SVB loans, deposits sold to First Citizens Bank

Credit: Reuters

Caption: First Citizens BancShares and SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) logos are seen in this illustration taken on March 19.

First Citizens Bank will buy "all the deposits and loans" of Silicon Valley Bank after it went bankrupt at the beginning of March, a US banking agency said Sunday.

The transaction covers US$119 billion in deposits and US$72 billion in assets, and "SVB's 17 branches will open as First Citizens" on Monday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said.

Depositors of SVB will "automatically become depositors of First Citizens Bank", added the FDIC, which will continue to insure deposits.

SVB – the United States' 16th biggest bank by assets and a key lender to startups in the country since the 1980s – collapsed after a sudden run on deposits, prompting regulators to seize control.

Along with the FDIC, the United States Treasury and Federal Reserve had set out plans to ensure SVB customers would be able to access their deposits, while the Fed introduced a new lending tool for banks in an effort to prevent a repeat of SVB's quick demise.