Deposit Insurance Schemes

The salience of deposit insurance has increased enormously in recent years as a result of the thrifts crisis in the USA and its proposed introduction to the European Community.

This paper provides a comprehensive, global database of deposit insurance arrangements as of 2013. We extend our earlier dataset by including recent adopters of deposit insurance and information on the use of government guarantees on banks’ assets and liabilities, including during the recent global financial crisis. We also create a Safety Net Index capturing the generosity of the deposit insurance scheme and government guarantees on banks’ balance sheets. The data show that deposit insurance has become more widespread and more extensive in coverage since the global financial crisis, which also triggered a temporary increase in the government protection of non-deposit liabilities and bank assets. In most cases, these guarantees have since been formally removed but coverage of deposit insurance remains above pre-crisis levels, raising concerns about implicit coverage and moral hazard going forward.

This paper argues that an optimal deposit insurance scheme would allow the level of insurance coverage to be determined by the market. Based on this principle, the paper proposes an insurance scheme that minimizes distortions and embodies fairness and credibility, two essential characteristics of a viable and effective deposit insurance scheme. Using a simple model for the determination of the optimal level of insurance coverage, it is shown that the optimal coverage is higher for developing compared to developed countries; a condition that is broadly satisfied by prevailing deposit insurance practices around the world.

Federal deposit insurance in Canada is provided by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC), created by an act of Parliament in 1967 to guarantee certain types of deposits of member institutions up to a limit currently set at $60,000 for each account. This document examines this question and looks at financial system stability and deposit insurance in Canada. More precisely, it focuses on efficiency and political explanations for deposit insurance; the banking system before 1967; the effect of deposit insurance on the banking system; and regulations and depositor compensation.

The paper contrasts deposit protection with other forms of insurance, examines why goods and services of all kinds receive warranties and guarantees, and explores the particular characteristics of deposits and banks that merit deposit insurance. It examines a variety of reasons why countries choose to adopt systems of deposit insurance, the pitfalls that can arise from poorly designed schemes, and the features of a scheme that successfully avoids these pitfalls.

Do deposit insurance programs contribute to financial developmen? Yes, but only if the regulatory environment is sound.

Detailed explanation of which bank and savings accounts qualify for federal deposit insurance coverage, how one person can have multiple accounts covered, and when the temporary $250,000 coverage will revert to $100,000.