click to close
help
edit

Forums
Finance

Is a bank CD safer than a Credit Union CD? Archived From: Finance

  • Text Only
  • Search this Topic »
  • switch to 'Classic' view
  • Go to Page :
  • 1 2
alert mods    

All the information I can find says NCUA is as safe as FDIC and no one has every lost money insured by NCUA or FDIC.

Has one one ever heard of a Credit Union not paying the full interest on a share certificate?
Wouldn't the NCUA insurance kick in if a Credit Union said " Sorry, we don't have enough cash to pay your full interest this month so here is say 1%,and you can have all your principal back "
Would FDIC kick in if a Bank reneged on a CD's interest but offered to return full principal?

FDIC statement is as clear as can be.

alert mods    

My research says that's an impenetrable layer of minutia.

Might be best just to ask your CU.

Just off the top of my head I would think that they're bound by something to give you your interest if they're not seriously screwed. How often does it compound? If you're talking about insured amounts(eg $100k-$200k) I don't think you stand to lose much interest if they're dishing it out monthly. Is the stretch worth the concern? What sort of a percent are we talking about?

I'd ask your CU.

--Joe

alert mods    

Both NCUA and FDIC are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

Deposits are insured (principal and interest) up to their maximum.

This isn't hard to find.

If your bank lies to you, then get the Comptroller of the Currency involved.

If you are going to be this paranoid, you really should do your own research...

alert mods    

It's not an issue of the Full Faith and Credit doctrine. I am told, perhaps incorrectly, that the obligation of the credit union to pay you dividends (which is what are paid on share certs) depends on the existence of earnings after required deposits to reserves. So, the government is only obligated to fulfil the CU's obligation up to a point. i will see if I can find the case I saw. I may have misunderstood it.

alert mods    

CD interest are guaranteed no whether where you buy them......bank, credit union, investments brokers like fidelity, schwab, etc.

alert mods    

Oh gawd. Not another one.

Share deposits are not the same as CDs.

OP, in a takeover the FDIC/NCUA have the authority to reset above market CD interest rates to market pricing. In practice, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

You don't lose your principal. You don't receive scraps on your interest. You get the interest rate you were promised thru the effective date of the transfer. Then you have the option of staying with "New Bank" at the new promised interest rate or taking the money out of your CD, usually without penalty.

The reason they have this power is so they can reverse some of the screwy things failing institutions do deparately to increase deposits right before they fail.

As much as I think the CU system is in need of reform, this all is a non-issue for small account holders.

alert mods    

And here is the deciding case and pertinent law. Note the members $100,000 share certificate v. deposit insurance limit of $100k doesn't appear tobe at issue
Text

alert mods    

Good link. Here is the offical site's copy.

Seems like the NCUA denied the claim becuase the CU was insolvent and was still operating which means NCUA wasn't doing it's job.

One of the ways a federal credit union differs from a bank or savings institution is that it pays dividends, which are based on earnings, rather than interest, which is a contractual obligation, not based on earnings. A federal credit union cannot pay dividends unless it has earnings and the appropriate transfers of earnings to reserves are made.
The Liquidating Agent determined Unified Singers to be insolvent for at least a year prior to liquidation. Unified Singers had no earnings in 2002 from which to pay dividends.

alert mods    

Traderprofit- It is at times like this I wish I was a lawyer to figure all this out. Instead of wondering, I just wrote to counsel at NCUA with the case you posted, hoping for an answer one way or another. Will post when I get the answer.

alert mods    

Cheap said:Both NCUA and FDIC are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

Deposits are insured (principal and interest) up to their maximum.

This isn't hard to find.

If your bank lies to you, then get the Comptroller of the Currency involved.

If you are going to be this paranoid, you really should do your own research...

FDIC statement
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) preserves and promotes public confidence in the U.S. financial system by insuring deposits in banks and thrift institutions for at least $100,000; by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to the deposit insurance funds; and by limiting the effect on the economy and the financial system when a bank or thrift institution fails.

An independent agency of the federal government, the FDIC was created in 1933 in response to the thousands of bank failures that occurred in the 1920s and early 1930s. Since the start of FDIC insurance on January 1, 1934, no depositor has lost a single cent of insured funds as a result of a failure.

and also...
Savings, checking and other deposit accounts, when combined, are generally insured to $100,000 per depositor in each bank or thrift the FDIC insures. Deposits held in different categories of ownership – such as single or joint accounts – may be separately insured. Also, the FDIC generally provides separate coverage for retirement accounts, such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and Keoghs, insured up to $250,000. The FDIC's Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator can help you determine if you have adequate deposit insurance for your accounts.

The FDIC insures deposits only. It does not insure securities, mutual funds or similar types of investments that banks and thrift institutions may offer. (Insured and Uninsured Investments distinguishes between what is and is not protected by FDIC insurance.)

alert mods    

Cheap said:Good link. Here is the offical site's copy.

Seems like the NCUA denied the claim becuase the CU was insolvent and was still operating which means NCUA wasn't doing it's job.

Looks this case proves that as long as the Credit Union has not been declared insolvent and the NCUA does it's job we get interest and principal back.

Now how does an individual investor know if a Credit Union is going to be declared insolvent?

alert mods    

Understand the quarterly financial statements.You can just look at their delinquencies too.

alert mods    

It's apparently not an issue of the credit union being declared insolvent. It's an issue of whether there are adequate earnings.I don't think failure to pay dividends is an act indicating insolvency. You could always withdraw your money and take the penalty if they stopped paying. I'd like to hear what the General Counsel of NCUA says.

alert mods    

trader profit-

I e-mailed counsel yesterday. So far, they e-mailed me back requesting my phone number and mailing address. Apparently a simple 'yes' or 'no' to my question is not in the offing as of yet.

alert mods    

Okay, today I called counsel. The person I spoke with said a lawyer will call me. When I posed the question to her, she said it depends on how the certificate is set up by the credit union. Hence, I have requested that info from AFCU.

alert mods    

traderprofit said:Understand the quarterly financial statements.You can just look at their delinquencies too.

if an individual can glean from this that a credit union is in financial trouble, why can't so-called professionals like the feds step in sooner to clamp down on their losing money practices?

alert mods    

In ACFU's truth in savings disclosures it states:

Nature of dividends- Dividends are paid from current and available earnings after required transfers to reserves at the end of the dividend period. The dividend rate and annual percentage yield are the prospective rates and yields that the credit union anticipates paying for the applicable dividend period. Rates are set at the discretion of the credit union. All rates are subject to change without notice.


My comment- anticipates?

alert mods    

All this trouble over how many $$ extra interest? Is it REALLY worth it at this point? Interested in seeing how the FDIC protects credit unions. However, "thrifts" are not the same as credit unions.

alert mods    

Regarding shutting CU's that are insolvent: A CU could be "on the edge" for many years. Plus, the reports are quarterly.

 Close

Sign Me In
Nickname: 
Password: 
Remember My Login Information:

Forget your login information?

Not Already A Member?
Sign Up Now!



Disclaimer: By providing links to other sites, FatWallet.com does not guarantee, approve or endorse the information or products available at these sites, nor does a link indicate any association with or endorsement by the linked site to FatWallet.com.


  • © 1999-2008
  • Message Board Statistics RSS Feed Information
Sign up for free today, because you don't want to miss out on any more cash back than you already have! There are currently 1,028,917 people just like you registered to earn Cash Back From FatWallet. Be the next! Sign up to join the discussion & earn Cash Back from FatWallet:
close