The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has granted deposit insurance applications for Ford Motor Company, enabling the automaker to establish its own industrial bank. This decision, disclosed on Thursday by the FDIC, clears a crucial regulatory hurdle and empowers Ford to offer financing, leasing and other banking services directly to dealers and consumers. By retaining deposit insurance coverage up to $250,000 per depositor, Ford’s new banking arm can improve margins on vehicle financing and capture ancillary revenue streams previously outsourced to third-party lenders. Executives expect the bank to be operational by late 2026, with an initial capital infusion of $1.5 billion and a charter focused on automotive credit products and fleet financing.

Ford’s F-150 Lightning retained its position as the top-selling electric pickup in North America during 2025, outselling the nearest rival when the Cybertruck’s deliveries plunged by 48% to 20,237 units. Although Tesla shipped 63 Cybertrucks to the United Arab Emirates in its first international rollout, Lightning deliveries in the U.S. and Canada surpassed 22,000 units over the same period, according to data from Cox Automotive. The Lightning’s success underscores strong dealer inventory turns and robust order backlogs, with factory utilization rates for the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center exceeding 95% throughout the fourth quarter. Ford plans a capacity expansion in 2026, targeting annual Lightning production of 50,000 units to meet growing commercial and retail demand.