Dramatic collapses made 2023 the biggest year ever for bank failures (2024)

Before Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in March, it had been 28 months since a U.S. bank went up in smoke — the longest stretch without a failure in more than 15 years.

SVB's unexpected demise kicked off a historic year for bank failures. The banks that went under had $548.7 billion of combined assets, the largest total ever in a single year — outpacing both 1984, when Continental Illinois failed (Bank of America eventually bought the remnants), and 2008, when Washington Mutual collapsed (JPMorgan Chase purchased what was left).

San Francisco-based First Republic Bank goes down as the second-largest failure in U.S. history. Santa Clara, California-based Silicon Valley Bank follows at number three on the all-time list and New York City-based Signature Bank is the fourth-largest bank to fail.

The year also brought the demise of crypto-friendly Silvergate Bank — in what was a voluntary self-liquidation rather than a failure — and the failure of Heartland Tri-State Bank after its CEO reportedly fell victim to a crypto scam. In all, five banks failed, the most in a single year since 2017.

The failures come at a considerable cost to more than 100 surviving banks that have more than $5 billion of assets. Those larger banks will have to pay special assessments of 13.4 basis points annually to make up for a $16.3 billion hit to the Deposit Insurance Fund.

What follows is a recap of the year when bank failures roared back to bite the industry.

Dramatic collapses made 2023 the biggest year ever for bank failures (2024)

FAQs

Dramatic collapses made 2023 the biggest year ever for bank failures? ›

The unexpected collapses of three banks - Silicon Valley and Signature in March 2023 and First Republic in May - put a spotlight on how lenders managed risks to assets and liquidity as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates aggressively to bring surging inflation under control.

Why are banks collapsing in 2023? ›

Banking Turmoil 2023

The collapse of banks, such as Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank, resulted from deficiencies in risk management and a lack of proactive supervision; they are unrelated to the bad loan practices of the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008.

What is the largest bank failure in history? ›

The largest bank failure ever occurred when Washington Mutual Bank went under in 2008. At the time, it had about $307 billion in assets. During the uncertainty of the banking crisis, however, Washington Mutual experienced a bank run where customers withdrew almost $17 billion in assets in less than 10 days.

Are banks crashing in 2024? ›

WASHINGTON (TND) — The U.S. had its first bank failure of 2024 with federal regulators seizing control of Pennsylvania-based Republic First over the weekend, which comes a year after a string of larger regional banks collapsed in spectacular fashion and fueled fears of a run on deposits and shook faith in the financial ...

What is the largest bank failure in US history? ›

Washington Mutual Seattle

Why are US banks collapsing? ›

Most US banks were similarly exposed to customer withdrawals and underwater bond portfolios, while the Credit Suisse collapse demonstrated the potential for contagion. The Fed's BTFP stopped the panic by allowing US banks to borrow from the central bank using their bonds as collateral.

How many US banks are in danger? ›

Consulting firm Klaros Group analyzed about 4,000 U.S. banks and found 282 banks face the dual threat of commercial real estate loans and potential losses tied to higher interest rates. The majority of those banks are smaller lenders with less than $10 billion in assets.

Are banks collapsing in the US? ›

The collapses in March of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank – two of the largest U.S. banks to fail since the Great Depression of the 1930s – have led some to wonder if the nation may be headed for a new widespread banking crisis.

Is the US banking system in trouble 2023? ›

Four mid-sized U.S. banks failed around March 2023, the most prominent of which was Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), which became the second largest bank failure in U.S. history after the failure of Washington Mutual in 2008. It is convenient to think the problems at these banks were isolated.

Which banks are going under? ›

Bank Failures of 2023 and 2024
Bank NameCityState
First Republic BankSan FranciscoCA
Heartland Tri-State BankElkhartKS
Citizens Bank of Sac CitySac CityIA
Republic First BankPhiladelphiaPA
2 more rows

When was the last time a major bank collapsed? ›

Like with bank runs of the past, SVB was unable to recover. The bank failed in March 2023 – marking the largest bank failure since 2008 and the second largest bank failure in American history. Around the same time, Signature Bank was in a similar situation to SVB.

Which is the top No. 1 bank in the world? ›

List of Top 10 Largest Banks in the World 2024
RankBankHeadquarters
1JPMorgan ChaseNew York, USA
2Bank Of AmericaNorth Carolina, USA
3ICBC LimitedBeijing, China
4Wells FargoCalifornia, USA
6 more rows
Jan 29, 2024

Is Bank of America safe from collapse? ›

Bank of America is just one place below JPMorgan Chase on both the 2023 G-SIBs list and the Federal Reserve's list of the largest U.S. banks, which is why it was chosen in our research as one of the safest banks.

Is Capital One bank safe from collapse? ›

Your money is safe at Capital One

The FDIC insures balances up to $250,000 held in various types of consumer and business deposit accounts.

How many banks collapsed in 2024? ›

There is 1 bank failure in 2024. See detailed descriptions below. For more bank failure information on a specific year, select a date from the drop down menu to the right or select a month within the graph.

Which banks have failed in 2023? ›

About the FDIC:
Bank NameBankCityCityClosing DateClosing
Republic First Bank dba Republic BankPhiladelphiaApril 26, 2024
Citizens BankSac CityNovember 3, 2023
Heartland Tri-State BankElkhartJuly 28, 2023
First Republic BankSan FranciscoMay 1, 2023
56 more rows

Did any banks fail in 2023? ›

In early March 2023, three banks failed in just a few days. These banks—Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic—were among the biggest banks to fail in U.S. history.

What bank system failed in 2023? ›

The 2023 United States banking crisis was a series of bank failures and bankruptcies that took place in early 2023, with the United States federal government ultimately intervening in several ways.

Which banks are in trouble in 2023? ›

List of Recent Failed Banks
Bank NameCityAcquiring Institution
Heartland Tri-State BankElkhartDream First Bank, N.A.
First Republic BankSan FranciscoJPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Signature BankNew YorkFlagstar Bank, N.A.
Silicon Valley BankSanta ClaraFirst–Citizens Bank & Trust Company
1 more row
Feb 29, 2024

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