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Banking on Banking

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The news of IndyMac, along with other banking woes, has consumers concerned for their money. Joan Goldwasser, senior reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance, discusses the best ways to keep your money safe.

You can contact the FDIC at 877.275.3342

Guests:

Joan Goldwasser

Comments [34]

Barbara from manhattan

I checked the FDIC website and not everything Ms. Goldwasser said was 100% correct. (For example, contrary to what she said on the air, accounts will continue to earn interest.) Anyone with $$ at Indymac should go to the FDIC site for accurate information.

Jul. 18 2008 12:49 PM
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joe from Illinois

IRA Accounts are insured up to $250.000

Jul. 16 2008 10:25 PM
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paul peacock from new york city

FDIC - brilliant

Kiplinger's - they are trying. good for them.

Jul. 16 2008 11:27 AM
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World's Toughest Milkman from the_C_train

Not every bank has FDIC coverage and if it does it is 100k per account, some folks at indymac bank have over 100k in an account and as of now are getting the 100k but as stated earlier only 50cents on the dollar. Key is don't have an account over 100k.

FDIC 800# is a bit tough to get through. Their website appears organized but it is tough to find their "troubled bank list", which I still have not located.

It's a good bet that any banking institution that is deeply invested in mortgages and that fiasco is not in great standing; such as Washington Mutual who's stock has plummeted %30.

Jul. 16 2008 11:11 AM
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hjs from 11211

i hope there are enough life vests on board...

Jul. 16 2008 11:07 AM
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James Rubin from Astoria

Brian & fellow listeners,

Everything you ever wanted to know about banking and consumer finance is at:

http://www.bankrate.com/

Including a link to find out the solvency of your bank!
Just use thier "Safe & Sound" ratings:

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/safesound/ss_home.asp

There is lots of info on the FDIC, as well.

I am not connected in any way to Bankrate.com other than as a consumer.

Enjoy,

Jim

Jul. 16 2008 11:00 AM
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Rich from Staten Island

Why hasn't this 100K cap been raised in over 20 years? For retirement funds, this isn't a significant amount

Jul. 16 2008 10:26 AM
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Tony Davis from Brooklyn, New York

Oh, the hypocrisy of the Republican George W. Bush, reassuring people with the New Deal program FDIC! I wish there were some smart Democrats who would remind/inform Americans that this is a LIBERAL program.

Jul. 16 2008 10:24 AM
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Alex from NYC

Chase hase acounts that are not FDIC on the JP Morgen side of the bank

Jul. 16 2008 10:22 AM
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superf88

What a relief.

Sad that other folks relying on other taxpayer handouts or support -- welfare, food stamps, housing, afterschool programs, childcare, etc. do not get this sense of relief and assurance from the Feds.

Sorry, had to point out the irony.

Jul. 16 2008 10:22 AM
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Brian from Forest Hills

FDIC Info on Joint Accounts:
http://www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/insured/ownership3.html

Jul. 16 2008 10:21 AM
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Zach from UWS

I think this panic has more to do with a sense of entitlement than actual, life-threatening fear. Cutting in line? Behaving rudely? I imagine this would be the same reaction if that indymac branch were on, say, the Upper West Side. The fact is that anyone with 100k in the bank is doing just fine and won't go hungry. If you were too lazy/short-sighted to diversify your funds early on, you deserve to take a loss. These rules have been available since the establishment of the FDIC.

Jul. 16 2008 10:20 AM
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Mary from Manhattan

What happens to your loans when a bank fails? Do you still have to pay it back and who do you pay it back to?

Jul. 16 2008 10:20 AM
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Laura from brooklyn

Hi Brian, we just sold a house for a million dollars and we have the money in a savings account temporarily while we see what to do with it. Is this money safe in a bank such as Chase? What does your guest suggest in such a case?

Jul. 16 2008 10:20 AM
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Brian from Forest Hills

THIS IS CONFUSING!!! If the total amount of money in one bank for a married couple is under $200K and each account is held jointly, is it insured up to $100K or $200K????

Jul. 16 2008 10:19 AM
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Lloyd from Manhattan

FDCI insurance is designed to assist in isolated bank failures. FDIC will be of little help in a systemic banking failure. It was pointed out that 25% of FDIC's reserves are being allocated to Indymac alone.

