Bank of America Corporation

The Case of the Bank-Robbing Prostitutes: How a Team of L.A. Hookers Became the "Starlet Bandits"

Bank of America Chalk Protester Faces Possible 10 Years in Jail

Updated at the bottom: A jury found the guy not guilty. First posted at 9:08 a.m. Monday. What do you get for writing political messages in front of a Southern California Bank of America using washable chalk? More than 10 years behind bars. Potentially. Such is the saga of Jeff Olson, who expresse ... More >>

Robert Brandon Mawhinney Of Lights Over Paris Band Charged In $6 Mil Fraud Case

The front man of an L.A. band called Lights Over Paris was living the rock-star life. Unfortunately, authorities allege, Robert Brandon Mawhinney was doing so by using fake documents to get more than $6 million in fraudulent loans that he "used to fund his band and his lavish lifestyle," according ... More >>

Military Officer Diana Elizabeth Zschaschel's Family Evicted by Bank of America, Freddie Mac, While She Was Deployed

Commissioned U.S. Army Reserve Officer Diana Elizabeth Zschaschel and her family are facing a cold winter eviction set for today in Los Angeles, after they say the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., or Freddie Mac, wrongfully evicted them -- while she was on duty in San Diego. On May 14, 2011, Zscha ... More >>

How Wall Street and Washington Conspired to Spike Gas Prices

By Pete Kotz On July 11, 2008, the price of oil rose to $147 per barrel, a record high. Gas stations engaged in hot pursuit as the price of a gallon rocketed past $4. All hell was about to break loose. The country's largest banks had already begun to implode through arrogance and ineptitude. Now t ... More >>

#FortHernandez #CouchRaid: LAPD Hauls Off Sofas And Signs From Anti-Foreclosure Encampment

The LAPD showed up in force before dawn this morning at #FortHernandez, the foreclosed Van Nuys house where Occupiers have been camped out since late August.Turns out, the cops didn't come to evict anybody. Instead, they confiscated five couches, impounded a car and took protest signs, desks and oth ... More >>

The State of the Occupation

From City Hall to suburban Van Nuys: Occupy L.A. looks much different one year later

Bank Robbery Suspects Toss Cash During Chase, Crowds Form in South L.A. (VIDEO)

Latest updates at the bottom. Another day, another crazy chase. This one had suspects in a Volvo SUV throwing cash out a window. That move apparently drew crowds to the South Los Angeles area near USC where the chase was going around in circles until it came to a stop and alleged bad guys were app ... More >>

East L.A. Bank Robbery-Kidnapping an Inside Job?

It was one of the craziest crimes this summer: A Bank of America branch manager was kidnapped from her home in Huntington Park, held overnight, taken to her workplace with a fake bomb strapped to her body, and ordered to rob it Wednesday morning. Except that ... maybe those aren't all the facts. Th ... More >>

Bank of America Manager Kidnapped, Strapped to Would-Be Bomb, Told to Rob Workplace in East L.A.

A bank manager was kidnapped by masked men, strapped to a would-be bomb, and sent into her Bank of America branch in unincorporated East L.A. this morning to get cash for her assailants, according to sheriff's officials and reports. The device was detonated by an L.A. County Sheriff's Department bo ... More >>

The Bank That Looks Like a Del Taco: 6348 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys

You can walk in and ask for a "Del Fargo" burrito at this Wells Fargo branch in Van Nuys but, sadly, you probably aren't gonna get one. Built in 2007 where a Mobil gas station used to sit at the corner of Victory and Sepulveda Boulevards, this fairly new, ketchup and mustard-colored building could ... More >>

One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful": Why This Song Sucks

[Editor's note: Why This Song Sucks determines why particular tracks blow using science. It appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday.] Song: One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" History: "What Makes You Beautiful" is the first single from UK boy band supreme, One Direction. (Note: I'm n ... More >>

VIDEO: Occupy L.A. Breaks Back Into Foreclosed Home of Blanca Cardenas, Deported L.A. Immigrant

Things got pretty rowdy at the foreclosed North Hollywood home of undocumented immigrant Blanca Cardenas (and her U.S. citizen family, including two small children) on Monday night. Occupy L.A. protesters, who have been rallying against both the Bank of America foreclosure and Cardenas' resulting ... More >>

Blanca Cardenas, L.A. Mom Protesting the Foreclosure of Her Home, Deported to Mexico

A married couple with two children were protesting the foreclosure of their home in North Hollywood on February 22, when the unthinkable happened. Blanca Cardenas, a 37-year-old mother with a 19-month-old baby girl, was arrested by LAPD officers for trespassing at the property. According to her U.S ... More >>

'Flash Occupation' of Los Angeles Banks Planned Today

And you thought the occupation of Los Angeles was over with the raid on Occupy L.A.'s City Hall lawn encampment at the end of November. Oh no. The occupy nation is getting ready to confront a series of banks today regarding their take-our-bailout-money-and-our-houses tendencies:

Kamala Harris' $12 Billion Deal With Big Banks: Cop-out or Solid Settlement for California Homeowners?

