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SafetyScorer

Safety scores

Banks

For most savers, deposit insurance matters more than anything else on these pages. Money in a bank account is protected up to $250,000 by the FDIC in the US, £120,000 by the FSCS in the UK and €100,000 in the EU, per person and per banking licence, so check which legal entity holds your money. Above those limits, the bank's own strength counts. We score capital strength (25%), deposit protection (20%), liquidity, conduct and digital security (15% each) and stability since 2008 (10%) from filings and regulators' records.

All rated banks

  1. #1 of 60

    Rabobank

    A very safe home for ordinary savings. Rabobank holds about twice the core capital it must, is funded largely by Dutch savers and needed no state help in 2008. Deposits at Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. are covered to €100,000 by the Dutch scheme. Its weak spot is conduct, including a pending Dutch money-laundering case.

    Score 82, grade B

  2. #2 of 60

    Crédit Agricole

    One of the best-capitalised large banks in Europe and a safe place for deposits. Your money sits with your regional bank or LCL, each covered by the FGDR to €100,000, plus €100,000 for Livret A, LDDS and LEP. Weak spots are losses in Greece after 2008 and recent customer-targeted phishing.

    Score 80, grade B

  3. #3 of 60

    DBS Bank

    Singapore's largest bank has one of the thickest capital buffers among large banks, at 16.6% CET1 against a 9.2% requirement. Singapore dollar deposits at DBS Bank Ltd, including POSB, are insured by SDIC up to S$100,000. The weak spot is reliability, after outages that led MAS to add capital charges.

    Score 80, grade B

  4. #4 of 60

    HSBC

    One of the safest large banks for a depositor. HSBC took no government capital in 2008, holds a 14.1% CET1 ratio and a 134% liquidity coverage ratio, and UK deposits are covered by the FSCS to £120,000. Its conduct record, including UK fines in 2021 and 2024, is the weak spot.

    Score 80, grade B

  5. #5 of 60

    JPMorgan Chase

    For a depositor, Chase is about as safe as a bank gets. Your money is FDIC-insured up to $250,000, and the group has thick capital and sits alone in the top systemic-importance bucket in use. Its conduct record is the weak spot, with large US fines in 2020 and 2024.

    Score 80, grade B

  6. #6 of 60

    Charles Schwab

    Schwab's banks hold a very large capital buffer and mostly FDIC-insured deposits, and client securities in the brokerage are segregated with SIPC cover. The catch is that cash may sit at a Schwab bank, at TD Bank or in the brokerage, each protected differently, and Schwab paid $187 million in a 2022 SEC case.

    Score 79, grade B

  7. #7 of 60

    Royal Bank of Canada

    Canada's largest bank is strongly rated and holds capital above OSFI's requirement. Deposits at Royal Bank of Canada are insured by CDIC up to C$100,000 per eligible category, such as a TFSA, an RRSP or a joint account. Liquidity is adequate rather than deep, and it has paid Canadian and US penalties since 2023.

    Score 79, grade B

  8. #8 of 60

    BBVA

    A safe bank for ordinary deposits. Spanish accounts at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. are covered by the FGD up to €100,000, capital sits about four points above requirement, and it took no state aid in Spain's banking crisis. The main mark against it is a pending criminal trial over the Villarejo spying case.

    Score 78, grade B

  9. #9 of 60

    Commonwealth Bank of Australia

    Australia's largest bank is rated in the AA range and its deposits are covered by the government's Financial Claims Scheme up to A$250,000 per account holder. Capital sits above APRA's strict minimum. The weak spot is conduct, from the 2018 AUSTRAC penalty to a long tail of class actions and customer remediation.

    Score 78, grade B

  10. #10 of 60

    MUFG Bank

    Japan's largest banking group holds capital well above its requirement and has a deep deposit base. Yen deposits at MUFG Bank, Ltd. are insured up to ¥10 million per depositor, and interest-free payment accounts in full. Its weak spots are 2024 conduct lapses and ratings capped near Japan's own.

    Score 78, grade B

  11. #11 of 60

    PNC

    PNC Bank is a sound place for insured deposits, with strong deposit ratings, steady profits and a record with only small regulatory penalties. Its CET1 cushion is modest after the FirstBank deal, its liquidity coverage ratio is close to the minimum, and about 45% of its deposits are above the FDIC limit.

