Federal authorities in the US released a “problem list” of banks on Tuesday which showed a 30 percent rise in the number of troubled banks over the second quarter.

Data released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp put the total number of troubled banks in the second quarter to 117 which is a jump of 30 percent from 90 such banks recorded at the end of March. In the past five years, this is the highest total of banks which stand on the verge of closure. The troubled banks had assets of $78.3 billion, which revealed a rise from the $26.3 billion in the first quarter. Most of the banks on the problem list owed their predicament to massive commercial real estate loans that were long overdue.

The failure of some high-profile banks as well as the list released by the FDIC has bank customers across the country on edge as they question the safety of the deposits. However the good news is that the vast majority of banks are in a financially secure position. Moreover even if a bank fails, a customer rarely loses his money as deposits are generally insured.

The list of “problem banks” announced by the FDIC did not include the names of the troubled institutions but included those whose continuing viability was threatened by substantial deficiencies in finances, operations or management.