NYC residents rush Chinatown bank

Описание: (24 Apr 2003)
1. Medium shot group of customers push through police barricades and rush forward to get ahead in line at Abacus Federal Savings Bank in Manhattan's Chinatown
2. Medium shot official from New York State Banking Department hands out leaflets saying that bank deposits are insured by the government
5. Medium shot police official speaking to crowd in Chinese, pan over to crowd, many of whom hide their faces from the camera
6. Medium shot people waiting in line
7. Tilt down from building with Chinese-style tiled roof to show crowd in line outside bank
8. SOUNDBITE: (English): Vera Sung, Abacus Federal Savings Bank:
"I tell them there is definitely nothing to worry about. And if they choose to do whatever they want to do, I of course want to help them out and do that."
9. Medium shot People waiting in line at entrance to the bank
10. Medium shot people inside bank at teller window
11. Medium shot woman inside bank
12. Medium shot people at teller windows inside bank
13. Wide shot pan across crowd outside bank
14. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Catherine Chen, immigrant to US from Fujian Province:
"I believe they have some money, but about this situation, there are so many people in line that I think they will not have enough money to give to these people, I don't believe they have enough money. I know federal insurance should pay, but we don't know when. So I think it's just better to take my money out."
15. Medium shot police officer moves people along the line
16. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin): Eddie Chiu, immigrant to US from Hong Kong, (speaking after he checked his account balance but did not withdraw any money):
"I know that about fifty percent of the depositors of this bank are immigrants from Fujian province (in China). Some of them have visa problems, and they also don't know that banks here have government insurance up to 100-thousand dollars, so they are worried. Many are new immigrants, they work very hard for their money, so we can understand why they act this way."
17. Medium shot people at teller windows inside bank
18. Close up old Chinese man holding handkerchief over his mouth as he stands in line, zoom out to medium shot
STORYLINE:
Hundreds of nervous customers lined up outside branches of a Chinatown bank in New York on Thursday to withdraw their money or to make sure their assets were safe.
For the third successive day customers lined up outside a branch of Abacus Federal Savings Bank, which caters mainly for the Chinese community, after it tried to quell rumours that its former manager was being investigated for involvement in "account irregularity."
The employee in question was fired, but has not been arrested.
Vera Sung, the head of the bank's legal department, said the case had been turned over to the FBI.
The FBI has not commented on the case.
Sung said her main task now was to reassure customers - who have withdrawn more than 2 (m) million dollars (US) - that their holdings were secure and to make sure that people could withdraw their money safely.
Some customers said on Thursday that they were not concerned initially, but added that long delays at the bank were making them nervous.
Catherine Chen, an immigrant from the Fujian province, said she had been coming to the bank since on Tuesday because she needed to get her passport from a safety deposit box.
The institution is federally insured, meaning that every depositor would be insured up to 100,000 dollars (US) if the bank failed.

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