Bots and fake accounts spread misinformation about First Republic Bank, triggering the withdrawal of 100billion in deposits and driving its share price down until it became the second-biggest bank failure in U.S. history, according to a new report. Valent Technologies used AI technology to examine online activity during last year's banking crisis that began with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in March. That was followed by an unusual cascade of tweets and Reddit posts from bots that targeted First Republic, which analysts believed was on a firmer financial footing, coinciding with a collapse in confidence that led depositers to withdraw their cash. And researchers concluded that short sellers likely used the strategy to bet against the bank's share price and pocket huge profits as it plunged in value. Analysts say it is not an isolated case.