Consumer complaint received 2022-10-30
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: NJ
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Cashing a check

Complaint:
My sister passed away on XX/XX/XXXX and myself and XXXX other sisters are descendants. On XX/XX/XXXX there was no estate established yet for my sister but XXXX sister was holding an insurance check made payable To the estate of my deceased sister. She physically walked into PNC Back located in XXXX NJ, signed my deceased sisters name on the back of the check, then signed her name and had a representative at PNC deposit this check into her personal checking account. The check was in the amount of {$13000.00}. Myself and my other sister was not aware of this until after the courts finally established an estate with CO-Administrators ( which was one sister and the sister who fraudulently cashed the check ). The bank has a copy of the cashed check of XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX XXXX court documents showing XX/XX/XXXX as date of issue for CO-Administrator for my deceased sisters estate. An XXXX number needed to be established for the estate and the sister in question immediately filed for this number. By mid to late XXXX we have been reaching out to the sister in question ( still unaware of her embezzling this check ) and she went rogue and we grew concerned. I contacted the insurance company XXXX, who issued the check, and they said it was cashed on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX emailed me a copy of the front and back of the check. My other sister and I located a PNC bank in XXXX XXXX NJ and immediately went into that bank the very next business day, which was XX/XX/XXXX and spoke with XXXX XXXX. He verified our identity and we showed him the cashed check as well as the estate court papers. He got his manager involved and they said they would send it to the fraud department and get back to us, but we needed to file a police report and go back to XXXX and put in a check dispute. The next day on the XX/XX/XXXX, we filed a police report and contacted XXXX. We continued to keep on top of this but was getting nowhere. I contacted the corporate office of PNC on XX/XX/XXXX and they gave me a case # and said they will have someone contact me. On XXXX a XXXX XXXX XXXX from PNC called, took all the information and I emailed him the police report as well as the CO-Administrator papers. We ended by him letting me know that he will be working on this and will get back to me. While waiting, I researched and contacted many state agencies. They have all said the same thing, that PNC ( and only PNC ) must reimburse the estate {$13000.00} and it must be returned within 10 days of the bank being notified on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX XXXX called me this past Friday, XX/XX/XXXX and said that I need to contact XXXX and have them contact their issuing bank XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ). I explained to them that XXXX already stated that they are a third party in this situation and that clearly the facts that PNC obviously saw a check was written to an estate, signed by a deceased person, endorsed by their customer and deposited in a personal account established at their bank ; this is not a XXXX problem problem. They did what they were supposed to do, established that their XXXX customer is deceased and issued a check To the estate of and mailed to to a family member. I spoke with a gentleman at XXXX after hanging up with XXXX XXXX this past Friday and he repeated XXXX position on this matter but said he will reach out to XXXX XXXX on Monday and go over the entire situation and do his best to get some resolve for our family. My complaint is that PNC recklessly and negligently allowed this to happen and has these funds in an account at their bank. They continue to stall the inevitable and we can not go before a probate judge to have her removed as co-Administrator until we can show that this fraud happened and the bank paid the estate restitution of {$13000.00}. We are also asking PNC to locate any accounts that have my XXXX  sister depositing checks that were made payable to my deceased sister. Also asking if there was a checking account open at PNC, after XX/XX/XXXX for The Estate of deceased persons with XXXX  sisters name attached to the account. As of this complaint, we have been waiting almost two months to receive this check back & XXXX PNC XXXX accept responsibility for their negligence in a fraudulent activity at their bank. The bank also has the XXXX application and with all of this information on the form, someone can research the tax id # and find out what else she has done to violate and destroy our family. Asking for some peace of my to know someone is out there wanting to help. 
Sincerely, XXXX XXXX I have attached all necessary documents

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation