Smaller banks keep a close watch over their liquidity

Mar 20, 2023
One concern: People will put their money in a bigger bank. But there's a good reason to leave it in smaller institution, one banker says.
If more people get anxious about the banking system, they may start withdrawing their money, said University of Alabama law professor Julie Hill.
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The banking crisis: What you actually need to know

Mar 17, 2023
Even if you don’t bank with Silicon Valley Bank or Signature Bank, the fallout from their collapse has probably grabbed your attention.
Given that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank marked the largest bank failure since 2008, it can feel easy to draw comparisons to the start of the Great Recession.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

What is "duration risk"? (And how did it get Silicon Valley Bank into trouble?)

Mar 16, 2023
Investing in long-term government bonds and mortgage-backed securities hurt the bank as interest rates rose and bond prices plummeted.
Some bonds are more sensitive to interest rates than others, depending on how long they take to mature. That “duration risk” hurt SVB financially.
Noah Berger/AFP via Getty Images

Banks working on rescue plan for First Republic, AP sources say

Mar 16, 2023
A group of Wall Street banks is planning a rescue package of around $30 billion for First Republic Bank, sources told The Associated Press on Thursday.
First Republic serves a similar clientele as Silicon Valley Bank, which failed Friday after depositors withdrew about $40 billion.
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Peers not lining up to buy Silicon Valley Bank's problems. Neither are the giants.

Mar 15, 2023
SVB has a "$15 billion hole," says Semafor’s Liz Hoffman. Banks big enough to take on the challenge were initially not invited to bid.
"I don't think there's a lot of appetite for big-bank CEOs" to acquire the failed SVB, Semafor's Liz Hoffman says.
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Regional banks rush to reassure customers after SVB failure

Mar 15, 2023
They're letting depositors know that their money is safe and highlighting differences between their banks and the ones that failed.
Above, people line up to try to retrieve funds at a Silicon Valley Bank branch on March 13. That anxiety has spilled over to customers who use other regional banks.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Regional banks under scrutiny: What makes them different?

Mar 15, 2023
The failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank has put a spotlight on the stability of regional banks.
First Republic Bank, which has locations in eight states, is among the midsize banks that ratings agency Moody’s is reviewing for a possible downgrade.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Federal bank regulators are getting most of the attention, but states oversee banks too

Mar 14, 2023
The feds didn’t take possession of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. That was up to state regulators in California and New York.
Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank were state chartered, which is why state regulators stepped in first.
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Bank rules rollback contributed to SVB's failure, critics say

Mar 13, 2023
The rollback of Dodd-Frank reforms exempted many of the country's largest banks from stricter regulations put in place after 2008.
Customers line up to retrieve funds from a Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, California, on Monday. President Joe Biden partially blamed the rollback of Dodd-Frank banking regulations for SVB's failure.
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Bank failures add another dose of anxiety to uncertain economy

Mar 13, 2023
Viral terms like "bank run" do not help when we're already looking at high prices, rising interest rates and big layoffs in tech.
People line up outside a Silicon Valley Bank office in Santa Clara, California, on Monday. Worries were stoked by widespread news of bank failures, and some people received alarming emails from vendors associated with SVB.
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