National City's transition to PNC Bank: Here's what you need to know
National City bank will morph into PNC Bank this weekend - the byproduct of a $5.2 billion acquisition that occurred at the height of the financial crisis in late 2008.
The transition means that the 18 National City branches in Washtenaw and Livingston counties will convert to the PNC brand by Monday morning. Those branches will close at 4 p.m. today and won’t reopen until Monday morning to allow for the transition to occur.
National City bank branches are transitioning to PNC Bank this weekend.
Photo courtesy of PNC Bank
Tim Salisbury, mid-Michigan regional president for PNC Bank, said National City customers have received numerous communications about the transition.
“This integration is very well orchestrated, well communicated,” he said. “It’s going to be very seamless for the vast majority of our customers."
Salisbury said PNC is retaining the employees at the local National City branches. He said that PNC expects to maintain National City’s commitment to most local nonprofit organizations and event sponsorships.
The transition marks PNC’s first entry in the Michigan market, where National City has 235 branches and 325 ATMs. PNC has already transitioned 2.9 million customers in several other states.
If you’re a National City customer, here’s what you need to know about the transition:
•All branches will be closed from 4 p.m. today until regular hours Monday morning. PNC employees will staff branch parking lots Saturday to provide answers to customers who weren’t aware of the transition.
•Existing National City customers will need to activate a new PNC Bank Check Card by phone or at an ATM. Activation is possible as of 8 a.m. today.
•Online banking and mobile banking will be offline from 3 p.m. today through 8 a.m. Monday. Online banking customers must access confirmation instructions sent to them by PNC to make the transition smoothly. Telephone banking will be unavailable from 3 p.m. today until 6 a.m. Monday.
•PNC customer service representatives will be available to answer questions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call (877) 762-9119.
•Interest rates on certificates of deposit and loans through National City will remain unchanged. Some features associated with other accounts may change.
•National City checks and credit cards will still work.
•Most account numbers will change, but PNC says that customers should have received their new information by now.
•Customers with direct deposit set up may have to validate their new account number to ensure the transition occurs smoothly, so check to make sure you don’t have any problems.
Contact AnnArbor.com’s Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com or follow him on Twitter. You can also subscribe to AnnArbor.com Business Review's weekly e-newsletter or the upcoming breaking business news e-newsletter.
Comments
Richard C
Sat, Apr 17, 2010 : 8:06 a.m.
Last night was the first time I was downtown in about 2 weeks - and I was surprised to see an unknown name and a garish logo on the bank building on the south-eastern corner of Main & Huron. I think I'm showing my age - I grew up with the idea that Banking was a very stable and conservative business (even if that was PR, making lemonade out of the lemons of the Glass-Stegall Act.) These days, banking seems to be less stable than fast food franchising, and the names of the banks are even less meaningful than names of automobile models.
krc
Mon, Apr 12, 2010 : 10:38 a.m.
I've been a member of a local credit union for years and years, thinking it was the safest place for my money. Now that credit union has 'merged' twice in the last few years which makes me a little nervous. I'm hoping it doesn't tank.
Mary
Sun, Apr 11, 2010 : 6:59 p.m.
I just want to know when my quarterly dividend payment is going to go up. I was getting a total of $78 yearly on my stock and it was reduced to.10/quarterly or.40/year. And the bigger joke is that they spend.44 to mail a ten cent check. No wonder this country is in the shape it's in. I don't even know what the stock is worth anymore. Had been about $2,000 at one time.
jmac
Fri, Apr 9, 2010 : 12:31 p.m.
This is a sad but apparently unstoppable trend in bank mergers. I started out with Michigan National Bank 15 years ago and, 4 mergers later, ended up with Bank of America! probably the LAST place I would have put my money in the first place. The big mega-banks think only bottom line, close branches and convenience ATMS, cut hours and services, and raise fees; and still somehow manage to 'go under' or need govt. bail-outs. I agree with st.julian, it's time to close accounts with these places and open ones with smaller (insured) local banks.
st.julian
Fri, Apr 9, 2010 : 11:14 a.m.
Here's what I need to know. Why should I keep money in or use another uncaring national large mega bank with remote decision making? The answer: No reason. I've close dthe account we've had since 2005 and moved my money, albeit limited, to a locally owned bank.
Marvin Face
Fri, Apr 9, 2010 : 10:53 a.m.
Nothing but great things to say about the people in the downtown branch. I've been dealing with many of them since the First of America days. They always go out of their way to help and they call me PERSONALLY when they see something out of the ordinary or have new products that will make/save me money. I feel like they know me when I have to actually go to the bank and I like that in this mostly anonymous/online/faceless banking world. Hope it continues with PNC. If not, I'm ready to go to Bank of AA.
heresmine
Fri, Apr 9, 2010 : 9:30 a.m.
Will PNC be a better community neighbor than National City was? I refer specifically to the National City policy of refusing to make change for a bill unless you were a customer. I live in Whitmore Lake and that was that branch's policy. I had it happen to me on one occasion and learned from others that they had the same experience. it insured that I, and others I talked to, would never be a customer of National City even though they were within walking distance from where I live.