Bank runs become a problem because banks don’t actually have a lot of money in the bank. Your deposit, to a bank, is a loan -- and most of that money gets lent out again.

It may be too early to assign blame for Europe's economic crisis, but it is not too early to figure out what went wrong in this country back in 2008. Sheila Bair headed the FDIC back then, and is out with a new book this morning, in which she says she saw signs of trouble in subprime mortgages way back in 2006.

Seventeen banks have failed so far this year, but their customers can rest easy -- thanks to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, as Sr. Producer Paddy Hirsch explains.

I have some money that I would like to place in a certificate of deposit to improve my return. Most of the U.S. banks I've looked at are offering 1.00% or less. However, some international banks -- most notably, Indian banks -- are offering around 9.00%. Is there a reason not to invest my money in an overseas institution when the payback looks so much better? Mark, Portland, OR