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There’s nothing like news coverage of anxious customers camped outside a bank to get people interested in deposit insurance.

Yet that’s what happened in the wake of the IndyMac Bank failure.

Most people don’t have to worry about deposit insurance since they keep less than $100,000 at any one bank. When that’s the case, you’re covered.

Things get trickier for people who stash more than $100,000 at any one institution. These people can stretch their coverage if they have IRAs or other retirement accounts ($250,000 in coverage per depositor per banking company), or if they use living trusts or payable-on-death titling arrangements, which offer  protection for each named beneficiary.

Jointly held accounts provide still more coverage, since each person’s shares in joint accounts held at the same bank are added together and qualify for a separate $100,000.

If in doubt, it’s smart to split big deposits among banks – or at least read the deposit insurance rules at www.fdic.gov, the web site run by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

At any rate, readers have been sending in questions on deposit insurance. Here are answers to a few:

Question: When a bank fails, how long does it take to get your money from the FDIC?

Answer: The short answer is that insured depositors have immediate access to funds through checkwriting, ATM withdrawals, debit cards and the like – even before a failed bank reopens for business.

On uninsured funds, the FDIC cautions that payments can take longer – perhaps a week, a month or more. Also, customers with uninsured deposits might need to provide documentation. Plus, at least some  uninsured deposits might never been paid.

Q: Are depositors covered beyond the limit of $100,000 if using a living trust?

A: Generally, yes. Trusts usually provide $100,000 in coverage per named beneficiary. But the FDIC notes that trusts can be complex and suggests customers check with their bank about details. Similar coverage is available for payable-on-death accounts, another type of instrument that can be used to avoid probate in estate planning. These protections are a good reason to make sure your list of beneficiaries is up to date.

Q: I’m concerned about the number of businesses that have millions of dollars in accounts because it’s not practical for them to open 20, 30 or more accounts.

A: You can split your money among a virtually unlimited number of banks to augment coverage. But if you don’t want to deal with all that, consider a service offered by Promontory Interfinancial Network (www.promnetwork.com). The company spreads large deposits among different banks in its network, but customers get a single statement and deal only with their home bank. Customers can access up to $50 million in FDIC coverage.

Q: Is deposit insurance similar to that provided for banks also available to credit-union customers?

A: Yes. These customers are covered up to $100,000 per institution (with higher amounts for retirement accounts and so on) through an insurance fund administered by the National Credit Union Administration, a federal agency. Like the FDIC fund, the credit union version ultimately is backed by the U.S. government.

Credit unions haven’t been making many headlines lately, which is probably good. The Credit Union National Association claims credit unions on average have slightly better capital positions than banks, with mortgage delinquencies for the first quarter below 1 percent. According to CUNA, most credit unions offer mortgages but haven’t been hit nearly as hard by the subprime crisis, partly because they lend more conservatively and tend to hang onto their loans.

Q: I understand the FDIC insurance limits for banks, but how are accounts at brokerages like Merrill Lynch and Charles Schwab insured?

A: The Securities Investors Protection Corp. provides limited coverage for investors, but it’s not as comprehensive as that offered to bank customers by the FDIC. Specifically, SIPC, which was created by Congress, works to restore investor cash and securities that turn up missing when a brokerage fails or experiences other financial distress. But it doesn’t cover fraud, and it doesn’t protect against market losses.

SIPC “does not offer to investors the same blanket protection that the (FDIC) provides to bank customers,” the firm states on its web site, www.sipc.org.

This article appeared in the July 20 edition of the Arizona Republic

So last night I'm talking to my 16-year-old son, telling him that the Cardinals regular-season starts Monday, at least for me.

"This is like the end of summer vacation and going back to school for you," he said. "Did you get any new school clothes?"

Just a couple pairs of shorts. One of the great things about my job is that my work attire for the next few months is shorts and t-shirts. Oh, and plenty of sunscreen.

Training camp in Flagstaff opens Wednesday when players are due to report. It's a time of excitement, and dread, for almost anyone connected to an NFL team. It's an exciting time because it's a new season with some new faces to watch and some new questions to be answered. I have been to only a few other NFL training camps, but I can't imagine there are many better than Flagstaff.

But it's also the start of a very long, arduous journey for many people in the organization. The guys I feel for are the coaches and other staff members whose only days off between now and the end of the year will be during the bye week. If they're lucky.

I think back to the first day of the 2001 draft when the Cardinals took offensive lineman Leonard Davis. George Warhop, the line coach, came to the pressroom to talk to a few of us and somebody mused that Warhop probably couldn't wait for the start of camp to work with "Big."

"(Expletive) no," Warhop said, in typically blunt style. "Camp always gets here soon enough. I can wait."

Anyway, after a hiatus, this blog is up and running. Like a car that's been in the garage for a few weeks, I hope it starts when I turn the key. I'll update you whenever I can with news, notes, opinions and other random thoughts. Hope to see a lot of you in Flagstaff.