Police responded to reports of an armed robbery about 2:30 p.m. at the Heritage Credit Union on East State Street.
Rockford Police Chief Dan O'Shea said the suspect demanded people to leave after he entered the building but not everyone was able to do it, CNN affiliate WREX reported.
It's unclear how the attempted robbery turned into a hostage situation.
The suspect, which has not been identified, initially barricaded himself inside with "one or more employees or customers" when officers arrived, police tweeted on Friday.
Hours after the initial call, officials believe one hostage remains inside the building with the suspect.
"Officials are still working to resolve the incident peacefully," the Rockford Police Department tweeted.
Police was asking residents to avoid the area surrounding the bank because they planned to "shut down traffic for an unknown amount of time."
Video footage from CNN affiliates showed numerous police cars at the bank.
The Chicago FBI office said its agents were assisting local law enforcement.
Rockford is about 80 miles northwest of Chicago.
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