The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is an independent agency of the U.S. Government. It was established by congress in 1933 to insure bank deposits, help maintain sound conditions in our banking system, and protect the nation’s money supply in case of financial institution failure. FDIC-insured deposits are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.
In the event of a bank failure, federal deposit insurance protects deposits that are payable in the United States. Deposits that are only payable overseas, and not in the United States, are not insured.
Securities, mutual funds, and similar types of investments are not covered by deposit insurance. Creditors (other than depositors) and shareholders of a failed bank or savings association are not protected by federal deposit insurance.
For More Information
Please visit the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation web site at www.FDIC.gov for more information. To further help consumers and bankers learn about deposit insurance, and to provide information about the insurance coverage of specific groups of accounts, the FDIC has developed the Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator (EDIE). The EDIE system is located on the FDIC web site (www.fdic.gov) and consolidates all of the deposit insurance information available on the site in one easy to access location.
The FDIC maintains regional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Memphis, New York, and San Francisco. Check your local directory for the appropriate telephone number or call 1-800-934-3342 for the address of the regional office serving you.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Division of Compliance and Consumer Affairs 550 17th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20429-9990
1-877-ASK-FDIC
1-800-925-4618 or 1-202-942-3147 (TTD)
E-mail Address: Consumer@FDIC.gov
From Q&A – questions and answers about your insured deposit from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Booklet P-1400-003-99). Permission to reprint without restriction, 1999.