Hall of shame: 10 biggest bank failures (2024)

FAQs

What was largest bank failure in US history? ›

2024 in Brief

There are no bank failures in 2024. See detailed descriptions below.

Earlier last year Silicon Valley Bank failed March 10, 2023, and then Signature Bank failed two days later, ending the unusual streak of more than 800 days without a bank failure. Before Citizens Bank failed in November 2023, Heartland Tri-State Bank failed July 28, 2023 and First Republic Bank failed May 1, 2023.

The 10 largest banks in the U.S. are Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, U.S. Bank, PNC Bank, Goldman Sachs Bank, Truist Bank, Capital One and TD Bank. Key Takeaways: Chase is the largest bank in the country, holding over $3.38 trillion in assets.

The collapses in March of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank – two of the largest U.S. banks to fail since the Great Depression of the 1930s – have led some to wonder if the nation may be headed for a new widespread banking crisis.

The short answer is no. Banks cannot take your money without your permission, at least not legally. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures deposits up to $250,000 per account holder, per bank. If the bank fails, you will return your money to the insured limit.

Still, the FDIC itself doesn't have unlimited money. If enough banks flounder at once, it could deplete the fund that backstops deposits. However, experts say even in that event, bank patrons shouldn't worry about losing their FDIC-insured money.

1. JPMorgan Chase. JPMorgan Chase, or Chase Bank, is the biggest bank in America with nearly $3.4 trillion in assets. It boasts a vast network of over 4,800 physical branches and more than 15,000 ATMs.

Is Bank of America in trouble? ›

Overall, Bank of America appears to be in a relatively healthy financial position and is not currently in imminent danger of collapse.

Generally, credit unions are viewed as safer than banks, although deposits at both types of financial institutions are usually insured at the same dollar amounts. The FDIC insures deposits at most banks, and the NCUA insures deposits at most credit unions.

The Financial Crisis of 2007–08

This sparked the Great Recession, the most-severe financial crisis since the Great Depression, and it wreaked havoc in financial markets around the world.

Silicon Valley Bank's 48-hour collapse led to the second-largest failure of a financial institution in US history. Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California, US, on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

For just over one month, Silicon Valley Bank was the second-largest bank failure in US history. That was until First Republic Bank, a California lender that catered to wealthy clients, knocked it off that spot. First Republic was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The collapse of Washington Mutual (WaMu) in 2008 stands out as the largest bank failure in U.S. history, according to the FDIC. When regulators seized it, WaMu had more than $300 billion in assets and $188 billion in deposits, making it the sixth-largest U.S. bank.