It sure might seem that way when you look at Depression-era statistics and the folk "heroes" like Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.
Bank robberies continue to rise across Houston area
By James Pinkerton - Houston ChronicleWhen Xuyen Phan visited her Pearland bank last Friday, it was to get extra cash for holiday shopping. Instead, the 24-year-old science teacher spent five terrifying hours as a hostage in a violent standoff with an armed and desperate bank robber.
These types of dangerous "takeover" bank robberies — where assailants brandish pistols or assault rifles — have increased recently, helping to fuel an unprecedented number of bank robberies in the region last year.
In 2010, there were 171 bank robberies committed in Houston and Harris County, compared to 155 in 2009 and 131 the year before, said FBI Special Agent Shauna Dunlap.
