Transcript: Is your bank safe?
By Bankrate.com

Anchor Intro: You've seen the stories on the news: depositors lined up outside a failed bank trying to their money out. It's rare, but it happens, especially in troubled times like this. How do you know if your money is safe? Bankrate.com can help you find out in less than two minutes.

Voice over 1: Banks have traditionally been the place to keep your money safe. But every now and then the economy gets so messed up that even good banks can go bad. A few close, some show up on the FDIC'S "troubled" list. What's a saver to do?

Voice over 2: First and foremost, don't freak out. While it's true that more than a 100 banks were recently revealed to have capital issues, let's keep things in perspective. According to the FDIC, during the banking crisis back in '87, the same list had more than 2,000 names on it.

Voice over 3: That being said, there's nothing wrong with monitoring your bank's safety, especially when it's so easy.

Voice over 4: There are places online such as Bankrate.com where you can go to see how safe your bank is and how it compares to others. It's fast enough that you can do it in the next commercial break, and it costs nothing.

Voice over 5: You can also go to the FDIC to make sure your bank is insured and learn about exactly how that insurance works.

Voice over 6: And you can also check out your credit union. They've got their own brand of federal insurance, but it's basically like the $250,000 per account insurance the FDIC provides.

Standup: Bottom line? There's a reason for the expression "better safe than sorry." So even though it's unlikely you'll ever have a problem with your bank, there's no reason you shouldn't go online so you can feel safe and your savings will be comfortable. For Bankrate.com, I'm Kristin Arnold.