    Score 78, grade B

  12. #12 of 60

    BNP Paribas

    A large, steady bank and a safe place for deposits. French savers get €100,000 of FGDR cover plus a separate €100,000 for Livret A, LDDS and LEP. The weaker points are a 2009 state capital injection and a sanctions history that produced a US jury verdict in 2025.

    Score 77, grade B

  13. #13 of 60

    Santander

    A sound bank for deposits in Spain, the UK and elsewhere. It came through 2008 without state capital and rescued Banco Popular in 2017. Capital is well above requirement for now, but big acquisitions will use some of it, and a 2024 data breach and UK money-laundering fine dent its record.

    Score 77, grade B

  14. #14 of 60

    Scotiabank

    The Bank of Nova Scotia holds capital about two points above OSFI's requirement and is rated in the AA range by three of four agencies. Eligible deposits are insured by CDIC up to C$100,000 per category. Its liquidity buffer is modest, and US regulators fined it in 2020 and 2023 over trading and recordkeeping failures.

    Score 77, grade B

  15. #15 of 60

    Barclays

    Money at Barclays is safe. Its CET1 ratio of 14.3% is two points above requirement, liquidity is ample, and UK deposits are FSCS-protected to £120,000. Getting at that money has been less reliable, and the bank has a long list of fines from its investment banking side.

    Score 76, grade B

  16. #16 of 60

    ICBC

    China's biggest state-owned bank holds capital about four points above its requirement and is mostly deposit-funded. Deposits at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited in mainland China are insured up to RMB 500,000 per depositor. US fines in 2024 and a 2023 ransomware attack on its US broker weigh on it.

    Score 76, grade B

  17. #17 of 60

    KakaoBank

    KakaoBank is a licensed Korean bank with capital more than twice its requirement and liquid assets several times its stressed outflows. Deposits are insured by the KDIC up to ₩100 million per person since September 2025. It is young, app-only and tied to the Kakao group, whose founder faced a stock manipulation trial.

    Score 76, grade B

  18. #18 of 60

    Bank of America

    A safe home for insured deposits, backed by FDIC cover and some of the highest bank ratings in the US. Its capital buffer over the minimum is modest, it needed a large federal rescue in 2008–09, and a 2024 anti-money-laundering consent order is still open.

    Score 75, grade B

  19. #19 of 60

    Commerzbank

    A safe bank for German savers. Deposits at Commerzbank AG, including comdirect, are covered to €100,000 by law and up to €3 million per individual by the private banks' voluntary fund. Capital is solid. The weak spot is its history; it needed a large state rescue in 2009.

    Score 75, grade B

  20. #20 of 60

    ING

    A simple, deposit-funded bank and a safe place for savings. Half its funding comes from individuals' deposits, and capital sits about two points above requirement. Its record is the catch, with a large Dutch state rescue in 2008 and a €775 million money-laundering settlement in 2018.

    Score 75, grade B

  21. #21 of 60

    Morgan Stanley

    Cash at Morgan Stanley's two US banks, including E*TRADE and wealth-account sweeps, is FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per bank. The group holds a wide capital buffer and AA-range bank ratings. Weak spots are a $249 million block-trading fraud case in 2024, fines over lost customer data and its near miss in 2008.

    Score 75, grade B

  22. #22 of 60

    Standard Chartered

    The London-based bank that earns most of its money in Asia, Africa and the Middle East holds capital well above its requirement. Deposit cover depends on the local bank holding your money, from FSCS in the UK to Hong Kong's HK$800,000 scheme. Repeated sanctions and money laundering penalties are its main weakness.

    Score 75, grade B

  23. #23 of 60

    ABN AMRO

    A safe bank for ordinary savings. Deposits at ABN AMRO Bank N.V. are covered to €100,000 by the Dutch scheme, and capital and liquidity are well above requirements. Its history pulls the score down, with a 2008 state takeover, a 20.5% state stake today and repeated anti-money-laundering failures.

    Score 74, grade B

  24. #24 of 60

    Intesa Sanpaolo

    A safe bank for ordinary deposits. Accounts at Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. are covered by Italy's FITD up to €100,000, and capital and liquidity sit well above requirements. Its ratings are capped near Italy's own, and an employee's undetected snooping on 3,573 customers led to a €31.8 million privacy fine in 2026.

