Where does the money come from for FDIC to cover insured deposits? Do we, as taxpayers, foot the bill?
The FDIC's insurance coverage is covered by an insurance fund. Money for the insurance fund comes from quarterly assessments on insured financial institutions, based on reports of their deposit account balances. The assessment percentages are adjusted to keep a reserve in the insurance fund that is estimated to be more than adequate to cover anticipated payouts to insured depositors of failed banks.
Under normal circumstances, FDIC coverage is a cost of doing business of insured banks. Accordingly, that cost is ultimately borne by those who benefit from the insurance protection -- those banks' depositors. Funding from the U.S. government would only be required in the unlikely event that a series of substantial bank failures required the FDIC to pay out more than the amount in the insurance fund.
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