Is Your Bank Safe?

Bank failures are at their highest level in more than 15 years. How is yours doing?

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced February 23 that 140 banks failed in 2009 -- the highest number of failures since 1992. It also said there were 702 financial institutions on its “problem list.”

Most people know that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation guarantees depositors' cash should a bank fail. But for how much? And for which accounts? Take our Is Your Money Safe? quiz to find out if your deposits are protected.

Then ask these five questions to determine how well your bank is serving you.

Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Save up to 74%
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hwgJ7osrMtUWhk5koeVme7-200-80.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

Sign up

If you’re fed up with the high fees, low interest rates and impersonal service at your large financial institution, consider switching to a small bank or credit union. Community banks have close ties to local residents and tend to offer more personal assistance than the big money-center banks. They tend to have fewer -- and lower -- fees than the major banks. And they generally offer lower rates on loans and higher yields on savings. To learn more, read Banks That Put You First.

Cameron Huddleston
Former Online Editor, Kiplinger.com

Award-winning journalist, speaker, family finance expert, and author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk.

Cameron Huddleston wrote the daily "Kip Tips" column for Kiplinger.com. She joined Kiplinger in 2001 after graduating from American University with an MA in economic journalism.