We're Still a Long Way from a Real Banking Crisis

So far this year, 11 U.S. banks have failed (FDIC data here), out of 8,451 FDIC-insured banks, matching the 11 bank failures in 2002. The last time more than 11 banks failed was 1994, when 15 banks failed on the tail end of the S&L crisis (see chart above). In total, almost 3,000 banks failed during the 15-year S&L crisis between 1980 and 1994.

The FDIC has currently identified 117 "problem banks" (through June 2008) with assets of $78 billion (data here), the highest level since 2002 when there were 136 "problem banks" following the 2001 recession (see chart below). This compares to the 1990-1992 period when there were more than 1,000 problem banks in each of those three years at the end of the S&L crisis, along with a recession in 1990-1991.



As a percent of total commercial bank assets (data here), the assets of troubled banks are currently at 0.71% (through second quarter), the highest level since 1995, but far below the 20-25 % levels in the early 1990s (see chart below).



We still have more than three months to go in the year, and there will certainly be more bank failures to come in 2008. There are also two more quarters of banking data to be reported, and there will probably be more banks added to the problem bank list. But at least back to the 1930s, there has never been a 5-year period of banking stability like 2003-2007 when only 10 banks failed, and the banking industry has probably never been in a better position to absorb a shock like the current subprime problems.

Problem banks are still a relatively small share (1.38%) of the 8,451 commercial banks, 98.62% of banks are not "problem banks," the assets of the problem banks represent less than 3/4 of 1% of total commercial bank assets, and therefore 99.29% of commercial bank assets are not in "problem banks."