Economist Intern

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is launching the FDIC Academic Challenge, a competition for undergraduate students interested in banking and economics. We would like to invite students from your institution to take part in this year’s Challenge, “The Effects of Community Banks on Local Economic Development.” The Challenge will provide students the chance to work with their peers, sharpen their analytical thinking, and develop their academic and professional skills.

Teams of four or five undergraduate students, along with a faculty advisor, are welcome to submit a written response to this year’s Challenge. Teams will have the opportunity to use multiple data sources to support their economic analysis and gain a greater understanding of the U.S. banking sector. We will invite teams with top-scoring written responses to present their findings in front of a panel of judges in the final round of the Challenge on April 16, 2021.

Written submissions for the Challenge are due by November 20, 2020. To help students and faculty understand the Challenge and address any issues that arise during participation, FDIC economists will host question and answer sessions on October 7, 2020, and November 12, 2020. 

For more details on the Academic Challenge, including the full question, dataset, timeline, and submission form, please visit https://www.fdic.gov/analysis/academic-challenge/. Please join us on October 7, 7:00pm EST at 800-988-9500 (Participant Code #9838873) where we will be addressing any and all questions associated with the Challenge.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Diane Ellis, Director

Division of Insurance and Research

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation