Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Canada: Contingent Term Repo Facility, Sharon M. Nunn

Journal of Financial Crises

The Bank of Canada (BoC) activated its Contingent Term Repo Facility (CTRF) from April 2020 to April 2021 in response to liquidity strains in markets that stemmed from economic uncertainty and the COVID-19 pandemic. The facility complemented other BoC liquidity facilities by broadening access to the central bank’s repurchase (repo) operations beyond primary dealers and their affiliates, to large asset managers active in Canadian dollar money markets or fixed income markets. The CTRF offered one-month term funding to eligible counterparties on a bilateral basis against securities issued or guaranteed by the government of Canada or a provincial government. In the …

New York Clearing House Association: Overview, Sean Fulmer

Journal of Financial Crises

Between the creation of nationally chartered banks in 1863 and the launch of the Federal Reserve System in 1914, an organization of most New York City banks—originally formed to simplify settling clearing balances—joined together during banking panics to reallocate liquidity and restore market confidence. In the absence of a central bank, this organization, the New York Clearing House Association (NYCH), issued clearinghouse loan certificates (CLCs) that association members could use as temporary cash substitutes for settling clearing balances between banks. CLCs allowed borrowing banks to maintain their cash reserves without costly asset liquidations. The NYCH used CLCs in six crises …

United States: Temporary Guarantee Program For Money Market Funds, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

On September 16, 2008, following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Reserve Primary Fund “broke the buck,” meaning that its net asset value (NAV) fell more than 0.5% below the $1 per share target value maintained by money-market funds (MMFs). When the Reserve Primary Fund could not restore the NAV, investors began withdrawing funds from MMFs, leading to a $439 billion run on the MMF market. To stop this run, the US Department of the Treasury established the Temporary Guarantee Program for Money Market Funds (the Guarantee Program), which insured investors’ holdings in participating MMFs. The Guarantee Program was designed …

United States: Transaction Account Guarantee Program, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

The collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 led many uninsured depositors to withdraw their funds from US banks that they perceived as troubled. To reassure depositors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), on October 14, 2008, guaranteed certain debt and deposits through its Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP). The Temporary Account Guarantee Program (TAGP) was one component of the TLGP. Through the TAGP, the FDIC provided unlimited insurance to noninterest-bearing transaction accounts (NIBTAs) and other low-interest-bearing accounts. On October 3, 2008, the US Congress had increased the limit on insured deposits to $250,000. By guaranteeing these accounts in full, …

Taiwan (Roc): Central Deposit Insurance Corporation, Lily S. Engbith

Journal of Financial Crises

In September 2008, the failure of a large Taiwanese bank led depositors to shift billions of dollars from private banks to state-owned banks. To stem the runs, the government on October 7 invoked its authority under Articles 28 and 29 of the Deposit Insurance Act to announce a temporary, unlimited guarantee on all deposit accounts of institutions covered by the Central Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC). In addition to removing the previous TWD 3 million (USD 90,000) cap per depositor, the expanded coverage included several types of deposit accounts that had not been previously insured by the CDIC. As the CDIC’s …

United Kingdom: Financial Services Compensation Scheme, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

In mid-September 2007, as credit markets froze, Northern Rock, the United Kingdom’s fifth-largest mortgage bank, struggled to secure short-term funding and sought emergency liquidity assistance from the Bank of England (BoE). As word of that support leaked to the public, the bank suffered a run by its retail depositors. On September 17, Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) announced it would guarantee all of Northern Rock’s deposits. On October 1, 2007, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), then the UK’s lead financial regulator, announced that the UK’s deposit insurer would abolish co-insurance and cover 100% of eligible accounts, up to GBP 35,000 (USD …

Swiss Banks’ And Securities Dealers’ Depositor Protection Association, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

During the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Swiss authorities adopted changes to their deposit-insurance system, partly in response to similar measures by neighboring countries. On November 5, 2008, the Swiss finance minister announced that Switzerland would propose legislation to increase depositor coverage from CHF 30,000 to CHF 100,000 (USD 85,400). Swiss authorities also increased the maximum amount of ex-post contributions they could levy from CHF 4 billion to CHF 6 billion. The Swiss Banks’ and Securities Dealers’ Depositor Protection Association (ESI), Switzerland’s standing deposit-insurance body, administered its federal deposit-insurance system. The ESI was privately administered, was compulsory for nearly all deposit-taking …

Spain: Deposit Guarantee Funds, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

