Consumer complaint received 2024-07-01
Product: Mortgage — Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Payment process
Company: PNC Bank N.A. (CA)

Opened HELOC at the end of XXXX. To receive the discounted interest rate, we have created PNC checking account and set up the automatic payment. My husband tried transferring or depositing the check to the checking account to pay origination fee via telephone or online deposit system. The system did not go through. XXXX weeks later after XXXX, received the letter that the checking account has been closed and the HELOC account is delinquent due to overdue ( origination fee and annual fee ). We went to the bank branch in XXXX, CA. The banker was unable to take the payment and unable to reinstate the checking account stating that it has to be escalated to the corporate office. 
We received the calls from corporate office - attempting to help us paying the overdue amount via phone, online. They couldn't help us making the payment and closed the escalation case without resolving the issue. Multiple escalations and spoke with about XXXX different representatives, we were told that the only option to make the payment is send the check- this was shared by the representative XX/XX/XXXX over the phone. We mailed the check as requested. 
If online payment was not the payment method, we would not have signed the HELOC. Before signing HELOC, we were told they accept automatic payment- the reason why we signed up but this is not an option for us anymore and nobody has been able to resolve. 

Also, they refused to reinstate my husband 's checking account to do automatic payment. Thus, I created the checking account under my name at the branch, set up the automatic payment on XX/XX/XXXX. A week later, I received the mail that they had to cancel the automatic payment due to account having overdue. 
No one has been providing the reliable/correct information that I spoke with multiple representatives from collection department, HELOC, loan and checking account department. The staff names XXXX from Collection department on XX/XX/XXXX stated that we should be able to make the payment via telephone or online. Then she also stated that " origination and annual fees '' have been waived. All calls are monitored and recorded according to PNC bank policy. 

The staff named XXXX XXXX from corporate office on XXXX stating that they " are not obligated to disclose the types of payment methods that is available to the customers '' that it is " the customer 's responsibility to make the payment on time '' and declined to assist with any of requests above. I told her that I have been getting notices via mail and e-mail that telephone, online payments are the options available to me yet they refuse to fix the system. 

Due to failure to disclose the all information including the payment methods and unwillingness to resolve the issues, I have requested to waive the origination and annual fee as we plan to close the HELOC account that we are already seeing foreseen problems with the future payment and put the account in delinquent and charging late fee. The corporate office refused to waive any of these. 

Also, because of their false statement/promise on automatic payment, we were forced to create the checking accounts within their banks- which we did not want to have another checking accounts. 

Also, XXXX XXXX from the corporate office stating that the payment methods are " depends on individual customers '' - this is already saying that PNC bank discriminates the customers and limiting the payment method options. This is clearly recorded on their recorded line and she repeated this statement several times confirming that they do not provide all options to all customers.