If you’ve paid any attention to the news recently, then you’ve probably heard about what’s happening with the Silicon Valley Bank. The news isn't good, and it's probably raising some questions. We’re here to unpack what you might be thinking about. Like, are we entering a banking crisis, and what does this mean for the greater economy? How does Infinite Banking compare?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqOWPOdD8eY

In this podcast, we'll examine the factors that led to the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and how Infinite Banking can be a solution. Join us for a discussion of the state of banking, and how you can best prepare to weather any economic storm.

Is This Normal?The Timeline of the Silicon Valley BankHow Do Banks Get Behind? Reserve Requirements for Banks and Insurance CompaniesInsurance Product vs. CashCould Life Insurance Companies Be Safer Than Banks? Bank-Owned Life InsuranceResources for Bank Failure InformationIs There a Banking Crisis? Book A Strategy Call

Is This Normal?

We want to start this conversation by sharing that boom and bust cycles are a natural part of any market when the free marketplace is working. This means there will be inevitable highs and lows for everything. Those who are savvy can learn to time the markets by paying attention, although no one does this perfectly 100 percent of the time. 

What sets people apart is the assets they can control with certainty. And one of the many positives of Infinite Banking is that life insurance is not correlated to the stock market. So despite what’s happening in the economy, your cash value is safe and certain. This is the kind of protection that is not even guaranteed when all of your money is in the bank. It’s critical to build your foundation on something strong and within your control. 

The Timeline of the Silicon Valley Bank

To get a good understanding of what’s happening with the Silicon Valley Bank, it’s worth examining the timeline. At the time of this crash, Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest bank in the country and had been just 40 years old. The crash occurred because of large withdrawal attempts and is the largest crash since 2008. 

On January 1st of this year, the bank had $91 billion of held fixed income securities or held maturities. They also had $200 billion in assets, mostly Venture Capital and tech assets.

Out of the $91 billion, the bank’s unrealized loss was going to $15 billion if people pulled out of their maturities due to a need for increased liquidity. They knew they’d be in trouble for the reserve requirements. 

On March 8th, the bank announced that they needed to shore up their balance sheet and raise $2 billion in capital. They proposed a sale of their bond portfolio at a $1.8 billion loss, but there were no interested buyers. 

On March 9th, customers began to withdraw due to impending trouble, and the bank’s stock fell 60%.

On March 10th, the Silicon Valley Bank failed to meet its reserve requirements, so the FDIC stepped in and seized control.

The fear, it seems, stems from the reality that this was a huge bank that seemed like it could never fail. No one expected it to, so when it did, people got extremely nervous about their banks and their ability to meet their needs as well. 

The problem is that when people are fearful and lose faith in the banks all at once; it creates a vicious cycle. Because the more people that pull their money out at once, the harder it is for banks to meet their reserve requirements and other obligations. 

As Bruce points out in the show, this is also the first time such a large bank failure has occurred in the age of social media, and so the information is more readily accessible. While it’s good to be informed, this can also lead to a lot of fear because things spread like wildfire on social media. 

How Do Banks Get Behind? 

[8:50] “What happens here is we’ve been going from a very low interest rate, almost no interest rate,