When The Rumors Aren’t True
Keeping close tabs on our money is an American fact of life. In general, we like to be able to deposit what we have in what we believe to be a secure holding institution and then relax.
Fortunately, the United States has built safeguards into its banking systems, including federal deposit insurance, and the likelihood of a “run” today is miniscule. But a recent story out of China shows what can happen when rumors run rampant and cool heads do not prevail.
How The China Bank Run Started
A customer in Yancheng, China, went to his bank and requested a withdrawal of 200,000 yuan, the equivalent of $32,200 in American dollars. The story goes (and the details have not been clearly defined) that when the customer’s request couldn’t be immediately honored, he assumed that the bank had run out of money and panic ensued.
Panic Rampant
Soon, depositors arrived in droves, by any and all means of transportation. Though regulators and spokespersons for the central bank assured the bank’s clientele that their money was safe, the flood of customers demanding their full amount kept arriving. The beleaguered bank stacked piles of yuan on its counters to create the appearance of plenty, but even that ploy and the sight of armored cars bringing cash to aid the besieged institution didn’t immediately quell the tide of anxious customers. The run continued for three days.
Customers’ concerns were probably magnified by China’s failure to meet a domestic bond recently. The default was a first in the mega-country’s current financial history, but it lent itself to ongoing itchiness about all aspects of the country’s financial security.
Lessons From The Bank Run
There are many versions of what happened in Yancheng, but the lessons for Americans are the same.
The news of this story spread quickly. All it took was one customer who used a twitter like service to notify his circle of friends. From that point hundreds of people heard about the customer’s experience and soon it gained world wide attention. The Chinese people have a heritage of fearing for the safety of their money. Older generations of people experienced government confiscation of property and wealth. It is no wonder that panic resulted.
So what is the lesson American people can gain from this? When rumors start, don’t panic. Check other sources for the truth to the rumor. Give yourself some time to make the best decision for you and your family. Though time would be of the essence in a real bank failure, it is foolish to over-react.
The bottom line is to look before you leap. Trust in the safeguards that have been built around the country’s financial practices. Certainly you are justified in making immediate inquiries if there is a suggestion that something is wrong, but don’t just assume that the rumors are true. Often, they are not.
