Silicon Valley Bank Shuttered
US regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank yesterday in what is the second-largest failure of a financial institution in US history, following Washington Mutual during the height of the global financial crisis in 2008. Silicon Valley Bank, which caters to mostly technology workers and venture-backed companies, had roughly $209B in assets and $175B in deposits as of December.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. assumed control of Silicon Valley Bank via a new entity a day after depositors began withdrawing their money on fears of the bank's solvency, also known as a bank run (see 101). The bank's parent company's shares fell roughly 70% since it announced plans this week to raise $2.25B to shore up its balance sheet and offset nearly $2B in losses on asset sales. Trading halted yesterday after market volatility. Insured depositors will have access to their funds, typically up to $250K, Monday, the FDIC said.
