Vox Sentences - Explaining bank runs

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Hi,

When Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, I had so many questions. It felt like 2008 as I read words I literally never wanted to see again: second-largest bank collapse in US history. Bailout. Contagion. Panic.

In chaos like this, I always feel better when I understand what’s happening. It helps me make decisions that are best for my life. 

Thankfully, bringing clarity to this moment is exactly what our reporters, editors, and producers have been doing in the last several days. (Disclosure: Vox Media, which owns Vox, banked with SVB before it closed.) 

Their work is clear and approachable; it’s not full of financial jargon, and it will help you understand what’s going on. Here’s just a sample:

• Our main explainer, 9 questions about Silicon Valley Bank's collapse, answered, is the perfect way to start to wrap your head around what happened.  Reporters Peter Kafka, Sara Morrison, and Emily Stewart are continuing to update this insightful piece as the situation evolves.

• Noel King’s Today, Explained interview with Insider’s Ben Bergman is a sweeping look at the stakes involved, what happened, and why it happened. It really helped me understand the role of Twitter and how this situation is different from 2008. 

• A sharp analysis from Emily Stewart reminds us that SVB’s collapse is exactly the kind of thing that can happen when the Fed is fighting inflation.

• Senior reporter Andrew Prokop explained why bailouts keep happening, even though everyone hates them — and asks if what this really means is that the system needs reform.

• Could that model for reform be in Massachusetts? Because of their unique deposit insurance system, no depositor at an insured bank in the state has lost money since 1934. Senior reporter Dylan Matthews combed through research and interviewed experts to understand if this model could work across the country.

Everyone deserves to understand this moment, and that can’t happen when work is behind a paywall. Join tens of thousands of other Vox readers who help us keep this work free by making a financial gift today. 

Thank you in advance for your support,

Blair Hickman, 

Executive director of development

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