In the following video, Motley Fool financial analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson compare the U.S. banking system with the banking system in Canada. As many investors often look to Canada for safer banking investments than the U.S. banks, Matt and David explore whether Canada has its own "too big to fail" banks. They discuss the Canadian banks that would be comparable with the largest banks in the U.S., and the stringent capital standards that these large Canadian banks are held to.
Canada's Big Banks Are Too Big to Fail
By Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson – Mar 26, 2013 at 5:57PM
NYSE: RY
Royal Bank Of Canada
Market Cap
$206B
Today's Change
(0.61%) $0.90
Current Price
$147.79
Price as of November 11, 2025 at 3:33 PM ET
Canada's too-big-to-fail banks are held to a very strict standard.
About the Author
Matt is the head of the Coverage Team for The Motely Fool's premium products. Previously, he's been . Matt is a heavy user of AI tools and is working on harnessing them to help Fool members. Previously, Matt was GM of Motley Fool Ascent, led The Motley Fool Deutschland, has been an investor on various Fool services, and co-hosted the podcast "Where the Money Is". He also co-authored the book The Astonishing Collapse of MF Global. Matt started his career in San Francisco as a technology-focused investment banker and also worked at a $15 billion private equity company. When he's thinking about how to make Fools smarter, happier, and richer, you can usually find Matt running trails or making a mess in the kitchen. He's a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, but is a lifelong fan of Penn State football.