Is Bank of America one of the safest banks?
15,000+ ATMs in the U.S. 15,000+ ATMs in the U.S. Bank of America is just one place below JPMorgan Chase on both the 2023 G-SIBs list and the Federal Reserve's list of the largest U.S. banks, which is why it was chosen in our research as one of the safest banks. The bank's security features also helped it score highly.
Based on the analysis of Bank of America's financial health, risk profile, and regulatory compliance, we can conclude that the bank is relatively safe from any trouble or collapse.
Asset-heavy, diversified and regulated banks like JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, PNC Bank and U.S. Bank are among the safest banks in the U.S. and should be considered if you are weighing your options.
In most cases, the FDIC will try to find another banking institution to acquire the failed bank. If that happens, customers' accounts will simply transfer over to the new bank. You will get information about the transition, and you will likely get new debit cards and checks (if applicable).
Wells Fargo (WFC) A member of the big four bank stocks, Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) in recent years courted some ugly controversies. Nevertheless, it finds itself as one of the least likely financial institutions to fail.
- First Republic Bank (FRC) . Above average liquidity risk and high capital risk.
- Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) . Above average capital risk.
- KeyCorp (KEY) . Above average capital risk.
- Comerica (CMA) . ...
- Truist Financial (TFC) . ...
- Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR) . ...
- Zions Bancorporation (ZION) .
The standard insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category. (We'll waive this fee for the first 6 months.)
- Ally Bank.
- Citizens Bank.
- Bank of the West.
- US Bank.
- SunTrust.
- Union Bank.
- Wells Fargo.
- HSBC.
| Bank | Forbes Advisor Rating | ATM Network |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of America | 4.2 | 16,000+ ATMs in the U.S. |
| Wells Fargo Bank | 4.0 | 11,000 |
| Citi® | 4.0 | 65,000 |
| Barclays | 3.4 | N/A |
What if Bank of America goes under?
If Bank of America were to declare bankruptcy, following things would happen: Depositors with $250,000 (increased from $100,000 since 2010) or less will get all of their money back through FDIC. All deposits greater than $250,000 will be subject to what happens after the assets are divided from the bankruptcy.
Fast forward to today, BofA is thriving despite concerns over inflation and threats of a possible recession. The bank reported net income of $31.9 billion in 2021, compared with just $4 billion in 2008.
Bank of America is one of the largest major retail banks in the USA, and is used by millions of americans. However you will generally pay more fees, receive lower interests rates on accounts and receive poor service when compared to a smaller community bank or credit union.
Key Takeaways: We rate Bank of America 4 out of 5 stars, giving it high marks for branch and ATM access but lower scores for its rates on deposit accounts. The bank has checking accounts with low or no monthly fees, a rewards debit program and relatively low overdraft fees.
2024 in Brief
There are no bank failures in 2024. See detailed descriptions below. For more bank failure information on a specific year, select a date from the drop down menu to the right or select a month within the graph.
Three banks in the U.S. (Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and Silvergate) have collapsed since early March. The collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank are the two biggest bank failures since 2008.
Among the safest US banks, according to Global Finance's November 2022 rankings, are AgriBank, US Bank, CoBank, AgFirst Bank, and Farm Credit Bank of Texas, primarily for those in the agricultural sector.
Bank of America offers several savings account options for parking your money, but its ultra-low rates will do little to help you grow your savings. They are much lower than the national average, and many savings accounts offered by competing banks offer more rewarding rates.
For the most part, if you keep your money at an institution that's FDIC-insured, your money is safe — at least up to $250,000 in accounts at the failing institution. You're guaranteed that $250,000, and if the bank is acquired, even amounts over the limit may be smoothly transferred to the new bank.
Money coach and certified financial planner Ohan Kayikchyan says it can make sense for a household to maintain four accounts: one checking account for monthly recurring bills and another for variable expenses, plus one savings account for emergency funds and a second for other savings goals.
Is Bank of America too big to fail?
Companies Considered Too Big to Fail
Bank of America Corp. The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. Citigroup Inc. The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Bank of America pays slightly higher interest on your account balance. It also has a lower monthly fee and more options to have it waived. While the comparison between the two banks' checking accounts stacks up as a draw, the clear winner among savings accounts is Bank of America Advantage Savings.
No, we are not detecting any problems with Bank of America right now. The last outage detected for Bank of America was on Friday, March 22, 2024 with a duration of about 42 minutes.
| Type | Moody's | Fitch |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook | Stable | Stable |
| Long-term senior | A1 | AA- |
| Short-term | P-1 | F1+ |
| Subordinated | A3 | A |
