and loss of Better Business Bureau accreditation. Citibank has a string of high-profile cases involving operational chaos and regulatory fines.
Generally speaking, credit unions are safer than banks in a collapse. This is because credit unions use fewer risks, serving individuals and small businesses rather than large investors, like a bank.
How many US banks are in danger?
Recently, a report posted on the Social Science Research Network found that 186 banks in the United States are at risk of failure or collapse due to rising interest rates and a high proportion of uninsured deposits.
The unexpected collapses of three banks - Silicon Valley and Signature in March 2023 and First Republic in May - put a spotlight on how lenders managed risks to assets and liquidity as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates aggressively to bring surging inflation under control.
Citigroup is planning to lay off 20,000 employees, or about 10% of its workforce, in the next two years as it comes off its worst quarterly financial results in more than a decade.
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. Both credit unions and banks have deposit insurance and are generally safe places for your money.
- Alliant Credit Union: Best credit union.
- Ally Bank: Best bank; best CDs.
- Charles Schwab Bank: Best for ATM access.
- Chase: Best for sign-up bonuses; best for branch access.
- Discover® Bank: Best online banking experience.
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