Glad we're not hearing about you on the evening news. Best advice so far regarding recovering your losses is forget about hiring an attorney. Sounds like you're taking the right course of action on your own. Give them a chance to do the right thing; you can threaten to involve the Better Business Bureau, Office of the Attorney General, and various media consumer rights reporters if you're unhappy with the resolution they propose.

Is there any chance your equipment could be recovered with a concentrated effort near where you lost it? Have you tried snagging it, or walking the bank looking for it? Posted any notices? Good luck with your efforts.