America’s banks are missing hundreds of billions of dollars

to understand how money gets destroyed in a traditional bank run. Picture the men in top hats yelling at clerks in “Mary Poppins”. The crowds want their cash and bank tellers are trying to provide it. But when customers flee, staff cannot satisfy all comers before the institution topples. The remaining debts (which, for banks, include deposits) are wiped out.This is not what happens in the digital age. The depositors fleeing () did not ask for notes and coins. They wanted their balances wired elsewhere. Nor were deposits written off when the bank went under. Instead, regulators promised to make ’s clients whole. Although the failure of the was bad news for shareholders, it should not have reduced the aggregate amount of deposits in the banking system.