Robbing banks may sound old-fashioned in today's high-tech world, but it's a crime problem that continues to take a toll on financial institutions and communities across the nation. Each year, robbers collectively steal millions of dollars from banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, armored car companies, and related businesses. In some cases, these criminals have weapons, and they often threaten, and sometimes kill, employees and customers.

The FBI has had a primary role in bank robbery investigations since the 1930s, when John Dillinger and his gang were robbing banks and capturing the public’s imagination. In 1934, it became a federal crime to rob any national bank or state member bank of the Federal Reserve System. The law soon expanded to include bank burglary, larceny, and similar crimes, with jurisdiction delegated to the FBI. Today the Bureau, while continuing to provide assistance to state and local partners investigating bank robberies, focuses its investigative resources on those suspects who post the greatest safety threats to the public, including the most violent and/or the most prolific serial offenders who often cross jurisdictional boundaries.