This graphic charts over 560 U.S. bank failures since 2001, including the two most recent additions: Silicon Valley Bank and Silvergate.

Banking regulators at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve and Treasury Department swooped in to save depositors.

In a world where people buy funds that are tied to indexes, the people who determine what go into those indexes have become very powerful indeed.

More details have come out on what was going on late last week and over the weekend with Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the DC officials dealing with the fallout.  And as more information comes to light, we can more thoughtfully reflect on who might be to blame.  We also look at all of the investigations that have been announced as a result to hold the appropriate people accountable and address flaws in regulation/supervision.  Finally, we take a look at the other banks swept up in the frenzy.     The Feds to the Rescue   SVB’s situation was not news to the Federal Reserve last week. They had reportedly been concerned about the drop in value of the bank’s portfolio as interest rates increased. The FDIC was concerned about the customer base being so concentrated in the venture capital/tech start-up space. Both organizations were deeply into the situation Thursday.

It's only about 60 times higher than the average interest rates on savings accounts!  Answer: 20.4% Questions:  What has been the trend over the past two years with interest rates on credit cards? Does 20% seem high, low or just about right when it comes to paying interest on credit card debt? What is one strategy that you can use to avoid having credit card debt? Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

“Are you curious about how much money the FDIC holds in its Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF)? At the end of 2022, it had a balance of $128 billion. That's 1.27x the amount of insured deposits across the country.”

“Hey, if you're currently teaching micro (time for some game theory), macro (bank runs!) or even finance (maturity transformation!) you may want to add a bit about the Silicon Valley bank run. Lemme try to give you a quick couple of slides you can insert into class. #TeachEcon”

Skittish savers can protect their deposits in many different ways if they are uneasy about the safety of their money after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank.

Republicans are royally pissed off about asset management firms with social and environmental commitments. The firms really only care about the bottom line. In this new climate fight, we all lose.

Over the past few decades, Silicon Valley has become a hub for innovation, venture capital, and high-tech startups. Against this backdrop, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) emerged as a leading financial institution. Last week they were the target of a bank run.

Learn more about Bank Runs from my course videos https://youtu.be/f8y-HTU8ffYMy video on Hard Landings https://youtu.be/4yIFbJBRDIE Subscribe to my Newslette...

Expect SVB to remain in the headlines for days and weeks to come.

Banking regulators devised a plan Sunday to shore up deposits at Silicon Valley Bank, a critical step in stemming a feared panic.

Nearly 60% of all online retail purchases in the U.S. were done on Amazon last year, reflecting the company’s tightening grip on eCommerce sales.

It's only a number but an important one at that. Hint: The sum of the three numbers in the answer add up to 22.  Answer: 679 Questions: Why are credit scores important? What factors affect one's credit score? Why do you think Gen Z may have low credit scores relative to older generations?

Competition among peer-to-peer payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, Cash App and Zelle have been heating up for the past 10 years. The big banks tried to compete in the space when PayPal first came on the scene 25 years ago, but their business models failed. Now, Zelle, a seven-bank platform, is outpacing its rivals in average transaction value. But a rise in reported fraud activity recently got the attention of Congress, with allegations that the banks aren't supporting those affected customers.

Learn about your health insurance coverage options in Michigan - including ACA individual and family plans, small-group, short-term, Medicare and Medicaid.

hahaha this system sucks.a huge thanks to my Patreon for giving me a chance to do this way-too-big video: https://patreon.com/briandavidgilbertfilmed by Kare...

Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw is backing out of playing for the U.S. in the WBC, calling the situation "super disappointing." A source told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez an insurance issue led to Kershaw's turn of events.

In its fifth iteration, the Diary of Consumer Payment Choice data show that cash continues to be used extensively for small-value purchases - representing nearly half of all payments under $10 and 42 percent of payments less than $25. However, consumers’ use of other payment options, including debit and credit cards, is growing.

Credit card fraud is an unfortunate fact of life, with hundreds of thousands of Americans falling victim each year.1 This multibillion-dollar crime became even more common during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's expected to grow as people continue to rely on online shopping and social media, creating many opportunities for scammers to snag … Continued

Question of the Day for teachers and students: How long has the average U.S. adult used the same checking account?

“What is ONE thing about Personal Finance You think not enough people know?”

The Fed is expected to start hiking its target interest rate by spring, and consumers will see a corresponding rise in interest rates for credit cards.

Financial literacy and greater longevity awareness will help fix retirement planning gaps, according to a study that delved into multiple dimensions of undersaving.…Read More

U.S. consumer spending fell for a second straight month in December, putting the economy on a lower growth path heading into 2023, while inflation continued to subside, which could give the Federal Reserve room to further slow the pace of its interest rate hikes next week.