Located just three miles from Chicago’s Loop, the Archer branch of Washington Federal Bank has been serving the Bridgeport and surrounding communities for more than 100 years.The Taylor Street ...

More than 50 local banks have failed since 2009, and none but one caused deeper losses than Washington Federal Bank for Savings, which until last month was a sleepy thrift operating in obscurity.

The fall of Washington Federal Bank, originally established to serve Chicago’s Polish community, ensnared a host of prominent figures, including former 11th Ward Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, ...