The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which was appointed receiver, was trying to find another bank over the weekend that was willing to merge with Silicon Valley Bank, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
However, it was not clear if regulators would have political support to throw a lifeline to the bank, which catered to Silicon Valley startups and investors.
Silicon Valley Bank had an unusually high level of deposits that were not covered by the FDIC's guarantees, which are capped at $250,000.
Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, PacWest Bank and Charles Schwab did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"Silicon Valley had a unique business model that was less dependent on retail deposits than a traditional bank."