Despite recent efforts to beef up security, Commerce Bank's University City branch was robbed at approximately 12:30 p.m. yesterday, according to University Police.
A male entered the bank, located at 3731 Walnut St. and gave the victim teller a demand note. The suspect, apparently acting alone, left with a number of $100 bills totalling at least $10,000, according to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush, who added that some witnesses reported that the suspect fled in a green four-wheel-drive car. No injuries were reported.
As is customary with a bank robbery, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is working on the case in conjunction with the University Police. As of last night, no arrest had been made.
The University City Commerce Bank has a history of similar incidents.
Yesterday afternoon's robbery was the tenth in nearly eight years, including two robberies in 2001 and two in 2002.
The bank was robbed twice in the same week last year, on April 21 and April 25. Two other Commerce Bank sites in Philadelphia were also robbed on April 25.
In both of the April robberies of the University City branch, the suspects handed a teller a note demanding money, though in those cases they fled on foot. The April 21 robbery was committed by only one man, the April 25 by a pair of men, described by FBI officials as teenagers.
"The FBI will be looking at all recent robberies in Philadelphia," looking for possible links between the crimes, Rush said yesterday. "They'll be combing through the method of operation."
In response to these repeated crimes, Commerce Bank announced last April that they would be working with the FBI and University Police to increase security. An Allied Security Guard in the lobby is the most obvious change, and despite this latest robbery, police officials say the attempts to tighten security have been successful.
"There hasn't been a robbery since Spring Fling 2003," Rush said. She added that this was a clear indication that the security was effective.
The branch closed early last night, and employees refused to comment.
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