PNC Bank Devises a Bold Arrival

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By Terence O'Hara
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 13, 2005; Page E01

PNC Bank, hoping to make a splash among consumers in the increasingly competitive Washington market when it takes over Riggs Bank in May, said yesterday it plans to significantly expand its night and weekend hours, waive many ATM fees and immediately begin building new branches.

The Pittsburgh-based bank will take over Riggs's 51 branches on May 13 when PNC Financial Services Group Inc. completes its merger with Riggs National Corp.

PNC will enter the Washington market as the region's retail banking landscape undergoes considerable change, with new competitive pressures that will likely benefit bank consumers.

Commerce Bank, a New Jersey bank that has built a deposit-gathering juggernaut in New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York, plans to ultimately open 200 new branches in the region. First Horizon National Corp. of Tennessee has already opened new branches in Northern Virginia. Like Commerce, it promotes longer branch hours and offers low or no fees for customers using non-First Horizon ATMs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48302-2005Apr12.html

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1. PNC has a checkered history of corporate corruption

and racketeering. The purchase of Riggs Bank had several analysts scratching their heads..

Personally would not want a bank account with their name on it. The next PNC scandal can't be far off.