The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is a United States government corporation supplying deposit insurance to depositors in American commercial banks and savings banks. The FDIC was created by the Banking Act of 1933, enacted during the Great Depression to restore trust in the American banking system. More than one-third of banks failed in the years before the FDIC's creation, and bank runs were common. The insurance limit was initially US$2,500 per ownership category, and this has been increased several times over the years. Since the enactment of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010, the FDIC insures deposits in member banks up to $250,000 per ownership category. FDIC insurance is backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the United States, and according to the FDIC, "since its start in 1933 no depositor has ever lost a penny of FDIC-insured funds".
In the United States, banking had begun by the 1780s, along with the country's founding. It has developed into a highly influential and complex system of banking and financial services. Anchored by New York City and Wall Street, it is centered on various financial services, such as private banking, asset management, and deposit security.
A savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans. While the terms "S&L" and "thrift" are mainly used in the United States, similar institutions in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries include building societies and trustee savings banks. They are often mutually held, meaning that the depositors and borrowers are members with voting rights, and have the ability to direct the financial and managerial goals of the organization like the members of a credit union or the policyholders of a mutual insurance company. While it is possible for an S&L to be a joint-stock company, and even publicly traded, in such instances it is no longer truly a mutual association, and depositors and borrowers no longer have membership rights and managerial control. By law, thrifts can have no more than 20 percent of their lending in commercial loans—their focus on mortgage and consumer loans makes them particularly vulnerable to housing downturns such as the deep one the U.S. experienced in 2007.
Deposit insurance or deposit protection is a measure implemented in many countries to protect bank depositors, in full or in part, from losses caused by a bank's inability to pay its debts when due. Deposit insurance systems are one component of a financial system safety net that promotes financial stability.
NetBank, formerly named Atlanta Internet Bank (1996) and Net.B@nk (1998), was an American direct bank that operated between 1996 and 2007. Netbank suffered from bank failure and was closed by regulators on September 28, 2007.
A direct bank is a bank that offers its services only via the Internet, mobile app, email, and other electronic means, often including telephone, online chat, and mobile check deposit. A direct bank has no branch network. It may offer access to an independent banking agent network and may also provide access via ATMs, and bank by mail. Direct banks eliminate the costs of maintaining a branch network while offering convenience to customers who prefer digital technology. Direct banks provide some but not all of the services offered by physical banks.
Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) is a Russian state corporation established in January 2004 to manage operation of the deposit insurance system in the Russian Federation. DIA pays insurance compensations to depositors of failed banks. DIA also exercises bankruptcy administrator functions of insolvent banks, non–governmental pension funds and insurance companies, it is responsible for resolution of banks and managing the system of guaranteeing the rights of insured persons in the mandatory pension insurance system.
Bank regulation in the United States is highly fragmented compared with other G10 countries, where most countries have only one bank regulator. In the U.S., banking is regulated at both the federal and state level. Depending on the type of charter a banking organization has and on its organizational structure, it may be subject to numerous federal and state banking regulations. Apart from the bank regulatory agencies the U.S. maintains separate securities, commodities, and insurance regulatory agencies at the federal and state level, unlike Japan and the United Kingdom. Bank examiners are generally employed to supervise banks and to ensure compliance with regulations.
A bank is a financial intermediary which mobilizes deposits from saver surplus to deficit spenders. A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Simple was an American neobank based in Portland, Oregon. It was recognized as the first neobank and operated between 2009 and 2021.
IntraFi, LLC, is a privately held firm with a network of more than 3,000 financial institutions, three-quarters of all U.S. commercial banks and thrifts as members. Among its members are 23 of 25 top U.S. banks and 95% of all U.S. community banks. The company’s headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.
SoFi Technologies, Inc. is an American personal finance and financial technology company. Founded in 2011 at Stanford University, it operates as a direct bank and supports other financial institutions through its technology platform. As of 2024, SoFi reports 9.4 million customers and 160 million platform accounts.
Revolut Group Holdings Ltd, known simply as Revolut, is a global neobank and financial technology company headquartered in London that offers banking services for retail customers and businesses. It was co-founded in 2015 by British-Russian businessman Nikolay Storonsky and British-Ukrainian software engineer Vlad Yatsenko.
Simplii Financial is a Canadian direct bank and the digital banking division of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). It offers no-fee chequing and savings accounts, a VISA credit card, Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs), mortgages and mutual funds. These savings and investment products are also eligible for registration under a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP).
Chime Financial, Inc. is a San Francisco–based financial technology company that provides fee-free mobile banking services through two national banks, Stride Bank and The Bancorp Bank.
Current is an American financial services and software development company (FinTech) based in New York City. It provides mobile banking services through its partner bank, Choice Financial Group.
TellusApp, Inc. is an American real estate technology and financial technology company. The company's primary product, an eponymous app, provides a property management and payment system for use in housing rentals, and offers non-FDIC-insured cash accounts targeted at general consumers.
Mercury is an American fintech company that provides banking services to early stage start-up companies. The company is not a bank, but works with banking service providers to provide bank accounts and other financial services. The company was founded in 2017 in San Francisco, California.
Yotta Savings, incorporated as Yotta Technologies, is an American financial technology (fintech) company that offers a prize-linked savings account.
Evolve Bank & Trust, formerly First State Bank, is an American bank headquartered in West Memphis, Arkansas. It is best known since 2010 for partnering with fintech companies to offer banking services to their customers. Evolve has been recognized multiple times as an Inc. 5000 company and has also received several honors from Top Workplace USA.
