Big Banks Surged in Deposit Size Over the Last Three Years

These were the likely not-so-surprising results of a survey on bank deposit growth from 2008-2011 from financial information and consulting firm SNL Financial.

In total, U.S. deposits grew by 11 percent over the last three years, as Americans have stashed away more money in bank accounts amid turbulent stock markets and dour economic news.

However, SNL found that deposit growth was typically more pronounced among "super-regional and megabanks," such as Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank and TD Bank.

Between 2008, when the financial crisis struck, and 2011, banks with more than $50 billion in assets collectively recorded a compound annual growth rate for deposits of 15.28 percent, according to SNL.

By contrast, banks with $1 billion or fewer assets showed a compound annual growth rate between 2008 and 2011 of negative 0.57 percent. But the news is not all grim for community banks. Banks with total assets between $1 billion and $10 billion grew their deposits between 2008-2011 by 7.44 percent. The growth, according to the SNL report, has come via three avenues: deals, ventures into new business lines and organic expansion into new markets.

Bryan Yurcan is associate editor for Bank Systems and Technology. He has worked in various editorial capacities for newspapers and magazines for the past 8 years. After beginning his career as a municipal and courts reporter for daily newspapers in upstate New York, Bryan has ... View Full Bio