If the cash in your bank is FDIC insured, you can relax

— -- Old photographs of Depression-era bank runs are popping up all over the place, and that raises a couple of questions. Why don't people wear hats anymore? And, more important, could this happen to your bank?

The FDIC emphasized that Wachovia didn't fail and that all depositors were protected. Likewise, none of Washington Mutual's depositors lost any money, and customers have experienced no disruption in service.

No one has ever lost a dime of FDIC-insured deposits. Still, the prospect of a bank failure unnerves a lot of people, particularly in light of ongoing mayhem in the stock market.

The FDIC maintains a list of troubled banks but doesn't publicly disclose it because regulators don't want to trigger a run on those banks. There are, however, other ways to check on your bank's financial health. Bankrate.com assigns a "Safe & Sound" rating to banks, thrifts and credit unions, based on profitability, liquidity, asset quality and other criteria. Veribanc, an independent ratings agency, will provide a financial rating for any bank, thrift or credit union, for $10 per institution. Go to www.veribanc.com, or call 800-837-4226.

While closing accounts at a bank that appears to be on shaky ground could give you peace of mind, it could also cost you money. If you withdraw funds from a certificate of deposit before it has matured, you'll have to pay an early-withdrawal penalty.

A better option: Make sure all of your deposits are insured. No customer has ever lost a dime in insured deposits in a bank failure. But not all bank customers have that protection. The FDIC estimates that about 37% of all bank deposits are uninsured. Some of those accounts belong to businesses that keep more than $100,000 in the bank to pay bills, but other accounts may belong to people who don't understand the deposit insurance limits.