The FDIC's Boss: Sheila Bair, America's Passbook Protector

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As the crisis has deepened, Bair has insisted that the FDIC's coffers need support. Currently the agency has $45 billion in reserves. That may not seem like much next to the $700 billion Paulson just got from Congress, but Bair notes that in the past, the FDIC hasn't needed much. Even at the peak of the savings-and-loan crisis in the late 1980s, when thrifts were closing at the rate of one a day, the FDIC maintained its perfect record of returning every penny of every insured depositor's money, and Bair has preserved that record through 15 bank failures this year. That's partly because the FDIC by law gets to tap a failed bank's assets before any other creditors get a crack at the safe.

But her demands for more money suggest that, as Bair told TIME, "more banks will fail." The FDIC's list of troubled banks jumped from 90 to 117 in the second quarter and will surely grow again. Bair is worried about all the new responsibilities her agency is taking on. The new rescue plan requires the FDIC to guarantee not just the new lending by banks but also unlimited deposits in special accounts used primarily by small businesses for things like payroll. Little wonder Bair is cautious: the new program is expected to cover $1.9 trillion, a stunning 42% increase in total FDIC guarantees. In a worst case, widespread losses under the new program would be covered by a special assessment on participating banks.

Some familiar with the internal battles say Bair is too focused on the security of her own agency. "When the President says we're facing a systemic problem, should you really worry that you're not going to get your fund topped up by Congress?" asks one. But Bair knows that her chief role is to reassure everyday investors. "Your money is safe in the bank if it's FDIC-insured," she says. That's good. Because in the coming months, there may be many more modern-day Lydia Lobsigers.