On October 10, 2008, Spanish authorities increased the amount insured under its three Fondos de Garantía de Depósitos (FGDs), Spain’s deposit-insurance schemes, from EUR 20,000 to EUR 100,000 (USD 27,200 to USD 136,000). By raising this limit, which was meant to be a permanent change to the banking system, Spanish authorities intended to bolster depositor confidence while exceeding a recent European Union (EU) recommendation to expand such coverage to at least EUR 50,000. Membership in one of the FGDs was compulsory for banks, cajas (savings banks), and cooperatives, each of which had a separate fund. These institutions paid a 0.2% …

Slovenia: Unlimited Deposit Guarantee, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

On October 7, 2008, as the European Union (EU) coordinated its members’ response to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), its Economic and Financial Council (ECOFIN) recommended that member states raise their deposit-insurance coverage to at least EUR 50,000 (USD 67,000). Germany and Austria went further and adopted an unlimited guarantee of deposits. In response, Slovenia announced its Unlimited Deposit Guarantee on October 8, 2008. Slovenia’s national assembly adopted the program on November 11, 2008, effective November 20. The Bank of Slovenia (BoS) administered the program, as it had Slovenia’s existing deposit-insurance scheme. When an insured bank failed, fees were imposed …

Russia: Deposit Insurance Agency (2008–2009), Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

Russian authorities responded to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in September and October 2008 with various measures to provide liquidity to the banking sector and restore market confidence. Among these, on October 13, 2008, Russia amended its deposit insurance system. This amendment increased the deposit insurance cap from RUB 400,000 to RUB 700,000 (about USD 15,000 to USD 26,000) and abolished co-insurance, increasing the guarantee’s full coverage of deposits from 90% to 100%. The Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) administered the deposit insurance system. It covered all household deposit accounts and was mandatory for all banks operating in Russia. Banks were …

Singapore: Government Guarantee On Deposits, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

On October 16, 2008, following the collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 15 and the introduction of Hong Kong’s unlimited deposit guarantee on October 14, Singapore announced its Government Guarantee on Deposits (GGD). The GGD was meant “to avoid an erosion of banks’ deposit base and ensure a level international playing field for banks in Singapore.” It was administered by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Singapore’s central bank and financial regulatory body, and was backed by government reserves totaling SGD 150 billion (about USD 100 billion). The program expanded upon Singapore’s pre-crisis guarantee of SGD 20,000, which was administered …

Portugal: Deposit Guarantee Fund, Kaleb B. Nygaard

Journal of Financial Crises

On November 3, 2008, the Portuguese government, through a formal legal decree, increased the country’s deposit insurance coverage from EUR 25,000 to EUR 100,000 (USD 31,750 to USD 127,000). The decree came in response to the Global Financial Crisis and a European Union recommendation that all member states increase their deposit coverage to at least EUR 50,000. Portugal’s deposit-guarantee fund, the Fundo de Garantia de Depósitos (or FGD in Portuguese), had existed since 1992. In 2010, the fund was called upon to cover approximately EUR 100 million in deposits of the failed commercial bank Banco Privado Português, S.A., which had …

Romania: Bank Deposit Guarantee Fund, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

Following international calls to strengthen deposit-insurance systems during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Romanian authorities increased their deposit-insurance coverage from EUR 20,000 to EUR 50,000 (USD 26,800 to USD 67,000) on October 14, 2008, with the change coming into effect the next day. The Fondul de Garantare a Depozitelor Bancare (FGDB), Romania’s existing deposit insurer, implemented it. Membership was mandatory for all banks registered with the National Bank of Romania (NBR), and local branches of foreign banks could apply for supplementary coverage if their home coverage was below EUR 50,000. The FGDB covered most deposit accounts and charged participating institutions …

Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, Lily S. Engbith

Journal of Financial Crises

At the height of the Global Financial Crisis in October 2008, moves by other countries to expand the scope of their bank deposit insurance led the Philippine government to consider similar measures. Unlike most countries, however, the government did not make the changes immediately. After a lengthy legislative process, the President signed a bill on April 29, 2009, doubling the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (PDIC’s) coverage from PHP 250,000 to PHP 500,000 (about USD 5,300 to USD 10,600) per depositor, with any losses in excess of PHP 250,000 covered by the national government. The changes took effect on June 1, …

New Zealand: Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

The collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 led to a global financial crisis. Leaders of the G-7 countries agreed on October 10, 2008, to five principles for addressing the crisis, including the need for sound deposit insurance. On October 12, Australia’s prime minister announced a deposit insurance program that his government had first publicly vetted in June. Anticipating Australia’s announcement, New Zealand’s prime minister announced its own deposit guarantee scheme on the same afternoon. The government launched the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme (the Scheme) “to ensure ongoing retail depositor confidence in New Zealand’s financial system, given turbulence in the …

Malaysia: Government Deposit Guarantee, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

