US Regulator Investment Bank Taps Piper Sandler To Sell Silicon Valley Bank: Report

The FDIC will once again relaunch the auction to get a buyer after major banks last weekend pulled back from carrying out such a risky deal in such a short time.

Silicon Valley Bank became the biggest US bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis

In a bid to find a buyer for failed Silicon Valley Bank, the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) tapped investment bank Piper Sandler Companies.  The investment bank will relaunch the auction of SVB, reported news agency Reuters on Wednesday quoting its source.

The concerted effort to sell off SVB comes after regulators took it over last Friday and agreed on Sunday to guarantee all of its deposits. The FDIC had failed to get a buyer last weekend after major banks pulled back from carrying out such a risky deal in such a short time. The FDIC is aiming to sell SVB in its entirety but also explore piecemeal deals, the report quoted its source as saying.

The parent of Silicon Valley Bank, SVB Financial Group, on Monday, said it was separately exploring options for its other assets, which include an investment bank and an investment business.

Meanwhile, US President Joseph Biden stated that taxpayers' money will not be used to salvage SVB because any capital shortfalls would be covered by a government fund that can place a levy on other banks. In such a state, a successful sale of SVB by the FDIC would help reduce such shortfalls.

SVB became the biggest US bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis, sparking concerns across the banking sector and raising doubt about the future of startups that turned on the technology-focused lender for new debt financing.

Of those banks that studied the feasibility but decided against an offer during last weekend's auction for SVB were PNC Financial Services and Royal Bank of Canada , which owns California-focused lender City National Bank, Reuters has reported.

The Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp initiated measures following the collapse of SVB to shore up confidence in the financial system.