IntraFi® Network Deposits
Rest easy knowing you are able to protect your large balance deposits with FDIC coverage through the IntraFi® Network and American Bank! With ICS® and CDARS®, you can access FDIC protection from banks all over the country, but all you have to do is work with us!
Benefits
- Earn Interest: Put cash balances to work in demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, or CDs.
- Keep it simple: Avoid opening multiple accounts with multiple institutions to protect your funds. Forgo the need to track collateral on an ongoing basis, and manually consolidate statements and disbursements from multiple banks.1
- Manage liquidity: Enjoy access to funds placed into demand deposit accounts and money market deposit accounts. With CD placements, select from multiple terms to meet your liquidity needs.
- Support your community: Feel good knowing that the full amount of funds placed through ICS and CDARS can stay local to support lending opportunities that build a stronger community. 2
FAQs
What is the difference between CDARS and ICS?
CDARS is the program used for depositors who are looking to protect their large-dollar deposits by placing those funds into a CD to earn returns based on the time period of their choosing. ICS is the program used for depositors who are looking to protect their large-dollar deposits by placing them into a Money Market deposit account, giving the depositor more liquidity.
Is my account information safe?
You will work directly with American Bank, the bank you know and trust. As always, your confidential information remains protected.
How can deposits greater than the standard FDIC insurance maximum ($250,000) be insured by the FDIC?
The FDIC insures up to $250,000 in a customer's deposit accounts in a given insurable capacity at an FDIC-insured depository institution. When your funds are placed through the IntraFi® Network, they are divided into amounts under the standard FDIC maximum and placed with other institutions participating in IntraFi's network. This makes your deposit eligible for FDIC insurance at each member bank. You do not pay a fee to use this service, and you receive just one consolidated monthly account statement from us.
How can my funds be used locally if my deposits are with financial institutions across the country?
When American Bank exchanges deposits with other institutions in the IntraFi® Network, the same amount of funds placed through the network returns to our bank from another financial institution. As a result, the total amount of your original deposit can remain with our bank and be used for local lending.
Who has custody of my funds?
Funds placed through CDARS® and ICS® are deposited only into FDIC-insured banks. We act as custodian for your deposits, and the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) acts as subcustodian.
What happens if another financial institution that holds my deposit fails?
Most of the banks that have failed in the United States in recent years have not been part of the IntraFi® Network at the time of the failure. If the institution holding your deposits were to fail, in most cases they would be transferred to a healthy institution- the FDIC's preferred method for handling bank failures. In cases where there FDIC has been unable to find a healthy institution willing to accept such a transfer, it has arranged for the payment of the insured principal and accrued interest to the depositors. This payment has usually occurred within a matter of days.
How can I access my funds in an ICS?
As an ICS customer, you have access to the Depositor Control Panel, which shows how many withdrawals you have made from ICS funds in money market deposit accounts during a given month. You can withdraw ICS funds up to six times per month.
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1. If a depositor is subject to restrictions with respect to the placement of funds in depository institutions, it is the responsibility of the depositor to determine whether the placement of the depositor's funds through ICS or CDARS, or a particular ICS or CDARS transaction, satisfies those restrictions.
2. When deposited funds are exchanged on a dollar-for-dollar basis with other institutions that use ICS or CDARS, our bank can use the full amount of a deposit placed through ICS or CDARS for local lending, satisfying some depositors' local investment goals or mandates. Alternatively, with a depositor's consent, our bank may choose to receive fee income instead of deposits from other participating institutions. Under these circumstances, deposited funds would not be available for local lending.
Deposit placement through CDARS or ICS is subject to the terms, conditions, and disclosures in applicable agreements. Although deposits are placed in increments that do not exceed the FDIC standard maximum deposit insurance amount ("SMDIA") at any one destination bank, a depositor's balances at the institution that places deposits may exceed the SMDIA (ex. before settlement for deposits or after settlement for withdrawals) or be uninsured (if the placing institution is not an insured bank). The depositor must make any necessary arrangements to protect such balances consistent with applicable law and must determine whether placement through CDARS or ICS satisfied any restrictions on its deposits. A list identifying IntraFi network banks appears at https://www.intrafi.com/network-banks. The depositor may exclude banks from eligibility to receive its funds. IntraFi and ICS are registered service marks, and the IntraFi hexagon and IntraFi logo are service marks, of IntraFi Network LLC.