I researched this situation quite carefully, and I discovered that it’s very tricky and specific. The limit per depositor in any one institution is $100K. If you title the account as POD (payable on death), with beneficiaries, each beneficiary gets $100K in insurance, however you lose the original $100K. For example if you designate two beneficiaries, the account is insured for $200K, not $300K as you might assume. One beneficiary is $100K. The rules for beneficiaries is also very strict. They have to be blood related. The best insurance is to pull money out ahead of time and avoid the hassle of a claim. I closed my account at Indymac a month ago as it looks like it may be the next to fall.