Jul. 16 2008 10:19 AM
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PJ from NYC

1. SIPC only insures assets that are held in a brokerage acccount. If you have a regular mutual fund account directly, it is not covered by SIPC.

2. Money market funds haven't lost a cent, but that is only because the larger firms who sponsor them have bailed them out of bad subprime investments this year. You should keep money market fund investments in larger institutions.

3. Assets of a mutual fund are not assets of the management company. If Fidelity or Vanguard were to fail, which is well nigh impossible, as they are hugely profitable, they would not have any claim to the assets of their mutual funds other than their own investments in them.

4. Fidelity and Vanguard, etc., offer to their customers insured bank certificates of deposit. So you can have a CD held in your Fidelity account and it will be FDIC insured.

Jul. 16 2008 10:18 AM
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Ralph from UWS, Manhattan

Does the 100K limit include only ONE account, or ALL accounts in the same institution with the exact same title?

Jul. 16 2008 10:15 AM
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Voter from Brooklyn

Is the $100,000 insurance on total funds in bank products in one bank per account holder or $100,000 per account? In other words... $100,000 in savings, $100,000 in checking, etc or $100,000 total regardless of number of bank products?

Jul. 16 2008 10:15 AM
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Julie from Brooklyn

My understanding is that many of the people who are pulling out their money are living paycheck to paycheckand have balances well below $100K. Most understand that they are insured. The issue is how long will it take them to get their money when they are living on a shoe string.

Jul. 16 2008 10:15 AM
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Joyce Weiner from NYC

I have a SEP IRA at Chase, and at the bottom of the summary report, it says 'not insured by FDIC'.

Is there any other option for individual retirement accounts that would be FDIC insured?

Jul. 16 2008 10:14 AM
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adam from Brooklyn

Who pays FDIC premiums and will they be increasing now? Will that trickle down to us regular folk? (That's the way "trickle down economics" always seems to work;)

Jul. 16 2008 10:13 AM
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neville clynes from work

are joint accounts insured for 200,000 ?

Jul. 16 2008 10:13 AM
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Robert from NYC

What about TIAA-CREF retirement funds?

Jul. 16 2008 10:13 AM
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Adam KUthe from Brooklyn

When do you get the money you have in the failed bank? How long do individuals have to survive without access to their money?

Jul. 16 2008 10:13 AM
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superf88

la jitters may from the reliability of the "good faith and credit" of the US...

...if the us were a company, given its known future strategies, its spending and its savings and income and debt load -- what would its credit rating be?

Jul. 16 2008 10:12 AM
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O from Forest Hills

The secret is to keep less than $100k in an account so that interest won't put you over $100k, put $90k in each bank, if you have $500k, put $90k in 6 different banks. Keep a list of your accounts for yourself and relatives.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Jul. 16 2008 10:11 AM
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Anne from Manhattan

... and what if you have more than $100K in the bank? I have an inheritance of *much more* in trust at Citibank. What happens to my money if they go under? Would my financial adviser even tell me if my trust wasn't secure with Citi?

Jul. 16 2008 10:10 AM
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Telegram Sam from Staten Island

The problem is that many depositors have their money in non-FDIC insured accounts through their banks, things like stock funds and money markets.

Jul. 16 2008 10:10 AM
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Diana from NYC

Hi,

Do you have information about non-FDIC insured banks/credit unions? For instance, my credit union is insured by American Share Insurance.

Thanks.

Jul. 16 2008 10:10 AM
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Tony from San Jose, CA

How about 401ks and IRAs? I understand that they are investments so they can lose values, but would I recover whatever it's worth if, say, Vanguard goes bust?

Also, it's backed by the full faith and credit of the all might (ahem) US dollar...

Jul. 16 2008 10:09 AM
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Robert from NYC

The man with a 20% approval rating is an idiot always was always will be and yet the media give him time to blather on like the fool he is. He's an insult to everyone's intelligence! And it's the voters' fault.

Jul. 16 2008 10:09 AM
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Walter from nyc

But what if you have more than 100K in one bank? What then? I understand 10,000 depositors are in this situation. How do they get their money back.

Jul. 16 2008 10:09 AM
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michael winslow from INWOOD

of course people's money is insured however those people who have more than $100,000 get .50 on the dollar.

So this is significant.

Jul. 16 2008 10:09 AM
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