Robinhood launches 3% checking account

Re:Robinhood launches 3% checking account by mcv on Thursday December 13, 2018 @11:47AM (#18673725)

So what does that mean here? Are you saying that the part of your money that the bank uses to invest, is not insured? If so, then what does the insurance for the remainder even mean? Money that the bank doesn't touch doesn't need to be insured, because it's always there. The whole point of such an insurance is to reimburse you in case the bank loses your money due to their bad investment. If that's not covered but only the part that they never touch, then the whole insurance becomes meaningless.

I still suspect that the securities mentioned are your own securities rather than the bank's, which makes it totally sensible that they're not covered by the insurance.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Robinhood launches 3% checking account by 09bjb on Thursday December 13, 2018 @01:40PM (#18674798)

My understanding is that yes, you're not covered if the bank suffers losses and passes them on to you. The entire industry is one giant moral hazard due to complete lack of skin in the game on the part of the banks. They don't own the money and aren't responsible for catastrophic losses (see the '08 and previous bailouts), but they control it and keep the upside. You're right, that insurance sounds like garbage, but I haven't bothered to dig into the details. Caveat emptor!

"Own nothing, but control everything." -John D. Rockefeller

edit: good note from /u/snowwrestler below:

> > It's not the cash/securities that Robinhood holds as part of their business, it's the one they hold for you. You may well choose to hold 100% cash or 100% securities.

> If I'm holding 100% securities, a) SIPC offers me no protection from losses, b) I better be making more than 3% return, and c) I would not call that situation "a checking account."

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Robinhood launches 3% checking account by hakfoo on Thursday December 13, 2018 @08:30PM (#18677691)

I think the loss case they're protecting you for is more

"I bought 100 shares of Acmecorp, then Robinhood shuttered their doors and said they sold the shares to fund their yacht."

The SIPC's job there is to reimburse you for 100 shares of Acmecorp as of now; they're not going to let investors cherry-pick and say "but they mishandled the account during the one day it was at its peak and I want that price!"

[ Parent | on HN ]