    Score 74, grade B

  25. #25 of 60

    Nordea

    Nordea Bank Abp is the largest Nordic bank, rated in the AA range with capital above its requirement. Deposits are covered by Finland's scheme to €100,000, with local top-ups. The weak spot is conduct, with Danish prosecutors seeking a record fine over money laundering controls in 2012–2015.

    Score 74, grade B

  26. #26 of 60

    Société Générale

    A safe place for ordinary deposits. French savers get €100,000 of FGDR cover plus €100,000 for Livret A, LDDS and LEP, and capital and liquidity are well above requirements. The weak spots are the 2008 rogue-trading loss, state capital in 2008-09 and US penalties in 2018.

    Score 74, grade B

  27. #27 of 60

    TD Bank

    The Toronto-Dominion Bank, which runs TD Canada Trust, is well capitalised and rated in the AA range for deposits. Canadian deposits are CDIC-insured; US deposits at TD Bank, N.A. are FDIC-insured. Its conduct record is poor after a 2024 US guilty plea, about US$3.1 billion in penalties and an asset cap.

    Score 74, grade B

  28. #28 of 60

    U.S. Bank

    U.S. Bank, the main bank of U.S. Bancorp, is a safe place for insured deposits, with a solid capital buffer and a record of steady profits. It is not a G-SIB, its liquidity coverage ratio is close to the minimum and about half its deposits are uninsured. Its record includes a 2018 money-laundering case.

    Score 74, grade B

  29. #29 of 60

    Itaú Unibanco

    Itaú Unibanco is Brazil's largest bank by assets and one of its most profitable, with a liquidity ratio of about twice the minimum. Deposits at its Brazilian banks are covered by the FGC up to R$250,000 per person. Brazil's BB sovereign rating, antitrust cases and consumer fines keep the score in the low 70s.

    Score 73, grade B

  30. #30 of 60

    Wells Fargo

    Financially sound and fully covered by the FDIC up to $250,000, so ordinary deposits are safe. The low mark is for conduct. The fake-accounts scandal led to billions in penalties and a seven-year cap on its growth that the Federal Reserve lifted only in June 2025.

    Score 73, grade B

  31. #31 of 60

    Goldman Sachs

    Marcus and Apple Savings deposits sit at Goldman Sachs Bank USA and are FDIC-insured up to $250,000, so ordinary savers are well protected. The group is a G-SIB with an A1/A+/AA- rated bank. Its conduct record is weak, led by the 1MDB bribery scandal, and its capital cushion has narrowed in 2026.

    Score 72, grade B

  32. #32 of 60

    SoFi Bank

    SoFi Bank, N.A. is a US national bank supervised by the OCC, and deposits are FDIC-insured up to $250,000, or up to $3 million through its partner-bank programme. Capital is well above the minimum. The catches are a short history as a bank, a loan book built on unsecured personal loans and a string of smaller fines.

    Score 72, grade B

  33. #33 of 60

    UBS

    A strongly capitalised and very liquid bank, now Switzerland's only global bank after the forced takeover of Credit Suisse. Swiss deposit insurance is modest at CHF 100,000 per client, it relied on state support in 2008, and it inherited Credit Suisse's legal problems.

    Score 72, grade B

  34. #34 of 60

    UniCredit

    A safe bank for ordinary deposits. Italian accounts at UniCredit S.p.A. are covered by the FITD up to €100,000, and capital and liquidity are well above requirements. Ratings are capped near Italy's own, and its record includes $1.3 billion of US sanctions penalties in 2019 and a 2018 data breach.

    Score 72, grade B

  35. #35 of 60

    Capital One

    Capital One, N.A. holds mostly insured retail deposits, a 165% liquidity coverage ratio and a wide capital buffer, so savers up to $250,000 are well protected. The weak spots are its conduct record, now including Discover's card-fee case, the 2019 breach of data on about 106 million people and BBB-range ratings.

    Score 71, grade B

  36. #36 of 60

    Capitec

    Capitec Bank Limited is a South African bank supervised by the Reserve Bank, with deposits covered by CODI up to R100,000 per person. Capital and liquidity are far above the rules. The weak points are the low cover limit, an anti-money laundering penalty and rising banking app fraud.