So did she cave in to the Big Banks, or secure a good deal for the people of California? After holding out for a year, Attorney General Kamala Harris today announced that the Golden State is singing on to the nationwide settlement with the banks over their bungling of its loans to people who couldn ... More >>

Sorry, Occupy L.A. -- City Council Delays 'Responsible Banking Ordinance' Until 2012

mike_s_etc via flickriverL.A. banksters, rest assured.​The only part of the L.A. City Council's long-ago resolution to support Occupy L.A. that meant anything at all -- seeing as the whole "we support you" part devolved into an epically orchestrated raid by 1,400 LAPD officers last Wednesday - ... More >>

Occupy-Affiliated Group ReFund California Threatens Lawsuit if UC Regents Meet Behind Closed Doors

ReFund California​Protesters concerned that University of California Regents will meet behind closed doors as Cal State University trustees are accused of having done this week amid loud demonstrations are threatening legal action. ReFund California, which staged a raucous protest outside the ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Pitches Mini Tent City at Bank of America Plaza; Riot Police Move in for Arrests

TwitterStandoff at Occupy Bank of America Plaza.​Update, 4:20 p.m.: Occupiers aren't leaving. Police look unsure of what to do. Watch the impending clash on the Occupy L.A. live stream, which has almost 1,000 viewers right now. Update, 4 p.m.: Occupiers have 10 minutes to clear plaza, or face ... More >>

Bank of America Protesters Promise to Shut Down Busy L.A. Intersection at Rush Hour Tomorrow Morning

Todd DwyerAmerica's favorite bank.​Protesters fuming over big banks' arrogance say they'll shut down a major L.A. intersection at the dawn of tomorrow morning's rush hour downtown. Steer clear. A statement from the group Good Jobs L.A. promises more than a 1,000 protesters, including members ... More >>

Occupy LA Plans Big March on 11-11-11: In New York OWS is Taking Over Central Park That Day

Occupy Los Angeles​Some people are banking on a good luck day as the strange date 11-11-11 hits tomorrow. Folks are even reportedly flocking to Las Vegas for quickie marriages. In L.A. they'll be protesting in the streets again. Following Wednesday's citywide actions against banks -- from a s ... More >>

UCLA Students to Occupy Banks in Los Angeles' Financial District Downtown Today

Nanette GonzalezOccupy denim shorts.​Updated at the bottom: Arrests in Westwood and now the occupation of a Bank of America downtown. First posted at 12:09 p.m. Following Bank Transfer Day, a movement that started here in L.A., local college students will march on banks today to protest high ... More >>

Bank of America Foreclosure on Brendon Mendoza's L.A. Home Paused After Nearly 15,000 Sign Petition: Occupy Influential?

Mendoza.​Brendan Mendoza, an L.A. music industry veteran, is an Occupy L.A. supporter who has been fighting Bank of America for two years to stave off foreclosure of his Montecito Heights home. After months of being shifted between contacts at the institution, the 42-year-old says B of A has ... More >>

Occupy L.A. to March in Financial District Downtown For Bank Transfer Day

Alexis Tejada​L.A. has played second fiddle to Occupy Wall Street, where the American movement started, and Occupy Oakland, where it has exploded. But on Saturday the spotlight could finally be on us. That's because National Bank Transfer Day, which has roots here, will be highlighted by the ... More >>

Kamala Harris, California's Top Cop, Pressured by Occupy Movement to Fry Big Banks Over Bad Home Loans

Kamala.​An activist platform that supports Occupy Wall Street is telling California Attorney General Kamala Harris to hold fast against pressure to make nice with major banks that allegedly committed fraud in their drive to sell home loans to folks who couldn't afford them. That, of course, l ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Arrests: Police Detain 10 Protesters in Bank of America Lobby

See also: "Faces of Occupy L.A: The Student, the Actor, the Addict, the Vet." Update: The protesters were reportedly trying to cash a jumbo check for $673 billion, made out to the "People of California." Photo at bottom of post. According to a Twitter account representing multiple L.A. workers uni ... More >>

Banks-on-Fire Paintings by Artist Alex Schaefer Inspire LAPD Concern: Now Collectors Willing to Pay Thousands

Alex Schaeffer via eBayNot the Bank of Arson, apparently.​An L.A. artist who has taken to portraying banks afire via oil paintings has been visited not once, but twice, by the LAPD, who asked him, according to the Los Angeles Times, if he "hates" banks and plans to act out his masterwork. Wel ... More >>

What's On Dodger Matt Kemp's iPod?

