Glossary
bank registry data
Bank registry data is the per-institution master list of chartered or insured banks: the FDIC counts about 4,700 active insured institutions across six dataset families, while the OCC's monthly rosters list roughly 736 active national banks plus federal branches, agencies and trust banks. Rows carry identifiers such as FDIC cert and charter class.
What is bank registry data?
One row per institution, updated on regulatory rhythm. The FDIC Bank Data Guide sizes its offering at 'six dataset families covering ~4,700 active insured institutions and their full history'; the OCC Financial Institution Lists counter with '~736 active national banks plus federal branches and trust banks'.
Freshness is verifiable: during verification, the FDIC BankFind Suite API's institutions index snapshot was dated 2026-08-21. Registry rows anchor everything else - call reports, branch locations, failure history - because each carries the cert numbers and charter classes that join those families together.
Why does registry data matter when choosing a dataset?
Denominator errors propagate everywhere. Market-concentration stats, failure-rate denominators and coverage audits all start from 'how many institutions exist' - mixing the FDIC's ~4,700 insured institutions with the OCC's ~736 national banks produces nonsense unless charters are respected.
Identifier discipline is the other consequence: FDIC cert and charter class are the join keys to financial and event data, so a registry extract that drops or reformats them breaks every downstream link. Snapshot dating matters too - a registry pulled weeks ago misses new charters and consolidations, and the 2026-08-21 snapshot date shows what current looks like.
How do you evaluate a bank registry source?
- Check institution counts by regulator. ~4,700 FDIC-insured institutions versus ~736 OCC national banks - confirm which universe a source claims.
- Inspect identifier fields. FDIC cert and charter class must survive extraction intact for joins to call reports and failure records.
- Date the snapshot. BankFind Suite snapshots carry dates like 2026-08-21; undated registries hide staleness.
- Expect family structure. Six FDIC dataset families covering institutions and their full history is the reference shape.
- Include non-traditional entrants. Federal branches, agencies and trust banks appear in OCC rosters beyond domestic national banks.
Related terms
- bank-failures - the closed-institution counterpart (~4,115 failures).
- summary-of-deposits - the deposit survey keyed to registry rows.
Sector hub: diversified-banks data.
Frequently asked questions
How many insured banks does the FDIC registry list?
About 4,700 active insured institutions, covered across six dataset families in the FDIC Bank Data Guide with their full history.
How many national banks does the OCC list?
Roughly 736 active national banks, plus federal branches, agencies and trust banks, in its monthly financial institution lists.
Datasets containing this field
Datasets containing bank registry data
6 datasets carry bank registry data in the catalog. Open one, count the fields, judge for yourself.
BIS Locational Banking Statistics (LBS) & BIS Data Portal
L_MEASURE / Measure · L_POSITION / Balance sheet position · L_INSTR / Type of instruments …+9 more
Consolidated Banking Data (CBD2), delivered by Datadory
KEY · FREQ · REF_AREA …+7 more
FDIC Bank Data Guide
FDIC Quarterly Banking Profile
Number of institutions reporting · Total interest income · Net interest income …+7 more
OCC Financial Institution Lists
Every listing shows the field dictionary, sample rows, and coverage before you commit. API, files, or your warehouse. Daily, weekly, or hourly.
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