| Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 4 March 1967 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Canada |
| Headquarters | Ottawa |
| Minister responsible | Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance |
| Agency executives | Bryan P. Davies, Chair of the Board Mark Carney, Ex Officio Director |
| Website | |
| cdic.ca | |
Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) is a Canadian federal Crown corporation created by Parliament in 1967. The CDIC insures Canadians' deposits held at Canadian banks (and other member institutions) up to CA$100,000 in case of a bank failure. CDIC automatically insures many types of savings against the failure of a financial institution. However, the bank must be a CDIC member and not all savings are insured. The CDIC does not protect against fraud or theft.[1] The CDIC also serves as the lender of last resort for commercial banks in Canada to protect the Canadian banking system from insolvency and bank runs.
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The Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation was created 4 March 1967[2] (under Schedule III, Part 1 of the Financial Administration Act and Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act). It is similar to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in the United States. Since 1967, 43 financial institutions have failed in Canada and all 43 were members of CDIC. There have been no failures since 1996.
The roots of the CDIC can be traced back to the 19th century, such as the Upper Canada’s financial problems of 1866, the North American panic of 1872 and the 1923 failure of Toronto’s Home Bank, symbolized today by Casa Loma. Historically in Canada regional risk has always been spread nationally within each large bank, unlike the uneven geography of US unit banking, layered with savings & loans of regional or national size, who in turn disperse their risk through investors. Generally speaking, the Canadian banking system is well regulated, in part by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, who can in an extreme case close a financial institution. Alongside Canada’s mortgage rules, the risk of bank failures similar to the US are slim, but not impossible.
The original amount of insurance per eligible deposit account was $20,000. This was raised to $60,000 in 1983. The present $100,000 in coverage was changed in 2005 from per eligible deposit account to per depositor.[3]
Insurance is restricted to registered member institutions, and covers only the first $100,000 in very specific categories of accounts. Credit unions and Quebec and New Brunswick's caisses populaire are not insured federally, because they are created under provincial charters and backed by provincial insurance plans, which generally follow the federal model. Deposits in foreign currencies are not insured, even when held by a registered CDIC financial institution. Guaranteed Investment Certificates with a term longer than 5 years are also not insured. Funds in foreign banks operating in Canada are not covered. Some funds in Registered Retirement Savings Plans or Registered Retirement Income Funds at a bank may not be covered if they are invested in mutual funds or held in specific instruments like debentures issued by government or corporations. The general principle is to cover reasonable deposits and savings, but not deposits deliberately positioned to take risks for gain, such as mutual funds or stocks.
According to the CDIC's 2010 Annual Report, CDIC protects $590 billion CAD in total eligible deposits, and has $1.95 billion CAD in assets to meet insurance claims.[4] This amount represents 0.33% of total eligible deposits. The CDIC is also authorized to borrow up to $17 billion if necessary from the federal government or the financial markets, and may request further funds from Parliament.
