Here are some important facts to remember about your share insurance provided by the NCUSIF:
Not one penny of insured savings has ever been lost by a member of a federally insured credit union.
News
May 26, 2009, Alexandria, Va. –
The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009, signed into law May 20, 2009, includes a provision extending $250,000 share insurance coverage provided by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund through December 31, 2013. Previously, this level of coverage was set to expire December 31, 2009. The new law also requires NCUA to use the higher $250,000 standard maximum share insurance amount when making decisions about premiums and administering insurance deposit adjustments.
Member Account Protection
As a member of a federally insured credit union, you do not pay directly for your share insurance protection. Your credit union places a deposit into the NCUSIF and pays an insurance assessment based on the total amount of insured shares and deposits in the credit union. Federally insured credit unions are required to deposit and maintain one percent of their insured shares and deposits in the NCUSIF.
Share accounts in federally insured credit unions are insured up to the Standard Maximum Share Insurance Amount (SMSIA), $250,000 as of October 3, 2008. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 increased the insurance coverage on all accounts up to $250,000 until December 31, 2013.
You may obtain additional separate coverage on multiple accounts, but only if you have different ownership interests or rights in different types of accounts and you properly complete account forms and applications. For example, if you have a regular share account and an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) at the same credit union, the regular share account is insured up to $250,000 and the IRA is separately insured up to $250,000. However, if you have a regular share account, a share certificate, and a share draft account, all in your own name, you will not have additional coverage. Those accounts will be added together and insured up to $250,000 as your individual account. Additionally, shares denominated in foreign currencies are insured as outlined in NCUA Rules and Regulations.
Coverdell Education Saving Accounts, formerly education IRAs, are insured as irrevocable trust accounts and will be added to a member’s other irrevocable trust accounts and insured up to the SMSIA. Roth IRAs will be added together with traditional IRAs and insured up to $250,000.
Additional coverage is available on revocable trust or payable on death accounts on a per beneficiary basis. A co-owner’s interest in all joint accounts in the same credit union will be added together and insured up to the SMSIA.
The federal insurance fund has several programs to help insured credit unions which may be experiencing problems. Liquidations or failures are a last resort. If a federally insured credit union does fail; however, the NCUSIF will make any necessary payouts to the credit union’s members. These payouts are usually done within 3 days from the time the credit union closes its doors.
About NCUA (NCUSIF)
The National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) was established
by Congress in October 1970 for the purpose of insuring share deposits in
member credit unions. Unlike the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
(FDIC), the NCUSIF was launched without the benefit of appropriated or tax-
payer monies.
The Fund, an arm of NCUA, is managed under the direction of
the three-person NCUA Board, and is audited annually by an independent
accounting firm.
Share deposits in federally insured credit unions are insured up
to $250,000,an amount equal to the insurance protection offered by the FDIC.
Generally, if a credit union member has more than one account in the same
insured credit union, those accounts are added together and insured up to
at least $250,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.
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For over 75 years
