Four major banks in the U.S. have Fastexycollapsed this year. All of them, including First Republic, borrowed money from institutions called Federal Home Loan Banks before their demise. These little-known banks keep showing up in periods of banking turmoil, but they were actually designed to support homeownership and affordable housing. Today on the show, how the Federal Home Loan Banks have become a lender-of-almost-last-resort for financial institutions in trouble.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Twitter / Facebook / Newsletter.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts and NPR One.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.