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Since You Asked: Googling banking hours can be dangerous Wednesday Feb 22, 2017 at 12:01 AM What happened to Bank of the Cascades? We drove by the Stevens Street branch last night and all the signage was gone. I came home and Googled it and found that all three Medford locations are now closed. I can't find any info anywhere about what happened. — Connie G., Medford Keeping track of branches, hours, whose name is on the outside and who will own the location in a few months isn't an easy task — just ask your banker. Bank of the Cascades is an excellent example, quietly coming to town about 15 years ago and operating a small branch off East McAndrews Road. The Bend-based bank grew, got walloped by the Great Recession, survived, picked up a couple of branches here and there — scored big in acquiring 15 Bank of America branches in the region, and then was sold to a Montana bank. The Stevens Street branch was one acquired from Bank of America and was shuttered Jan. 20. Although it's in a busy location, it's not easy to access either off Crater Lake Avenue or Stevens. (But the driveway makes for a great exit from Safeway.) "It was a case of branch saturation," said Bank of the Cascades spokeswoman Debbie Amerongen. The ATM machine at the Stevens Street branch is still operable, but declining usage may lead to its removal, the bank's Oregon president, Julie Miller. Moreover, Connie, you shouldn't really depend on Google for banking hours, or even locations, because the information is often outdated. If you were looking up branches at night, Google would have, of course, told you they were closed. Bank of the Cascades branches are at 3100 Crater Lake Highway, 222 W. Main St. (another former Bank of America site), and the Bear Creek Plaza location at 1000 Biddle Road. In addition, there is a branch in Ashland and two in Grants Pass. First Interstate BancSystem of Billings, Montana, announced it was buying Bank of the Cascades last November. The deal is expected to close by the middle of this year. So stay tuned for details on the Bank of the Cascades-First Interstate BancSystem switch when the time arrives. — Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. To see a collection of columns, go to mailtribune.com/youasked. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received fprevents us from answering all of them.