On October 16, 2008, following the collapse of Lehman Brothers and regional expansions of deposit insurance, Malaysia announced its Government Deposit Guarantee (GDG), an unlimited guarantee of deposits held at eligible institutions. Given the “soundness and strong capitalization” of the banking sector, the preemptive program was meant “to maintain the stability of the Malaysian financial system.” Prior to the crisis, the Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia (PIDM), Malaysia’s deposit-insurance agency, guaranteed up to MYR 60,000 (USD 17,291) per depositor per insured institution. The PIDM was tasked with administering the GDG. Under the GDG, the PIDM insured all ringgit and foreign-currency deposits. …

Association For The Guarantee Of Deposits Luxembourg, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

During the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Luxembourgish officials in October 2008 announced plans to raise the country’s deposit-insurance cap to EUR 100,000 (USD 134,000) and eliminate co-insurance. Prior to the GFC, Luxembourg’s deposit-insurance system covered 90% of deposits in eligible accounts up to EUR 22,222, with depositors responsible for the remaining 10%. On December 19, 2008, the legislature increased the cap to EUR 100,000 and removed the co-insurance, effective January 1, 2009. The Association Pour la Garantie des Dépôts Luxembourg (AGDL), a private deposit-insurance body, administered these changes. All deposit-taking institutions and approved investment firms, except branches of foreign banks, …

Kuwait: Unlimited Deposit Guarantee, Sharon M. Nunn

Journal of Financial Crises

On October 26, 2008, at the height of the Global Financial Crisis, the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) announced that it would support Gulf Bank, the country’s third-largest bank, which had sustained losses on clients’ derivatives trades. In the same announcement, it said it would ask the government to guarantee all banking deposits to shore up confidence in banks and to keep Kuwait’s banking system competitive with those of other countries, including neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which had already announced unlimited deposit guarantees. The legislature passed an unlimited deposit guarantee bill eight days later. Kuwait did …

Latvia: Deposit Guarantee Fund, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

During the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Latvian authorities raised the country’s deposit-insurance cap from EUR 20,000 to EUR 50,000 (USD 26,800 to USD 67,000) in response to international calls to bolster deposit-insurance systems. They passed the measure on October 16, 2008, and it came into effect two days later. The Financial and Capital Market Commission (FCMC), Latvia’s prudential supervisor and existing deposit administrator, oversaw the guarantee. The FCMC covered most types of deposit accounts and insured all Latvian-registered deposit-taking institutions, including some foreign-bank branches operating in Latvia. The FCMC charged quarterly premiums on insured accounts and could levy additional fees …

Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation, Lily S. Engbith

Journal of Financial Crises

To address the risk of capital flight to neighboring countries during the Global Financial Crisis, the Indonesian government raised the limit on insured deposits 20-fold from IDR 100 million to IDR 2 billion per account (about USD 200,000). The President issued two government regulations on October 13, 2008. The first was an emergency decree that authorized the government, in consultation with the Indonesian Parliament, to alter the limit in times of systemic financial distress. The second was a government regulation enacting the actual increase, which has remained in effect since the crisis. All banks operating within Indonesia, including branches of …

Hungary: National Deposit Insurance Fund, Zijin (Phoebe) Lei, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

At the height of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Hungary announced changes to its deposit-insurance system on October 8, 2008. The government said that it would increase the deposit-insurance cap from HUF 6 million to HUF 13 million (about USD 31,000 to about USD 68,000), the equivalent of roughly EUR 50,000 (about USD 68,000), in line with a European Union (EU) recommendation. Hungary’s finance minister also announced that the state would temporarily provide an unlimited deposit guarantee, following the actions of several European countries. The unlimited guarantee was political, meaning it was not implemented through official legislation. It was effective …

Iceland: Depositors’ And Investors’ Guarantee Fund, Adam Kulam

Journal of Financial Crises

Leading up to the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2009, Iceland’s three largest banks accumulated assets totaling several times the size of Iceland’s GDP and financed their growth through foreign borrowing. As wholesale funding dried up in 2007, they replaced this borrowing by rapidly gathering deposits through foreign branches and subsidiaries located in the European Union, primarily in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In the summer and fall of 2008, international credit markets froze and the Icelandic banks were unable to roll over their maturing liabilities. On October 6, Prime Minister Geir Haarde announced a full guarantee of domestic deposits. …

Hong Kong Sar: Full Deposit Guarantee, Ezekiel Vergara, Lily S. Engbith

Journal of Financial Crises

Following a run on Hong Kong’s fifth-biggest bank in September 2008, the Hong Kong government announced that it would use its Exchange Fund to extend full insurance temporarily to depositors at approved banks. The existing Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS) would continue to insure the first 100,000 Hong Kong dollars (HKD; about USD 13,000) per depositor at each bank; the new program would cover the rest. It also covered a broader set of institutions. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) administered the program, overseen by the Hong Kong Deposit Protection Board (HKDPB); the HKMA was also responsible for managing the Exchange …

