Bank of America, Khan Academy Promote Better Money Habits

Bank of America and Khan Academy offer web resources for developing money smarts.

Free Chicago Museum Admission for Bank of America, Merrill Lynch Members

This weekend, and every first weekend of the month for the rest of the year, all Bank of America and Merrill Lynch cardholders are eligible for free admission to Chicago's top museums.

Good news for all Bank of America and Merrill Lynch cardholders. Your respective financial institutions would like to add some culture to your life. That’s why they’re offering free admission to various Chicago museums to cardholders every first full weekend of the month throughout the rest of the year. They’re kicking it off this weekend, March 2 and March 3 in honor of National Women’s History Month. Just show your bankcard and an ID to the museum admission desk for free access. The deal applies to cardholders, exclusively. Anyone without a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch card will have to pay. The following museums are participating:

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Police: Woman Robbed at Knife-Point in Bank Drive-Through

Woman was using ATM at Bank of America; suspect described as male white teen.

A woman using the ATM at Bank of America at 111th Street and Pulaski Road was robbed at knife-point around 3 p.m. Friday, police said. Sign up for the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. Sgt. Patrick Barron of the Oak Lawn Police Department said the woman had just withdrawn $40 from an ATM in the drive-through lane of the bank when a male white teen approached her car. The teen displayed a knife and demanded the woman’s money. After taking her $40, he took off running westbound on 111th Street, Barron said. According to Southtown Star, the alleged robber got into a car that was parked nearby that sped away. Barron was not aware of any vehicles involved in the robbery, only that the teen suspect ran away. Bank of America …

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Bank Honors Police for Catching Bank Robbery Suspect

Bank of America lays some well-deserved commendations on Oak Lawn Police and South Suburban Emergency Response Team apprehending bank robbery suspect after 11-hour standoff.

The Oak Lawn Police Department and South Suburban Emergency Response Team were honored for their roles in apprehending a bank robbery suspect on June 2. The robbery occurred shortly after the Bank of America branch at 111th Street and Pulaski Road closed at 2:15 p.m. on a Saturday. It ended eleven hours later when police officers found the suspect—Charles B. Estell—wedged in an air duct. Pat O’Mara, senior vice president for Bank of America’s Security Group stopped by the Oak Lawn Village Board last Tuesday to drop off come plaques honoring the officers. O’Mara admitted that he had his doubts if the alleged robber was still inside the bank building. “I inquired a few times of the Oak Lawn police chief and SSERT commanders and all I got for…

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Bound and Gagged, Bank Employee Dialed 911 With Her Feet

Federal criminal complaint filed against man accused of robbing an Oak Lawn bank on Saturday recounts terrifying takeover robbery.

At the end of a busy Saturday, two employees at the Bank of America branch were finishing up their day by counting the proceeds inside the vault, unaware that someone was watching them from above through an opening in the roof. Within moments, a lone black male carrying a large gun entered the vault and ordered the employees—both women—to the floor. Thus began a takeover robbery that ended with both employees bound and gagged by the bandit, and a manhunt that would not end until early the next morning. Subscribe to the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. A federal criminal complaint sheds more light on this weekend’s bank robbery in Oak Lawn that saw police sharpshooters poised on the roofs of neighborhood homes in a …

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Oak Lawn Bank Robbery Suspect Charged in Federal Court

Police said a man connected to Saturday's robbery of the Bank of America branch in Oak Lawn has been charged with one count of robbery. Bank employees say they heard what sounded like the robber talking to another person outside the bank on a cell phone.

Criminal charges were filed against a Chicago man in connection with Saturday’s take-over robbery of the Bank of America branch at 4606 W. 111th St. SIGN UP for Oak Lawn Patch breaking news alerts. Charles B. Estell, 38, was charged with one count of bank robbery in federal court on Sunday morning. Estell was found stuck in an air duct after he apparently hid in the ceiling of a shopping center, Oak Lawn police said. More than 60 police officers and FBI agents spent eleven hours searching for the alleged bank bandit. They believed the robber to be hiding in the ceiling of the shopping center where the bank branch is located after finding a broken window in an upstairs office and a blood trail leading to different sections of the second …

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Credit Union Membership Spikes With 'Bank Transfer Day'

New customers are moving their accounts because they're afraid banks will just create new fees, area credit union reps say.

Credit unions are reporting huge bumps in business as people pull their money out of banks and put it into nonprofit credit unions. The movement, which grew out of the scathing reaction to Bank of America’s since retracted decision to charge for debit card use, has declared Saturday “Bank Transfer Day.” The day’s Facebook page, which has more than 75,000 “attendees,” says: “If we shift our funds from the for-profit banking institutions in favor of not-for-profit credit unions before this date, we will send a clear message that conscious consumers won't support companies with unethical business practices. And local credit unions are feeling the love. READ: $5 Monthly Debit Fee--Would You Ditch Bank of America? New Century Credit Union in …

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