If a bank goes out of business, will I lose all the money I've deposited? I know some is insured but are there limits?
Virtually all banks are insured by the FDIC, and most credit unions are insured by a similar government agency. There are limits to that coverage, however.
If a bank fails, its deposits are often assumed by one or more other banks. They may assume all of the deposits, or they may assume only the insured balances. You'd be notified if your bank's deposits were being assumed, and whether excess balances would be included.
FDIC covers different types of accounts separately to a maximum amount of at least $100,000 per insured depositor. Your individual accounts in a bank are combined into one total, and insured up to $100,000. If you have more than $100,000 in your individual name at one bank, the excess is not covered. If you have accounts jointly with other individuals, the general rule is that you combine your shares of all such accounts (half of each account held by two joint owners; a third of each account held by three joint owners, and so forth), and the total is insured to a maximum of $100,000 -- separately and in addition to the covered amount in your individually-held accounts.
There is separate coverage for accounts you might hold in trust for members of your immediate family, or that you have designated as payable to them upon your death. There is also separate coverage for certain retirement funds held in the bank for which you are a beneficiary. The maximum coverage on these funds is at least $100,000 and often as high as $250,000 per beneficial owner.
The FDIC has a neat little internet-based tool available on its website that can be used to play "what-if" games to determine coverage amounts. The FDIC calls this tool "EDIE" (Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator).
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Virtually all banks are insured by the 