Nearly 5 years given in Bank One robbery

PEORIA -- A Bloomington man was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison Thursday for robbing a Twin City bank.

Reginald D. Berry, 23, was sentenced to 57 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to an armed robbery charge that says he robbed a Bank One teller at gunpoint Aug. 11, 2004.

Chief U.S. District Judge Joe B. McDade imposed the prison term and ordered Berry to pay restitution on the more $20,000 he stole from Bank One, 413 E. Washington St.

Berry, of the 100 block of East McArthur Avenue, was arrested in Houston a month after the bank robbery. He could have received 57 to 70 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

A second man accused of helping Berry rob the bank will be arraigned in McLean County Circuit Court next week on two counts of aggravated robbery and financial institution robbery. David Silas, 33, will be in court Sept. 9 before Judge Ronald Dozier

Silas, 33, of the 500 block of West Grove Street, is accused of helping Berry rob Bank One and committing an Aug. 17, 2004, robbery at National City Bank, 1332 E. Empire St., according to court records.

Investigators arrested Silas last month in Bloomington. Prosecutors have said they have matched bodily fluids from clothing found near the robbery scenes to Silas.

Police said his arrest allowed them to clear the last of 11 Twin City bank robberies that occurred in 2004.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.