Bank of America set for March opening

The wait will soon be over for Bank of America customers in University City.

The bank — which will be located in the Radian between Capogiro and Kaplan Test Prep — is slated to open in early March, according to Bank of America spokeswoman Nicole Nastacie.

T.J. Crawford, another spokesman for the bank, added that “there’s been no delay from a construction standpoint.”

The new bank plans to offer a full range of consumer banking services.

“Customers can expect the full level of customer service both in the area and nationwide,” Crawford said.

Bank owners feel the new location is an opportunity to serve the larger Penn population, including “students, employees and the Medical School,” according to Crawford.

He also explained that it provides convenient access for many of the families living in the surrounding neighborhoods. It will be the first Bank of America to open in the West Philadelphia area, relieving many customers of ATM surcharges and trips to distant branches.

“Many of those families and individuals in surrounding neighborhoods are in low and moderate income,” Crawford said. “That’s certainly a population we’re always trying to reach and provide services to.”

The new bank will contribute to Penn’s redevelopment work in establishing retail and housing that extends from the west end of campus. That redevelopment has “gone a long way toward revitalizing the area,” Nastacie wrote in an e-mail.

College senior Johnathan Vaknin said until the Radian branch of the bank opens, he has to go “all the way downtown to the branch by 19th Street.”

“If I want to get cash fast, I don’t have to go get cash back at CVS or Fresh Grocer anymore,” College sophomore Michael Olivares said. “I can just go to the new Bank of America.”

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