My Poker Face: FDIC Tells - Of Fearing the Mother Of All Run On Banks

03-26-2011 • JessesCrossRoadsCafe.blogspot.com/

Someone brought this to my attention, as I had not heard of it. It is not so much what they are doing, but why now? With recovery supposedly at hand, and the financial crisis over thanks to Ben and Timmy, I wonder why they would enact unlimited FDIC coverage for what sounds like checking accounts and commercial clearing accounts. The only thing that occurred to me was that in the event of a bank run, it might be intended to prevent another short term credit seizure such as was experienced in the financial crisis. But why now? And why use FDIC to do take on this unlimited liability, far in excess of what it was intended to do? I doubt very much that this is designed to protect individuals per se, given the exclusions. Curious. Perhaps I am missing something here. Temporary Unlimited Coverage for Noninterest-bearing Transaction Accounts - FDIC From December 31, 2010 through December 31, 2012, all noninterest-bearing transaction accounts are fully insured, regardless of the balance of the account and the ownership capacity of the funds. This coverage is available to all depositors, including consumers, businesses, and government entities. The unlimited coverage is separate from, and in addition to, the insurance coverage provided for a depositor’s other accounts held at an FDIC-insured bank. A noninterest-bearing transaction account is a deposit account where: interest is neither accrued nor paid; depositors are permitted to make an unlimited number of transfers and withdrawals; and the bank does not reserve the right to require advance notice of an intended withdrawal. Note: Money Market Deposit Accounts (MMDAs) and Negotiable Order of Withdrawal (NOW) accounts are not eligible for this temporary unlimited insurance coverage, regardless of the interest rate, even if no interest is paid. (lol)