Recent data from the Federal Reserve of St. Louis and S&P Global Market Intelligence has unveiled a significant trend in the global banking system: a substantial outflow of deposits over the past year. These numbers shed light on the extent to which depositors have been withdrawing their funds from banks in search of higher returns.
Banks in the United States alone have experienced a staggering $605 billion in deposit flight within the last year. Meanwhile, in countries such as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Benelux and Nordic regions, total deposits have plummeted by approximately $950 billion over the same 12-month period. This brings the combined total across these nations to a staggering $1.55 trillion in deposit flight.
Interestingly, it’s not just average customers seeking better returns contributing to this trend. According to a report by Yahoo Finance, wealthy clients are now having the most significant impact on the bottom lines of America’s banking giants. JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Citigroup reported deposit outflows in their wealth management divisions during the second quarter of this year.
Further data from Curinos reveals that wealth management and corporate accounts have witnessed a substantial 13% exodus of deposits from the beginning of the year through July. This shift in behavior has prompted these banks to take action to remain competitive.
To counter the trend, all four major banks have recently launched new offers for certificate of deposit (CD) savings accounts, aiming to compete with money-market accounts that have seen inflows of hundreds of billions of dollars over the past year. These efforts are making some headway, as Curinos data indicates that institutional deposit flight from large US banks paused in July. However, the data for August has yet to be released, leaving the question of whether this trend will continue or begin to reverse.
The significant deposit flight observed across various countries and banking institutions highlights the changing finance landscape. Investors and depositors actively seek alternatives to traditional banking, driven by higher returns in a low-interest-rate environment. Institutions must adapt and innovate as the banking sector evolves to retain and attract customers in this dynamic financial landscape.
