Following recent observations about how firms have been less than transparent about their financial stability on their websites and through other means, it seems that some companies are taking a different, more clear approach in reassuring potential clients. Instead of sugar-coating the state of their corporation’s health, some firms are now reassuring clients that their money is safe because their accounts are FDIC-insured – not because the firm is somehow “different from all the rest” that went down, as many have recently claimed.

While clients may still feel anxious and uncertain about the future home of their finances, the knowledge that their money is secure and won’t completely disappear with a firm if it collapses provides at least some comfort during financially unstable times.

As we reported in the October 6, 2008 Credit Card Monitor Update right after Washington Mutual’s buyout by JPMorgan Chase, WaMu had posted a message on its public site homepage from the bank’s CEO reassuring customers that the firm would stay afloat just days before the acquisition. Immediately after the buyout, both WaMu and Chase posted a message on their websites explaining that clients’ money is secure because it continues to remain insured by the FDIC.

Other firms that have not yet succumbed to the misfortunes of our country’s current financial state and flailing economy are also calling attention to FDIC insurance in some form or another. U.S. Bank recently posted a “WaMu-like” message to its homepage reassuring clients that the firm is well-capitalized, but more convincingly expressing confidence because the firm is a member of the FDIC (we reported on this originally in the October 13, 2008 Bank Monitor Update). Other firms, such as Bank of America, Citibank, and ING Direct, recently posted updates on their websites informing clients that FDIC insurance on deposit accounts has temporarily increased from $100,000 to $250,000 until December 31, 2009 – a significant reassurance for consumers’ faith in the firms and trust that their financial futures will remain secure.

So, what’s next for firms like Bank of America, Citibank, ING Direct and U.S. Bank? Certainly, it’s doubtful you’ll get a straight answer from their CEOs. Fortunately, if you are one of their customers, at least you know you’ll keep your money if the firms suddenly collapse in the next few months, weeks, days or hours.