SI - Should the FDIC deposit insurance cap be kept waived or raised?

2023-03-21 07:34:54 ET

Officials at the U.S. Treasury Department are reportedly studying ways to guarantee all bank deposits if tremors in the banking system spiral into a full-blown financial crisis. Authorities don't yet see full FDIC coverage as necessary, but they are exploring a legal framework using emergency powers that wouldn't require passage through a deeply divided Congress. The fear is that if another regional lender fails, there will be a run on deposits at smaller banks, knocking the industry over and sending billions of dollars to their bigger competitors. Here are the top 10 financial stocks, according to SA’s Quant Ratings

Backdrop: The FDIC has already backstopped the uninsured client deposits of Silicon Valley Bank ( SIVB ) and Signature Bank ( SBNY ), while crypto-focused Silvergate ( SI ) was left to liquidate and Credit Suisse ( CS ) was rescued by Swiss authorities and UBS. Some support is building for a motion to guarantee all bank deposits, as a fifth bank - First Republic ( FRC ) - teeters on the brink of insolvency. Shares of the lender tumbled 47% on Monday after a series of downgrades by S&P , but recovered as much as 21% in premarket trading as investors swallow an aid proposal led by JPMorgan ( JPM ) CEO Jamie Dimon (prior reports also suggested it was exploring a sale ).

Where things stand? Some Republican lawmakers, like Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, are weighing changes to the current $250,000 FDIC insurance cap, as well as Democratic ranking member Maxine Waters (D-CA). Others are more against a universal guarantee on all bank deposits, like the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which feels that the "dangerous precedent that simply encourages future irresponsible behavior [would] be paid for by those not involved who followed the rules." It comes after the Mid-Size Banks Coalition of America penned a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and regulators to extend FDIC insurance to all deposits to "restore confidence among depositors before another bank falls."

SA commentary: "Everywhere you look, the government is handing out money to the banks," writes contributor Mark Grant . "In fact, U.S. banks have borrowed a combined $164.8 billion from the two backstop facilities provided by the Fed, eclipsing the money that was borrowed during the 2008/2009 financial crisis. The effects of this will be wide-ranging, including real estate loans, corporate loans, personal loans, mortgages, credit card interest rates, the U.S. Prime Rate, and every other type of lending that you can consider. Check out the full article, The Banking System - The Heat Is On .

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