Information on Bank one chicago downtown locations

CHICAGO -- New Branch Reflects Updated Branch Network, Modern Banking Laws in Illinois

Bank One today opened its completely renovated Main branch at 10 S. Dearborn, the latest location to be updated in a company-wide initiative.

The branch replaces the one built in 1969 as the largest banking office in North America at a time when Illinois law allowed banks to operate only one location.

"The Main branch now features our newest layout, which is designed to be more comfortable, open and inviting," said Jerome Goldstein, manager of Bank One's 386 branches in Illinois, northwest Indiana and Wisconsin. "The layout will also make it easier for bankers to quickly identify and assist customers, which should save customers time when conducting their banking transactions."

The new entrance to the bank is on Madison Street, in the middle of the block between Clark and Dearborn. The branch's 18 ATMs will continue to be accessible from the building entrances on the north ends of both Clark and Dearborn.

The new branch has 32 teller windows that are now outfitted with automated cash dispensers to help tellers quickly count out and deliver cash to customers. It will also have a comfortable, new waiting area, equipped with magazines for customers and toys and books for children.

Branch hours will remain the same: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Bank One began updating its branch network in 2003 to achieve a more consistent look. The Main branch had been under construction since January of this year.

Updated Space Accommodates Specialists, Other Customer Needs

The Main branch will still be Bank One's largest in Chicago, with about 30 personal bankers and 12 licensed investment specialists. The bankers include specialists who are specifically trained in the areas of home equity and small business. They also will soon include mortgage specialists through Chase Home Finance.

Over the past year, Bank One has been adding more specialists at all of its branches to help customers with a range of needs related to financing a home, obtaining loans or lines of credit, and retirement planning.

The Main branch has individual offices adjacent to the customer transaction area where bankers can conduct more private, detailed financial discussions with customers. It also has a separate merchant counter for commercial customers to conduct their banking business.

End of an Era: Old Branch Was Largest in North America

The branch at 10 S. Dearborn first opened in 1969 as The First National Bank of Chicago. Occupying the entire first-floor lobby of the bank's headquarters building, it was the largest bank branch in North America.

It was the one site where all customers had to do their banking until banking laws changed in the 1980s, allowing banks to open branches around town and around the state. As the largest bank in Chicago, the bank had 96 teller windows to help accommodate all the in-person transactions.

Today, the Main branch is still Bank One's largest in Chicago, conducting about 100,000 transactions a month, prior to the renovation. But Bank One now has more than 250 branches and 1,100 ATMs in the Chicago area and is continuing to add new locations in the city and suburbs to provide greater service and convenience to customers. As a result, there is less need for so much space in one branch.

During the renovation, the branch temporarily operated out of the south end of the building while the north end was stripped down literally to granite floors and supporting pillars.

The Main branch now takes up about three-quarters of the space that the old one did. Retail stores and a 24-hour walkway are slated to open next year in the rest of the lobby.

A Chance to Win Plasma T.V., Other Prizes

Bank One will celebrate the new opening with a month-long series of promotions and giveaways at the branch, including a chance for customers to win a plasma screen television, a Sony home theater, or a personal DVD player.

Bank One is Chicago's largest bank, serving more than 1 million customers through the area's largest network of branches and ATMs. Bank One offers Maximum Strength banking through an array of products and services, including:

--Free One Checking, with direct deposit;

--Free online banking;

--Free online bill pay with most checking accounts;

--Free e-mail alerts through bankone.com;

--Free images of cleared checks through bankone.com; and

--Extended branch hours.

Next year, Cook County property owners also will be able to pay their property taxes at Bank One's 200 branches in the county.

Bank One branches in Chicago will convert to the Chase brand in 2005, as a result of the merger between Bank One Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. July 1, 2004.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $1.1 trillion and operations in more than 50 countries. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and businesses, financial transaction processing, asset and wealth management, and private equity. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. has its corporate headquarters in New York and its U.S. retail financial services and commercial banking headquarters in Chicago. Under the JPMorgan, Chase and Bank One brands, the firm serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients. Information about the firm is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.