In early March, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank unexpectedly collapsed. They became the second and third largest bank failures in U.S. history, respectively. The largest collapse involved Washington Mutual in 2008, precipitating the Great Recession. (See "Two Banks Collapse in One Week" at right.)

The recent regional bank failures have caused many individual depositors and business owners to question whether their accounts will be protected by the FDIC and what they should do if their banks fail.