On Oct. 3, President Bush signed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 that raised the amount in bank and savings accounts that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. covers from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor.
But, the increase is only temporary. The basic FDIC deposit insurance limit will return to $100,000 after Dec. 31, 2009. The legislation did not raise coverage for retirement accounts, which is still $250,000.