There are several steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of losing invested funds,
and which the CFO should keep in mind when engaging in investment activities.
They are:
• Diversification. Only invest a limited amount of cash in the securities of a
single entity, in case that entity defaults on its obligations. Similarly, only
invest a limited amount in securities originating within one industry, in case
economic circumstances lead to multiple defaults within the industry.
• FDIC insurance. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
protects depositors of insured banks against the loss of their deposits and
accrued interest if an insured bank fails. This coverage includes deposits in
checking accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, and
certificates of deposit. The coverage does not include cash invested in
stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance proceeds, annuities, or municipal
securities. The amount of this coverage is limited to $250,000 per depositor,
per insured bank. Consequently, it may be worthwhile to monitor account
balance levels and shift funds above the insurance cap to accounts in other
banks. By doing so, a company can achieve an FDIC coverage level that is
substantially higher than $250,000.
• Sweep structure. When a company elects to have cash automatically swept
out of an account and into an interest-earning investment, it should insist on
a one-to-one sweep, where its cash is used to acquire a specific investment
instrument. If the bank handling the transaction were to enter bankruptcy,
the company would have title to the acquired investment. A worse alternative
is to engage in a one-to-many sweep, where the funds of multiple businesses
are used to acquire an investment instrument. In this case, the bank
handling the transaction has title to the investment instrument, which means
that the company would be reduced to filing a creditor claim that may eventually
result in compensation for an amount less than its original investment.