Glass-Steagall Act(redirected from 1933 Banking Act)
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Legislation in the United States, enacted in 1933, intended to restore confidence in the banking system. Among its most important provisions was the creation the FDIC, which provided insurance on bank deposits up to a certain amount. The act also prohibited bank holding companies from owning brokerages or certain securities. This provision was designed to prevent banks from engaging in most investment activities and thereby to reduce the risk they carried. Most of the Glass-Steagal Act was repealed by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999. It is formally called the Banking Act of 1933.
A 1933 act that prohibited commercial banks from undertaking investment banking activities such as underwriting the securities of private corporations. The legislation was passed to keep banks from entering into nonfinancial businesses (for example, owning corporate stock) and more risky activities. The Glass-Steagall Act was repealed in 1999. Also called Banking Act of 1933.