Greece: Hellenic Deposit Guarantee Fund, Lily S. Engbith

Journal of Financial Crises

Responding to general financial and economic volatility during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the Greek government in November 2008 sought to shore up public confidence in the banking system by raising the deposit-insurance limit from EUR 20,000 to EUR 100,000 (127,000 USD) per depositor for three years. The Hellenic Deposit Guarantee Fund (HDGF) was responsible for administering this adjustment, which was accompanied by a fivefold increase in the percentages used for calculating member institutions’ annual contributions. All credit institutions that were authorized to operate in Greece, including branches of foreign banks without their own coverage, were required to participate in …

France: Deposit Guarantee Fund, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

In October 2008, during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), European Union (EU) officials urged member states to raise their minimum deposit-insurance coverage to at least EUR 50,000 (USD 68,000) to promote confidence in banks. France did not need to increase its deposit-insurance cap to meet this target, as it already guaranteed EUR 70,000. The following year, EU officials passed a directive that required all member states to permanently increase their minimum deposit-insurance coverage to EUR 100,000 by December 31, 2010. French authorities complied with the EU’s directive on September 29, 2010. The Fonds de Garantie des Dépôts (FGD), a private …

Belgium: Protection Fund/Special Protection Fund, Adam Kulam

Journal of Financial Crises

At the height of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in fall 2008, the Belgian government increased the coverage limits of its deposit guarantee to restore faith in its banking system, protect savers and depositors, and safeguard financial stability. Belgium joined the European Union’s (EU) efforts to strengthen deposit guarantee systems. The measures complemented the Belgian government’s other efforts to secure domestic banks. The government implemented the emergency measures in October and November 2008 through royal decrees, which Parliament later incorporated into law. In a five-week span, Belgian authorities increased the deposit guarantee from EUR 20,000 to EUR 100,000 (USD 26,820 …

Brazil: Time Deposits With Special Guarantee, Sharon M. Nunn

Journal of Financial Crises

Uncertainty from the Global Financial Crisis spread to the Brazilian financial system in 2008, triggering a flight to quality toward assets with explicit or implicit government guarantees. In the Brazilian context, this meant depositors pulled funds from small and medium-size banks and parked them in larger banks that investors believed the government was more likely to backstop. The National Monetary Council (CMN) created the Time Deposits with Special Guarantee program (DPGE) in March 2009 to bolster liquidity in small and medium-size banks. The CMN put the country’s existing deposit insurer, the Credit Guarantee Fund (FGC), in charge of administering the …

Austria: Unlimited Deposit Guarantee, Sharon M. Nunn

Journal of Financial Crises

After Germany and Ireland implemented unlimited deposit guarantees, Austrian officials passed a law on October 26, 2008, that removed deposit-insurance limits for individual depositors, fearing that Austrians would move their money to countries with higher deposit coverage. The government established the program using the country’s existing, mandatory deposit-insurance system (DIS), which was private, ex post funded, and segmented into sectoral schemes that covered different kinds of financial institutions. During payouts, the schemes covered the first EUR 50,000 (USD 67,000) of guaranteed funds to a given depositor, and the government the government covered the rest. The government required all financial institutions …

Australia: Financial Claims Scheme, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

Following the collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 15, 2008, the Australian government intervened in its own banking system, both to support domestic depositors and to keep its banking system competitive with those in countries whose regulators had already intervened. On October 12, 2008, the Australian government announced the Financial Claims Scheme (FCS) to insure bank depositors. The deposit guarantee automatically insured depositors at all authorized deposit-taking institutions and covered a range of deposit accounts. As initially announced, the FCS would provide a blanket guarantee to all depositors with no fee for participation. This blanket guarantee, however, prompted a migration …

Broad-Based Emergency Liquidity Programs, Rosalind Z. Wiggins, Sean Fulmer, Greg Feldberg, Andrew Metrick

Journal of Financial Crises

In this paper, we analyze broad-based emergency liquidity (BBEL) programs. Our main purpose is to assist policymakers who are considering establishing a BBEL program in designing the most effective program possible as efficiently as possible. Our insights are derived from 33 case studies the Yale Program on Financial Stability produced and existing literature on the topic.

Liquidity provision is a long-established mandate of central banks and was a function that private entities performed even before the establishment of central banks. We survey a sampling of cases from the 19th through 21st centuries, drawn from 10 countries and regions, to distill …