Despite a number of high profile collapses in the global banking sector, consumers remain confident in their own financial institutions.

This is the conclusion of a new survey by Nielsen Claritas, which shows that 84 per cent of US citizens are as confident in their primary bank as they were six months ago.

Furthermore, 95 per cent believe the financial assets of their bank to be relatively safe.

This is in spite of widespread unease over the prospects for the US economy, with 70 per cent of those questioned remaining concerned about the economic crisis.

Jane Crossan, vice-president of Nielsen Claritas, said: "With the recent turbulence of the financial markets, it is not surprising that the public is both concerned and pessimistic about the overall economy, but when it comes to their personal situation they have more confidence in their own financial institutions than you might expect."

Meanwhile, an index released by Reuters and the University of Michigan shows that consumer confidence as a whole has fallen sharply this month as financial market turbulence continues and people grapple with debt.

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