Some Interesting Facts On Failed Banks

Failed Banks By Decade

Here is the historical record on the number of bank failues in the United States since the 1930’s.

By Decade        Total Bank Failures

2000-2007                      32
1990-1999                     925
1980-1989                  2,036
1970-1979                       79
1960-1969                       44
1950-1959                       28
1940-1949                       99
1934-1939                     312

The only two years that saw no bank failures in this country occurred in 2005 and 2006.  These years marked the peak of the bubbles in the real estate and mortgage markets and laid the groundwork for the huge banking failures that followed.

The worse year ever for failed banks was in 1989 when the FDIC closed 534 banking institutions.  The collapse of banks in 1989 was also the result of a large drop in real estate values, preceded by reckless bank lending.