Stock indexes fell 2 percent on Tuesday, pushing the S&P 500 below the 1,000 threshold, on increased worries there could be more bank failures and concerns that equity prices may have run ahead of the economic recovery.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> lost 189.54 points, or 2.00 percent, to 9,306.74. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> tumbled 21.34 points, or 2.09 percent, to 999.28. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 42.27 points, or 2.10 percent, to 1,966.79.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Jan Paschal)