Did deregulation lead to Silicon Valley Bank's collapse?

It was a scene straight out of the Great Depression: a major California bank locking its doors and pulling down the shades as a horde of panicky depositors demanded their money.

And hard on the heels of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, New York state regulators shut down another mid-sized bank called Signature Bank.

Federal officials rushed to insist that there's no call for panic, but the news shook millions of people who entrust their modest means to banks.

So who's to blame? Is it time for ordinary Americans to start worrying?

Here, in question-and-answer form, is the best information available.

Just how safe are American banks?

According to government officials and many outside experts, U.S. banks in general are much stronger today than they were before the great financial crash in 2008.

Since then,