Once again, a name change for a landmark bank

By Ian Perrotta
Review Staffwriter
The name may be different, but the service remains the same. The former National City Bank at the intersection of Jos. Campau and Caniff has officially changed to PNC Bank.

Though PNC Bank – which is based in Pittsburgh – acquired National City in 2008, the changeover process did not begin until late last year, when 560 banks changed names during the first two phases of integration. This past weekend, Hamtramck’s branch was one of 420 banks throughout the country that made the transition.

While there may be some type of promotion for new customers, or enhanced services for those who already banked with National City, corporate policy prohibited anyone from actually answering questions about what they might be. Instead, a PNC representative referred The Review to a paragraph on the company’s website:

“Together, PNC and National City provide customers with greater ease and convenience to achieve their financial goals. This combination includes a network of branches and ATMs along with loans, credit card, points program and PNC Virtual Wallet for retail consumers plus capital markets and treasury management for businesses.”

The site of the bank goes back decades. It started out as the Hamtramck Bank. In 1946, the bank’s name changed to Bank of Commerce, the name most old-timers in Hamtramck associate the building with.