PENNSYLVANIA FOLLOW UP INFORMATION ON COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM BANK http://www.readingeagle.com/re/news/1582655.asp

City bank office break-in full of mysteries
Police wonder: Who were those guys? Why were they so at home? What's on the stolen computers? How come Sovereign officials are being so tight-lipped?

Two computers with an estimated value of $6,000 were stolen in what Reading police on Monday called an unusual break-in at Sovereign Bank's regional headquarters at Sixth and Penn streets.

Police said two burglars were able to get into the building through an unlocked back door Sunday shortly after 4 p.m. and they seemed to know the layout of the building and where security cameras were located as they made their way directly to the loss prevention and security office on the second floor.

After the burglars got into that office, which oversees security for all of the bank's branches, they took two computers and a black alarm clock before they fled undetected.

It was unclear what kind of information was stored on the computers, but police said they suspect it might be customer information or other sensitive information about bank operations.

“They seemed to know exactly what they were going after,” Sgt. Guy S. Lehman of the Reading police criminal investigations division said. “So I can only imagine what was on those computers. We'll have to talk with the people with the bank about that.”

Edward J. Shultz, Sovereign's director of communications, said the bank is conducting an internal investigation. He declined to say what was on the computers.

“We're obviously working very closely with local law enforcement,” Shultz said. “Anytime you have a violation of your property it's something to be concerned about.

“I cannot comment on the investigation beyond what police have said.”

Police said no alarms went off during the break-in and they did not learn about it until Monday afternoon when bank officials reported it to them.

“It's more than a little suspicious to me that they didn't tell us about this for almost a day,” Lehman said.

Lehman said that once word of the break-in got out, it spread fast, noting that Mayor Tom McMahon and Police Chief William M. Heim were aware of the incident by Monday night.

Lehman said that when police responded to the report of the break-in from bank officials Monday afternoon, all of the evidence at the scene had been compromised by bank workers, a locksmith and security guards who had been in the area where fingerprints and other evidence would have been located.

“This is going to get a top priority,” Lehman said. “We will probably have some pictures of the burglars although I don't know how good they will be because the burglars seemed to turn away and try to avoid the cameras.”

Lehman described one of the burglars as a black or Latino man with cornrows in his hair wearing a tan or light-colored bomber jacket. He also had on a light-colored shirt.

The other burglar was wearing a dark jacket and pants and a wool hat. He had a backpack or suitcase, Lehman said.