On Monday, St. Louis County Police charged 29-year-old Nicholas Hummel of St. Louis with being the "Same Coat Bandit" who robbed the Affton branch of Regions Bank on Feb. 3. He's also suspected in three other recent bank robberies in which the robber wore a similar-looking tan coat.

Fine police work, to be sure, but it leaves connoisseurs of the FBI's practice of nicknaming bank robbers a tad disappointed. "Same Coat Bandit" lacks the kind of panache we've come to expect from the world's finest law enforcement agency.

Perhaps the SACN (special agent in charge of nicknames) was having a bad day. Sometimes the muse abandons you. We've been there. We may be there right now.

In the recent past, the St. Louis office of the FBI has given us the "Boonie Hat Bandit" and shared the "Granddad Bandit" with other states. The "Same Coat Bandit" is not up to that standard, though the bottom line is a suspect is behind bars. Having seen the alleged "Same Coat Bandit's" mugshot, we might have gone with the "Sort of Looks Like Matt Holliday Bandit."

The FBI gives serial bank robbers nicknames to generate publicity. The more people who see surveillance camera photographs, the more likely it is that someone will call with a useful tip.

It helps. The clearance rate for bank robberies is among the highest for all crimes. Sixty percent of the time, law enforcement authorities find out who committed the robbery.

The pizzazz of nicknames varies among FBI offices — not everybody is good at this sort of arcane skill. Seattle had the "Pillowcase," "Dueling Banjo" and "Attila the Bun" (a woman with a bad hairdo) bandits, to say nothing of "Miss Piggy," "Bag Lady" and "Grumpy."

Los Angeles-area agents came up with "The Interleague Play Bandit" for a guy who wore sunglasses and various baseball caps. "The Make it Quick Bandit" was always in a hurry. Chicago had "The Cadillac Bandit," named for his getaway car.

And then there's California's "Geezer Bandit," suspected in 16 bank heists since 2009. Authorities now think the old fellow may actually be a younger man or woman wearing an $810 silicone mask. He or she not only still is at large, but also has a Facebook fan page.

This is a very strange country. If Bonnie and Clyde were alive today, they'd have their own reality show.