Economic Definition of bank failure. Defined.
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Term bank failure Definition: In principle, this results when a bank's liabilities exceed assets for an extended period and the bank is forced to go out of business. This is comparable to other types of business that go bankrupt. However, because banks are heavily regulated by government entities, including the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Comptroller of the Currency, bank failure does not necessarily mean that the bank ceases to operated. In may cases, such a failure means the operation of the bank is take over by one of the government entities. The troubled bank might also be allowed or "encouraged" to merge with another, healthier bank.
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