How safe is the money I've deposited into my bank account?

If you have $100,000 or less in your name at any FDIC-insured bank or savings association, you have nothing to fear. If you have certain types of retirement accounts, such as an individual retirement account, you're eligible for even more coverage -- up to $250,000 per account owner, per insured bank. Deposits at credit unions have similar coverage through the National Credit Union Administration, an independent government agency.

-- Washington Post Staff Writer Nancy Trejos