The issue is in trust. Banking's value proposition is trust. The bank is trusted to hold deposits and to process withdraws. Adding insurance just changes the

The issue is in trust. Banking's value proposition is trust. The bank is trusted to hold deposits and to process withdraws. Adding insurance just changes the trusted entity. FDIC insurance exists to increase trust for individual deposits. 1. FDIC insurance only covers $250k. FDIC insurance is mostly to reduce personal risk, so individuals feel comfortable keeping their own money in the bank. This is key to the banking industry because individuals are much more likely to horde physical currency than businesses are. 2. Who would insure the bank for unlimited deposits? If it's a non-governmental organization how would depositors know the insurance company is good for it? If it's a governmental organization then the taxpayer would essentially be a codified safety net for corporate risk taking. The insurance is more political palpable (and affordable) if it's seen as protecting individuals from bad banking practice then if it's seen as a bailout. 3. Banks ideally are the safe organization to hold cash. A bank failing is seen as a failure not only for the individual bank, but for the set of regulations that banks must follow. One bank failing reduces trust in all other banks, so it's in the industry's best interest to accept regulations that prevent bank failures.