Bermuda Post

Tuesday, Mar 28, 2023

Silicon Valley Bank: Biggest failure since 2008 financial crisis as US regulators close bank and seize assets

Silicon Valley Bank: Biggest failure since 2008 financial crisis as US regulators close bank and seize assets

Regulators swooped in the middle of the day to seize the bank's assets, in a sign of how quickly the bank fell into trouble. Investors in London are said to be "spooked".
US regulators have shut down the country's 16th largest bank, in the biggest collapse of a financial institution since the 2008 financial crisis.

Silicon Valley Bank failed after depositors - mostly technology workers and venture capital-backed companies - began withdrawing their money, creating a run on the bank.

The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has seized its assets.

It said the bank had $209 billion (£173 billion) in assets and $175.4 billion (£146 billion) in deposits at the time of failure.

It was unclear how many of the deposits were above the $250,000 (£207,000) insurance limit.

The bank's downfall marks the largest failure of a US bank since Washington Mutual during the 2008 financial crisis.

The FDIC could not immediately find a buyer for the bank's assets, signalling how fast depositors had cashed out.

It also seized the bank's assets in the middle of the business day, a sign of how dire the situation had become.

The financial health of Silicon Valley Bank had been increasingly in question this week after the bank announced plans to raise up to $1.75bn dollars (£1.45 bn) in order to strengthen its capital position.

Silicon Valley Bank had acted as a major financial conduit for venture capital-backed companies, which have been hit hard in the past 18 months as the US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates and made riskier tech assets less attractive to investors.

The bank was heavily exposed to the tech industry but experts say there is little chance of knock-on effects in the banking sector as there was in the months leading up to the recession more than a decade ago.

Major banks have sufficient capital to avoid a similar situation.

In 2007, the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression rippled across the world after mortgage-backed securities tied to ill-advised housing loans rippled from the US to Asia and Europe.

The panic on Wall Street led to the collapse of the storied Lehman Brothers, founded in 1847.

'Mild panic' as bank failure leaves investors 'spooked'

The City of London also felt the effects of the bank's collapse on Friday.

There were big market falls for the two biggest international banks on the FTSE 100, HSBC and Standard Chartered, which dropped more than 4.5%.

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said there was a "state of mild panic" surrounding shares in the financial sector because of the Silicon Valley Bank news.

She said interest rate worries had also rattled investors but that the news from the US had them particularly "spooked".

The FTSE 100 closed down 1.7% at 7,748.35 points, a reduction of 131.63.

Markets were also down in the US where the S&P 500 had given back 0.7% of its value while the Dow Jones was trading down 0.4% shortly after trading ended in London.

France's Cac 40 and Germany's Dax indices both closed down 1.3%.

On currency markets the pound gained 1.1% against the dollar, trading at 1.205 by the close of play on stock markets.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
Close
0:00
0:00
Brand new security footage has just been released to the public showing the Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building
Social Media censoring users for saying the true
Smart Iranian fashion designer teaching dummy TV anchors lesson about reality
AMERICA, 2023
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
UK: Humza Yousaf replaces Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and first minister in Scotland
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Reform Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tours potential migrant housing in Rwanda as asylum deal remains mired in legal challenges
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Nashville police officer, and a female driver shooting one another
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Mexican President Claims Mexico is Safer than the U.S.
A brief banking situation report
Lady bites police officer and gets instantly reaction
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
BBC Director General, Tim Davie, has apologized, but not resigned, yet, following the disruption of sports programmes over the weekend
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
A primitive judge in Australia sparked outrage when he told a breastfeeding woman to leave his courtroom for being “a distraction"
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Senator Tom Cotton: If the Mexican Government Won’t Stop Cartels from Killing Americans, Then U.S. Government Should
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Old clip of Bill Gates saying Ukraine is a big, fat, corrupt sinkhole is going viral
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace?
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
×