National City customers, who should notice little change to their banking routine, were officially notified with a welcome letter from PNC in December 2009, said Don Stock, executive vice president, PNC retail banking.
“Each step along the way we’ve been contacting our customers to keep them informed. Our goal going into the integration was not to lose one customer due to the integration. I think we’ve been able to do very well with that because of the large amount of information we’ve provided our customers,” Stock said.
All National City branches will close Friday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m. and remain closed Saturday to make final preparations to reopen Monday, Feb. 22, as PNC branches.
Much internal work had been taking place and the final physical manifestations, including replacing all National City signage, paperwork and forms, will happen during the brief closure, Stock said.
“We’ve done a great deal of customer communication to let customers know that branches will be making the changeover that Friday to Monday,” Stock said.
The weekend branches are closed, customers will still have access to their cash and be able to make most transactions as all ATMs, both National City and PNC, have been switched over to accommodate all customers with an ATM or debit card.
Branches will be staffed Saturday, Feb. 20, so any questions or concerns can be directly addressed.
“It’s not like they will just pull on a closed door. We’ll have people there to answer their questions and in most cases, we’ll be able to serve them through the ATM. If not, we can take their information and follow up with them on Monday morning,” Stock said.
All internal process changes will be made automatically so there will be no interruption in service.
All National City account numbers will change, but for most customers this will be seamless because all checks will continue to work.
Only National City customers with duplicated account numbers will immediately receive new checks, Stock said.
All online payments and direct deposits will automatically be switched over. National City customers will receive a new debit card, but their PIN numbers will remain the same. New cards must be activated at an ATM.
Best of both banks
The goal of the changeover process, Stock said, was to take the best ideas from both institutions and bring those together to create an even stronger bank.
“I think that’s probably the best story of the integration. Both PNC and National City were very strong retail banking organizations with some great products and services they were able to offer their customers.... PNC took the best (of those) and that’s what we’ll be offering our customers (who) will see enhancements in the products and services we’re able to offer our clients,” he said.
National City customers had the Points program, which afforded them rewards including airline tickets, cash and coupons, for an increased number of transactions or having a certain number of services with the bank.
“We’ve had lot of questions regarding National City’s points program. It’s nice that PNC recognized how good the program was and has adopted it for all of our customers,” said Joel Roediger, PNC business banking sales manager for Dayton and Springfield.
PNC did not have a mortgage company, so now what was National City Mortgage will be rebranded and retained.
“I think that’s a big win for our customers now because they’ll be able to have a mortgage with us and have their payments direct-deposited from their account,” Stock said.
PNC brought technology to the table, and now all customers will be able to use the Virtual Wallet, which makes most banking services available via computer or mobile phone.
“This is state-of-the-art technology and very few banks are offering anything even remotely close to this,” Stock said. “It was originally targeted at the GenY customer, but what we’re finding is that more and more people, regardless of their generation, are starting to use this because of the convenience and the level of information they’re able to receive in real time.”
POP Money allows a PNC customer to transfer money from a personal account to another PNC customer’s account.
Faces behind the counter
Even though the name will change, area branch staffing will remain unchanged.
“Something we did early on was to make a commitment to all branch employees that no one at that level would lose their job and we’ve been able to hold to that. Everyone at the branch level knew from day one they had nothing to worry about,” Stock said.
Extensive training has taken place for employees on new systems and procedures. Training around the conversations to have with customers about the change-over has also taken place.
“Staff reaction has been great — there’s a lot of excitement even though they’ve been through so much training on internal systems and processes. It reminds me of the excitement before a big game,” Roediger said.
Successfully training staff is perhaps, in Stock’s estimation, the most important factor.
“That’s why people bank where they do — the people. Banks of our size are able to offer lots of the same products and services, but what differentiates us is the level of service we offer.... We are one of the strongest banks in the country, and while that’s a nice stat, the thing that really differentiates PNC from other banks is the superior customer service,” he said.
No area branches will be closed as a result of the acquisition.
Business banking services will continue to be provided by Rich Whalen and Chad Fyfe, who will be supervised by Roediger, whose office will be in Springfield.
Business bankers have gone through cash flow training, which will widen the conversation with business owners, and allow PNC staff to find meaningful solutions that can impact their cash flow.
“After all,” Roediger said, “cash flow is king with business owners.... The conversations can now create a more longitudinal, forward-looking plan for business owners.”
Reaching out
PNC will work to continue National City’s tradition as a community supporter. New ideas and programs will be implemented with Roediger taking on the role of community liaison.
“I’ve lived in Springfield almost my entire life and what’s exciting is PNC’s continued commitment to a community like Springfield. I feel fortunate that I’m taking on that liaison role.... National City played a big role in the community for along time and what I’d like to see is for that continue and even expand going forward,” the 1986 Shawnee High School graduate said.
The first initiative area residents will see is Grow Up Great, a company-wide $100 million, 10 year commitment to support educational development of children under 5 years old.
“Once the transition has taken place, you’ll see us reaching out to organizations to become partners with PNC,” Roediger said.
PNC will also look for other opportunities for its employees to become more involved outside bank walls.
“What we’re working on now and what will make more of an impact in the future is a program to get more of our employees involved in the community so we’re able to make a much larger impact,” Stock said.
“Getting our employees engaged can be much more impactful than writing a check.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.
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