Yes there have been some banks that have failed in recent weeks due to the housing crunch. In fact there was a huge run on the banks in London late last week because of their exposure to the US housing market. These were brick and mortar banks. This has recieved no coverage here in the US and says alot about what is to come in the near future. As many US banks are owned by overseas investors this can happen anywhere...anytime. Just because its a bank doesnt mean its safe. All banks have risk but your accounts are insured by the US goverment up to $100,000. All you have to do is keep your records just in case. The US saw a run on banks in 1929 and again in 1987. We survived it then and we wll today as well.