Diamond Bodine-FischerMatt Kemp's first band photo?​We caught up with Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp Thursday during a surprise visit to Bank of America in Burbank where he had been invited to come out and greet people. A way for Bank of America to thank their customers. Everyone was ecstati ... More >>

Where the Elite Meet to Cheat and Cause Fiscal Defeat

What Kind of Homeland Security Is That?

Amazing Rants Overheard in LA: "What kind of homeland security is that?"

​Ranter: Thirtyish man in running shoes and green suit Location: Bank of America ATM machines, Jefferson & McClintock Time: 6 p.m. on a Thursday Topics Covered: Suspicious security guards, the fact that ranter doesn't drink at lunch; the presumption of innocence; why ranter might be moved t ... More >>

Bottega Louie Building on the Auction Block

R. E. ~​If you've got several million dollars to spare, you could be Bottega Louie's next landlord. Located at the corner of 7th St. and Grand Ave., the 80-unit Brockman Building houses the loudest restaurant in downtown L.A. but not much else. After nearly 20 months in bankruptcy court, th ... More >>

Sunset Strip Music Festival Releases Set Times

Kristin BurnsObey my dog!: Billy Corgan wants you to buy tickets to the Sunset Strip Music Fest honoring Slash​ The Sunset Strip Music Festival, the Westside celebration of the riff (plus Kid Cudi, Common, and Fergie), have released set times for their August 28th street fair. This year's even ... More >>

Dodger Dog

Frank McCourt's Wife Is Only the Latest to Get the Raw End of a Deal

Koreatown Bank Robbed, Suspect Search Underway

Google Maps​Authorities on Tuesday afternoon were searching for a suspect or suspects who robbed a Bank of America in Koreatown, a sergeant at the Los Angeles Police Department's Olympic Division told the Weekly. An active search was underway around the bank at 3442 Wilshire Blvd., he said. T ... More >>

Members Of Congress Ask Treasury Secretary To Let Pot Shops Open Bank Accounts

​Fifteen members of congress, including a few from Southern California, recently wrote a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner requesting that he tell banks to lay off the accounts of medical marijuana dispensaries that operate in states where the drug is legal, the group American ... More >>

Torture, Lies and Louis XIII Cognac

A tale of falling home prices

Man Drains 97-Year-Old's Life Savings Via ATM

LAPDThe suspect.​Police on Wednesday announced they were looking for a Mercedes-driving suspect they say drained a 97-year-old's life savings by using an ATM card stolen from the victim. The man's alleged take was $46,000 withdrawn at Southern California ATMs between August and November. Los ... More >>

William Morris Sued Over New HQ

The developer of a six-story office building in Beverly Hills is suing Hollywood agency William Morris Endeavor for allegedly walking away from a lease. The high-power company (its client roster is an A-to-Z of A-list actors) appears to be abandoning the location.HBOAri Gold is actor Jeremy Piven's ... More >>

City's 'Live/Work' Definition to Change

BlogDowntown reports on a little change in city ordinance English that will have a big (and beneficial) effect on developers. Yesterday, reports Eric Richardson, the L.A. City Council's planning committee instructed the city attorney to draft a change in the definition of what constitutes "live/work ... More >>

In Favor: Billy Jack and the L.A. Marathon

LA People 2009: Financial Field-Leveler — Berdell Knowles

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Send in the Tow Trucks Public hearings will soon be held to gather comments on plans to speed traffic during rush hours on Pico and Olympic boulevards. LA TimesSign of the Times The recession began with Chevy and Washington Mutual signage being draped with canvas and now the AIG corporate logo has b ... More >>

Banking on Disaster: A Day in the Life at the End of the World

What do you do when it seems as though you're the last man on Earth with a savings account?

FOLAR's L.A. River Cleanup

For years now, I only remember the L.A. River clean-up the day after it happens. Wake up on a Sunday morning, and think, "It was yesterday? I missed it again!" It's not as if I couldn't go down to the river with a couple big trash bags almost any day and just cart away some of it on my own. No, no, ... More >>

North Hollywood Bizarro

Shootout memorial turns surreal

Foul Territory

Corporate Conventions

How millions of dollars will buy influence in New York and Boston

The New Boss

Wall Street could have big say in balancing state budget

Jobberwacky