Consumer complaint received 2020-05-29
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Can't close your account
Company: PNC Bank N.A. (RI)

Complaint:
My mother owned an account at PNC Ban, it was owned by her Revocable trust, I am the successor trustee for that trust. My mother passed XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. After her funeral in Florida, I stopped by the branch she used, and spoke to the branch manager, and gave her a copy of the trust document. She said I would need to fax down a copy of the death certificate, which i did when I received them from the state of RI at the end of XX/XX/XXXX. 

I called the branch subsequently to see what the next step was, this would have been XXXX XX/XX/XXXX ( my mother ' birthday ), whomever answered the phone told me that the person I was looking for did not work there, they put me on hold and then said they had no information about my request. 

I called the 800 number for PNC Bank the following week. The CSR put me on hold, came back and told me I needed to send in the death certificate, probate information and will for my mother to a PNC PO Box in XXXX. I told him it was a trust and not a personal ownership, he said it did not matter. I sent the death certificate and trust to that address, and did not hear anything back. A call on XXXX XXXX to the same 800 number they were unable to tell me anything. In early XXXX I called the PNC XXXX XXXX XXXX, mostly to see whether they knew how to resolve the issue. The very helpful woman called the Florida branch, they were going to call me back. 

The local branch asisstant manager, XXXX XXXX, called me and told me that the reason my issue was being held up was that the trust document that I had delivered was dated XXXX, and their records show that it was amended XXXX of XXXX. I asked by whom, she said " your father ''. My father passed in XXXX. I asked if they could show me that document, she told me they did not have a copy of the XXXX trust and that I needed to produce it. When I said I had no information of any amendment to the trust, especially in XXXX, she told me to go to the lawyer who wrote the XXXX changes. I reiterated that I did not have any information of any XXXX change. She suggested that I find an attorney to write a letter stating that no such change existed. 

I contacted an attorney who told me " no attorney in his right mind is going to attest, under the pains and penalties of pergury, that a document that was allegedly executed by a person who was never his client, does not exist. I advise you against signing such an affadavit, as well. It is up to the bank to either produce the trust amendment referenced in their records, or give you the money. If they refuse to do either, you should file a complaint with the CFPB ''. 

I stated such to XXXX in the middle of XXXX, and as soon as she heard " lawyer '' she told me she could not speak to me further. 

Two weeks later I received a call from XXXX XXXX from PNC XXXX XXXX  @ XXXX. A week later we were finally able to speak and she told me she was waiting for the XXXX trust document from Florida. I told her that PNC Florida was asking me for it and I have no knowledge of it. She told me she would talk to her legal department. 

Today she called me back and said that I needed to get an affidavit drafted stating that the XXXX trust, that they do not have a copy of, does not exist. I again explained that it makes no sense that they have records of a change but not the document itself, and she told me that she could not give me any more information because I am not listed on the account itself, but I needed to attest that the XXXX change did not exist. 

The value of the account is less than XXXX, and I have used the trust documents in my posession for managing accounts from XXXX and XXXX with no issue. I do not know where else to turn, this sounds like outright theft to me

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation