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by gojomo 5569 days ago
That's a bit like the way Fannie and Freddie received no direct appropriations... before they collapsed. They had an implicit guarantee, which was worth just as much as cash, and wound up costing a lot.

When people trust the FDIC, it's not based on the idea that they're an independent entity charging sufficient premiums to handle any eventuality. They're not; they predict they will be below their legally-required reserve level through 2017 and not hit their target reserve level until 2027 (with rosy economic assumptions):

http://problembanklist.com/fdic-deposit-insurance-fund-to-re...

http://problembanklist.com/fdic-projects-losses-of-billion-o...

The FDIC only inspires confidence because of the understanding that if necessary the full resources of the government would back it.