There are several sets of potential losers whan a bank goes bust.

1.    Financial institutions who are depositors
2.    Others who are depositors
3.    Recipients of company pensions
4.    Purchasers of funded pensions, annuities, etc
5.    Corporate lenders to that bank
6.    Shareholders and bondholders
7.    Those who undertake commercial trade (anything from builders to those involved in banking clever products eg derivitives)

Those in category 2 should receive government guarantees.
Those in category 4 should receive some government guarantees.

The rest can take their chances in (US) Chapter 7 or Chapter 11.


It all depends what youmean by "bailing out".