Many financial institutions whose deposits were insured by the Federal government were permitted to undertake functions in the 1980s for which they were unprepared. Loan losses were considerable, making it necessary for many depositors to learn quickly the rules by which their accounts were insured. The article contains a thorough discussion of the Federal rules, including disclosure and record keeping requirements, for single and joint accounts as well as trust, IRA, and Keogh accounts insured under the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Special problems concerning such entities as overfunded pension plans, voluntary employee contributions, health and welfare plans, and irrevocable trusts containing both ascertainable and unascertainable trust estates are discussed as are brokered accounts, retail certificates of deposit, and mutual funds. The article describes in detail remedies available for uninsured depositors. 231 footnotes.