    Score 71, grade B

  37. #37 of 60

    Deutsche Bank

    Safer for a saver than its headlines suggest. Deposits are covered to €100,000 by law and, for individuals, up to €3 million by the private banks' voluntary fund. Capital and liquidity have recovered since the 2016 scare. Its conduct record and the 2023 Postbank IT failure are the weak spots.

    Score 71, grade B

  38. #38 of 60

    Ally Bank

    Ally Bank is an online-only, FDIC-insured bank whose savers are almost all within the $250,000 limit, which keeps its funding stable. The weak points sit with the parent, Ally Financial, the former GMAC, which has the lowest investment-grade ratings, a modest capital buffer and a 2008 government rescue.

    Score 70, grade B

  39. #39 of 60

    HDFC Bank

    HDFC Bank Limited has one of the thickest capital buffers of any large bank and a mostly retail deposit base. Deposit insurance is small, at ₹5 lakh per depositor, and a run of RBI penalties, the 2020 digital ban and the chairman's 2026 resignation weigh on its record.

    Score 70, grade B

  40. #40 of 60

    Lloyds Banking Group

    Money at Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland is safe. CET1 is 13.6% against about 12% required, and deposits are FSCS-protected to £120,000 per licence. The weak spots are a 2008 state rescue, a £1.95bn car finance bill and a March 2026 glitch that showed customers other people's transactions.

    Score 70, grade B

  41. #41 of 60

    Monzo

    Money at Monzo is safe up to the FSCS limit. Monzo Bank Ltd is a PRA-authorised UK bank with a CET1 ratio of 27.3%, and most of its £25.7bn of deposits sits in cash and government-grade assets. The weak spots are a £21.1m FCA fine in 2025, no credit ratings and a short track record.

    Score 70, grade B

  42. #42 of 60

    Starling Bank

    Money at Starling is safe up to the FSCS limit. Starling Bank Ltd is a PRA-authorised UK bank with a CET1 ratio of 28.6%, far above its requirement, and it lends out well under half of its £12.7bn of deposits. Its weak spot is a £29m FCA fine in 2024 for sanctions screening failures.

    Score 70, grade B

  43. #43 of 60

    bunq

    bunq B.V. is a bank licensed and supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank, so deposits are covered by the Dutch deposit guarantee up to €100,000 per person. Capital and liquidity ratios are comfortable. The weak points are repeated anti-money laundering failures, a €2.6 million fine under appeal and a thin leverage ratio.

    Score 68, grade C

  44. #44 of 60

    Citibank

    Insured deposits at Citibank, N.A. are as safe as at any US bank. Above the FDIC limit the picture is weaker, with a modest capital buffer, a largely corporate deposit base and repeated penalties for slow progress on fixing risk controls under 2020 consent orders.

    Score 68, grade C

  45. #45 of 60

    Danske Bank

    Danske Bank A/S is Denmark's largest bank, with a CET1 ratio 2.4 points above its requirement, AA-range deposit ratings and Danish deposit cover to €100,000. The score is held back by one of Europe's largest money laundering cases, a criminal guilty plea in the US and a state capital injection in 2009.

    Score 68, grade C

  46. #46 of 60

    Emirates NBD

    Emirates NBD Bank PJSC, supervised by the Central Bank of the UAE, is A+/A1 rated, very profitable and 56% owned by the Government of Dubai. The catch for savers is that the UAE has no deposit insurance scheme with a published limit, and capital buffers above the minimum are slim after its RBL Bank purchase.

    Score 68, grade C

  47. #47 of 60

    NatWest Group

    Deposits at NatWest are safe. Its CET1 ratio of 13.2% is 2.9 points above the level that triggers payout limits, and UK savings are FSCS-protected to £120,000. The score is held back by history, the £45.5bn RBS rescue and a 2021 criminal conviction for money-laundering failures.

    Score 68, grade C

  48. #48 of 60

    Nubank

    Nubank is a profitable, Central Bank-supervised group with 118 million customers in Brazil. Yield-earning balances sit in RDBs covered by the FGC up to R$250,000, and idle account money must be ring-fenced. The catches are a heavy book of unsecured consumer credit and capital that is adequate rather than generous.

