Banks, Credit Unions, Apps, and Check Cashers: What Is Protected and What It Costs

When you keep money in an insured bank or credit union, deposit insurance protects it. If the bank or credit union fails, the government pays you back, up to the limit. Two U.S. agencies do this:

• The FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) insures deposits at banks.
• The NCUA (National Credit Union Administration) insures deposits at federally insured credit unions.

Both cover up to $250,000 per person, per insured bank or credit union, for each type of account ownership. For example, an account in your name only and a joint account with your spouse are two different ownership types. Since the FDIC started in 1933, no depositor has lost any FDIC-insured money.

Insurance covers checking accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit (CDs). It does not cover stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, life insurance, crypto, or what you keep in a safe deposit box, even if you bought them at a bank.

Check cashers, pawn shops, and payday lenders are not banks, and they do not offer deposit insurance. Cash at home is not insured either.

To check a bank, use FDIC BankFind. To check a credit union, use the NCUA Credit Union Locator.

Many people use apps to get paid, save, or send money. Some of these apps look like banks. But many are run by technology companies, often called fintech companies. The FDIC does not insure companies that are not banks.

Many apps keep your money at a partner bank. Your money may be insured if it really sits at an FDIC-insured bank and the records show how much belongs to you. This is called pass-through insurance. But the insurance pays only if the partner bank fails. It does not protect you if the app company, or a middleman company between the app and the bank, fails.

This really happened. In April 2024, a middleman company named Synapse went bankrupt. Its records did not match the records at its partner banks. Many thousands of people who used apps connected to Synapse could not get to their money for weeks or months.

How to check an app

1. Read the app's terms or the small print at the bottom of its website. Find the name of the partner bank. You may see words like “Banking services provided by [bank name], Member FDIC.”
2. Look up that bank on FDIC BankFind to make sure it is insured.
3. Ask the app: What happens to my money if your company fails? How long would it take to get it back?
4. If you are not sure, call the FDIC at 1-877-ASK-FDIC (1-877-275-3342).
5. Keep only what you need for everyday spending in an app. Keep your savings in an account directly at an insured bank or credit union.

A prepaid card can help if you cannot open a bank account right now. You spend only what you load onto it, so it is hard to spend more than you have. But the fees can add up.

Before you buy one, read the short fee box on the package or website. A federal rule says it must list the main fees in the same way for every card: the monthly fee, the fee for each purchase, ATM fees, the fee to add cash, customer service fees, and the fee for not using the card. The CFPB explains how to read it in Understand your prepaid card disclosure.

Here is an example. Say a card charges a $5 monthly fee, $3.95 each time you add cash, and $2.50 for each ATM withdrawal. You add cash 4 times and use an ATM 2 times a month:

$5 monthly fee + (4 cash loads × $3.95) + (2 ATM withdrawals × $2.50) = $25.80 a month

With these example fees, the card costs $309.60 a year. A Bank On account with a $5 monthly fee costs $60 a year.

Your rights

• Register your card. Registered cards have protections if the card is lost or stolen, as long as you report the problem quickly.
• Payroll cards are a choice. Your employer cannot force you to get your pay on a payroll card. Ask how else you can be paid, such as direct deposit to an account you choose.
• Check who holds the money. Find the name of the bank that issues the card, and check it on FDIC BankFind.

An overdraft happens when you spend more money than you have in your account and the bank pays it anyway. Many banks then charge a fee for each overdraft. A few small purchases on one bad day can lead to several fees.

You have an important right. For ATM withdrawals and one-time debit card purchases, a bank or credit union cannot charge you an overdraft fee unless you agreed first. This is called opting in. If you do not opt in, the bank will usually decline the purchase, and you pay no overdraft fee. You can change your choice at any time.

This rule does not cover checks, automatic bill payments, or repeating card charges such as a monthly subscription. Those can still lead to overdraft fees or fees for returned payments.

1. Ask your bank whether you are opted in. If you are and you do not want it, opt out.
2. Turn on low-balance alerts by text or email, for example when your balance drops below $100.
3. Check your balance in the app or at an ATM before you shop.
4. Write down the days your automatic bills are paid. Keep enough money in the account on those days.
5. If you are charged a fee, call the bank and politely ask it to remove the fee. Sometimes the bank will agree.

• It is an FDIC-insured bank or an NCUA-insured credit union. I checked on BankFind or the NCUA locator.
• If it is an app, I know the name of its partner bank.
• I know the monthly fee and how to avoid it.
• The account has no overdraft fees, or I have not opted in to overdraft for debit card and ATM use.
• There are free ATMs near my home or work.
• I can get my pay by direct deposit and pay bills online for free.
• I can get help in my language.

Ready to open an account? Read Opening a Bank Account, Even Without an SSN.