How to Know If Your Bank Deposits Are Insured

Amid the troubles at banks of all sizes, this is a good time to review how deposit insurance works at banks, savings and loans and credit unions.

While depositors tend only to consider the standard FDIC $100,000 limit on deposit insurance, things are not always so tidy.

There are also differences for credit union deposits, called "shares." All federally charted credit unions and most state-chartered credit unions have their deposit shares insured by the National Credit Union Administration, or NCUA.

Here are summaries of deposit rules for banks, savings and loan institutions and credit unions. In most cases, the rules are the same, but there are some important differences, especially for retirement accounts, such as IRAs and Keoghs. ...