    Score 68, grade C

  49. #49 of 60

    State Bank of India

    SBI is majority state-owned and India's most systemically important bank, with ₹60 trillion of deposits and capital about four points above its requirement. DICGC insurance covers ₹5 lakh per depositor. Its 2018 bad-loan losses, state capital top-ups and a 2019 data leak weigh on its record.

    Score 68, grade C

  50. #50 of 60

    Trade Republic

    Trade Republic Bank GmbH is a German bank supervised by BaFin and the Bundesbank, and very liquid because it barely lends. But your cash is held in trust at partner banks, covered up to €100,000 per bank, and part of larger balances goes into money market funds with no deposit guarantee.

    Score 66, grade C

  51. #51 of 60

    PicPay

    Most PicPay savings sit in CDBs at PicPay Bank, a licensed Brazilian bank, covered by the FGC up to R$250,000 per person, and capital is well above the minimum. The catches are fast growth in risky consumer lending, internal-control weaknesses and close ties to its owner, J&F.

    Score 65, grade C

  52. #52 of 60

    Revolut

    Revolut is now a regulated bank in the UK and the EU, profitable and holding mostly cash and government bonds. The catch is complexity. Your money may sit in a bank account, safeguarded e-money, a money market fund or crypto, each protected differently or not at all, and it has no credit ratings or crisis track record.

    Score 65, grade C

  53. #53 of 60

    TymeBank (GoTyme Bank)

    TymeBank, renamed GoTyme Bank Limited in April 2026, is a South African bank supervised by the Reserve Bank, with deposits covered by CODI up to R100,000 per person. Capital and liquidity are well above the rules. The catches are its small size, a short record of profit and a low cover limit.

    Score 65, grade C

  54. #54 of 60

    Chime

    Chime is an app, not a bank. Your money is held at The Bancorp Bank or Stride Bank and is FDIC-insured on a pass-through basis, which works only if the records are right. Both banks are well capitalised but small, Chime has paid regulators over slow refunds and customer service, and it plans to buy Stride in 2027.

    Score 62, grade C

  55. #55 of 60

    Mercado Pago

    Mercado Pago, the fintech arm of MercadoLibre, is a regulated payment company in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, not a bank. Account money must be kept apart from its own funds, in Brazil in federal government bonds, but it is not covered by deposit insurance. The group is profitable but lends heavily to risky borrowers.

    Score 60, grade C

  56. #56 of 60

    Varo Bank

    Varo Bank, N.A. is an OCC-chartered national bank, so deposits are FDIC-insured directly, not through a partner. The weak side is the business. Varo lost $91.8 million in 2025 and $46.6 million in the first half of 2026, its deposits have shrunk by almost half since 2024, and investors keep topping up its capital.

    Score 60, grade C

  57. #57 of 60

    Wise

    Wise is a profitable, regulated payment and e-money company, not a bank. Your balance is safeguarded, kept apart from Wise's own money, but is not covered by deposit insurance. Conduct is the weak spot, with a Belgian money laundering investigation into Wise Europe still open.

    Score 59, grade C

  58. #58 of 60

    Metro Bank

    Metro Bank PLC is a UK high street bank with FSCS cover to £120,000, a liquidity coverage ratio of 270% and a CET1 ratio 2.6 points above its requirement. The weak points are a sub-investment-grade Fitch rating, a £925 million rescue in 2023 and three regulatory fines over reporting and money laundering controls.

    Score 58, grade C

  59. #59 of 60

    N26

    N26 Bank SE is a fully licensed German bank, so deposits are protected to €100,000 per person and it holds far more liquid assets than it needs. The weak spots are a long run of BaFin measures since 2021, a capital position below the regulator's guidance and only its first, tiny annual profit in 2025.

    Score 58, grade C

  60. #60 of 60

    Evolve Bank & Trust

    Evolve Bank & Trust is a small Arkansas bank behind many fintech apps. It is FDIC-insured and well capitalised, but it has been under a Federal Reserve cease-and-desist order since June 2024, held money in the Synapse collapse and lost data on 7.6 million people to ransomware in 2024.

    Score 46, grade D