[JamesianP]

...yes I did. Your post at least, which was short and sweet. Bravo. I did not read the wiki article and don't plan to, but I skimmed the other one. Got as far as this at least: "Means and Strategies: The FDIC maintains the viability of the DIF by investing the fund, monitoring and responding to changes in the reserve ratio, collecting risk-based premiums, and evaluating the deposit insurance system in light of an evolving financial services industry."

"DIF fund" being the $119B. In my post I presumed that 119 billion is in US Treasuries. I'm also presuming US treasuries are not the same thing as cash. Whatever the case, generally people don't refer to "cash laying around" as an investment.

EDIT: Try this much more readable doc: https://www.fdic.gov/about/financial-reports/reports/2020ann....

The $119B in assets includes only $3B in cash, with $110B in treasuries.