Consumer complaint received 2023-01-25
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: DC
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Other banking product or service
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Can't close your account

Complaint:
The following has been going on since XXXX. In short, we have been trying to get into my father 's safety deposit box since the passing of my mother, that same year. I have flown in and to Court on a number of occasions in order to get the necessary signatures from the XXXX from XXXX. We have been denied at least 6 times from the legal department although we gave them everything they asked for. Below please find communication that was sent to the CEO of the Company and members of the executive team in XXXX ( names have been modified or deleted per the instruction ( XXXX ). 

" Good Morning XXXX XXXX ( XXXX PNC Bank ) : I need your assistance. My name is XXXX XXXX, and I am the executor of my father 's will. Our family has banked with PNC ( formally National City Bank ) for over XXXX decades. This case involves PNC Bank at XXXX XXXX ignoring a directive of the court to open my father 's safety deposit box, which has happened on more than XXXX occasion. 

My father has been deceased for more than 25 years. The attempts first started in XXXX just before my mother passed that same year as we had just learned of the existence of the box. I flew in from XXXX XXXX XXXX and sometimes from abroad to resolve this issue after my XXXX passed. I have been before the XXXX twice and have paid the appropriate fees. I also had a copy of the will that had been filed with the courts. 

Everytime I would come to PNC bank, there was an issue with the paperwork even though the court assured me that what I had was needed to open the box. After approximately XXXX attempts XXXX XXXX further attempts. I turned the paperwork over to my sister XXXX, XXXX, as she lives in XXXX and was willing to take up the issue. 

XXXX XXXX  went back down to the courts and had the paperwork signed by another XXXX which allegedly gave her permission to have the box opened ( this process started XXXX ). In XXXX of XXXX, my sister was told by a representative of PNC bank that the court order to open my fathers safety deposit box was not valid, due to the paperwork being outdated. The date on the court paperwork on the lower right hand corner was too old and needed to be more recent. She went back to the courthouse to get the paperwork updated and I was told by the XXXX representative that the court order was good, date stamped it, gave her his card and wrote PNC a post-it note to call him if PNC had any questions. The paperwork was then resubmitted and was still denied by the legal division. 

Both my XXXX and I have asked XXXX XXXX if we could speak to someone in the legal department. We were told that they do not correspond with consumers and they do not take phone calls or emails, and there is no way to contact them. Further, the people who work for PNC bank can not talk to the legal department. XXXX XXXX states his hands are tied and there is nothing else for they can do and can offer no solutions. 

Given the aforementioned, this puts our family in a quandary. As the executor of my father 's will, I am unable to execute the directive. The court maintains that the paperwork is legal, PNC says it is not. This has been going on for over 7 years. Now we have a situation where there is no resolution as we can not talk to the people who deny the paperwork and advise what is needed to resolve the issue. I have called the customer service and a few other divisions to receive help, but to no avail. 

XXXX XXXX, the intent of sending this notification is for this to be resolved by someone who has the authority to put this to an end. According to the Court, we have the legal right to have access to my father 's safety deposit box. As the Executor of my father 's estate it is my intent to get this done by whatever measure ( s ) I have at my disposal. It is egregious that PNC has put our family through this for so long, I hope this is not due to any bias or avoidance due to some issue unknown to us. Attached please find the documents from the court. If you or any members of the Executive team have any questions, please advise. Thank you. 

Since sending the aforementioned correspondence, PNC has been basically non-responsive and has told us to get another form. Even then. they admit, that they can not guarantee that we will be able to get into the safety deposit box.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation