Consumer complaint received 2018-01-18
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: PA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Other banking product or service
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem making or receiving payments

Complaint:
OnXX/XX/XXXX, I initiated a money transfer of {$1000.00} from my checking account through PNC Banks online personal banking service ( XXXX ) to pay for an invoice issued by XXXX XXXX  XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, a company in XXXX for an order I had placed. 

OnXX/XX/XXXX, I received an email notification from PNC/XXXX that the transfer had been completed however, I learned from XXXX XXXX XXXX, that the payment had not reached them. I immediately contacted PNC and the Bank of XXXX 's headquarters in XXXX XXXX whose routing number XXXX used to send the transfer to get an explanation. After several phone inquiries, I learned from the Bank of XXXX, XXXX XXXX that though the routing number was theirs, they were an intermediary bank for the Bank XXXX XXXX in XXXX and XXXX XXXX account was with the Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX only. As an intermediary bank, the Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX would only forward international wire transfers to the receiving bank ( in this case, the Bank XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX. Therefore, instead of using the Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX routing number and PNCs internet banking platform ( which works for domestic accounts only XXXX, I should have used a SWIFT code and a wire transfer. By using the routing number of the Bank XXXX XXXX, New York and the account number of XXXX XXXX XXXX which is in XXXX XXXX, the money transfer could not be processed. I was informed that if such funds were to reach the bank which they were unable to further process, the usual procedure would be to return the funds to the senders bank. 

The Bank of XXXX, XXXX XXXX refused to discuss further details of the transaction to confirm if my funds had reached their bank and insisted instead to speak with the PNC bank. After unsuccessfully trying to obtain assistance from PNCs XXXX banking customer service department, I went to a local branch on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, PA, XXXX to try to find a bank employee or get a referral to someone within the PNC XXXX who would talk to Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX on my behalf. After a meeting with the branch XXXX, a PNC employee placed a call to the Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX on my behalf and spoke to a representative. He informed me after the call that the Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX  representative could not trace my transaction in their system with the trace number he obtained from XXXX ( XXXX XXXX or with further descriptions such as amount, date, and other reference numbers associated with the transfer he found in my PNC account. 

With no other choices left, I called PNC bank again onXX/XX/XXXX ( case number XXXX ) and was directed to the retail escalations team following which I received a call onXX/XX/XXXX from a bank employee who identified herself as the assigned case-worker. She said she had filed a dispute on my behalf, would escalate the case, and would personally monitor the status and walk with me through the process of finding a resolution. I was encouraged, seeing this as progress since previous cases opened on my behalf were closed without any further contact or update from PNC bank ( re : case numbers XXXX and XXXX ). 

After the initial XXXX business days the caseworker asked me to wait for had passed, I learned from her via voicemail that PNC did not have new information other than that the funds were successfully sent. She advised me to reach out to the intended recipient while she escalated it further. 

Further contacts with the case worker yielded no information on exactly where my transfer was sent. To my request for a refund based on the fact that the Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX whose verified routing number I used claimed to have not received the fund for further forwarding to XXXX XXXX, the caseworker returned with a response on XXXXXX/XX/XXXX. She apologized for the inconvenience and stated that my money could not be refunded by PNC because it was successfully deposited using my instructions. I asked for an email of their reasons and proof of which account my funds were deposited into. I am yet to receive either. 

In brief, using XXXX on PNCs XXXX banking platform, I erroneously sent {$1000.00} to an account with Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX that very likely does not exist ( that is, XXXX routing number + XXXX bank account ). After waiting patiently for nearly 60 days without any details emerging as to where my transfer ended up, I am requesting that my {$1000.00} be returned to my PNC account without any more delay. To continue to wait on PNC bank and XXXX to complete their investigation ( however long they want to take ) will be unnecessarily prolonging the damages my familys business and that of the intended recipient ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX are suffering as a result. Losing track of a customer 's {$1000.00} does not come close to qualifying as an " inconvenience '' as PNC very casually put it. 

Furthermore, I believe strongly that among them, both banks ( PNC and Bank XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX ) and XXXX should be more than equipped with the necessary tools to locate the missing funds especially when they are guided by the record-keeping requirements of laws such as the XXXX Act. Hiring a " third party '' like PNC claims XXXX is does not absolve PNC from any responsibilities. For your convenience, please find below all case numbers PNC has assigned to this issue starting from the most current ; XXXX ( XXXXXX/XX/XXXX ) XXXX (XX/XX/XXXX ) XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I will be glad to provide more details including bank employee names if needed. 

Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation