Don’t worry, just because your bank has evaporated doesn’t mean your money will too – no screaming necessary. Every major bank in the country is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); it’s the government organization in charge of protecting your deposits (up to a certain amount) and keeping the banking system running smoothly. But what happens when a bank outright fails?

Although rare, when a bank does fail the FDIC can step in one of two ways. The preferred method is where the FDIC will try to find a healthy bank to buy the failing bank’s assets, which would mean your funds are transferred over to the better bank. Without you doing anything, your money is automatically put in a safer place. On the other hand, if a buyer can’t be found, the FDIC will write you a check for your money.

How quickly and for how much? The FDIC insures your money up to $250,000 per account and typically sends checks out within a few days of the bank failing. Since the FDIC’s creation, no one has ever lost a single penny of insured funds – a pretty good record for a 76-year-old organization. Either with a new bank or in a hefty check, you can breathe easy knowing you’ll get your money back.

Tags: bankruptcy, banks, FDIC