PNC Expands Environmentally Friendly Practices with Retail Banking Customers

Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) April 14, 2008 -- The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC), the nation's leader in environmentally friendly buildings, today announced an initiative to help customers go 'green' on the road and in their daily banking activities.

The eco-friendly incentives offered by PNC, which has 43 buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, include: a Prius hybrid car sweepstakes and discount loan rates to purchase a new hybrid car and finance energy-efficient home improvements.

"By combining our leadership in green buildings with innovative products and services, we can help our customers to bank smarter and achieve their goals," said Neil Hall, executive vice president and head of retail distribution, PNC Bank. "We recognize the importance of wise investments and will continue to look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment."

Go Green: Incentives

PNC, whose leadership was affirmed last year with a trademark of the term "Green Branch" by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, is offering incentives to consumers to encourage environmentally friendly practices. These include:

?Hybrid Cars: A special 5.74 percent fixed-rate loan is available for purchases of new hybrid cars. A sweepstakes with eight Toyota Prius cars, rated the most fuel-efficient vehicle, also runs through May 31 across PNC's retail banking region.

?'Green'Cards: To encourage the use of check cards, which are made from recycled plastic and to reduce use of paper checks, new personal or business checking accounts opened by April 30 will receive a 5 percent rebate on qualifying purchases through Aug. 31.

?Green Branch® locations: PNC has submitted 10 more branches for certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. In 2002, PNC became the first major U.S. bank to design and construct branches based on the council's requirements. The bank currently has 41 certified locations across its retail banking region with more under construction.

More than 50 percent of materials used in PNC's Green Branch® locations are locally manufactured or made from recycled or green materials. Energy usage is reduced nearly 35 percent or more compared to a traditional branch and water usage is reduced by nearly 4,000 gallons a year. Window walls are three times more efficient than code and provide an open, airy space for employees and customers.

During the past decade, PNC's commitment to environmentally friendly business practices has enabled the company to lower costs and increase efficiency and productivity, Hall said, as well as reduce its environmental impact within communities it serves.

Besides more branch locations, other green buildings in development include Three PNC Plaza, 23-story mixed use building in Pittsburgh (opening 2009) and PNC Place, the new regional headquarters in Washington, D.C. (2010), to be built near the White House.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (www.pnc.com) is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services organizations providing retail and business banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; asset management and global fund services.

For more information about PNC, visit the Media Room at pnc.com (https://www.pnc.com/webapp/unsec/NCProductsAndService.do?siteArea=/PNC/Home/About+PNC). Keep up to date with RSS enabled press releases, media kits and contacts, fact sheets, bios and more.

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