Which is better - Citizens Bank or PNC?

I just had to make this same decision, My choice was Citizens Bank for the following reasons

1.) E-connect(push and pull) with MS Money (PNC doesn't offer that but they do support Quicken just like Citizens)

2.) Branch Locations / ATM outside of Pittsburgh. If you go to maps.google.com you will see that Citizens has a greater presence outside of Pittsburgh and PA

3.) Customer Service was very friendly to me

4.) Prior negative experience with PNC Bank, I had a checking account with them about 7 years ago when I was in college. Afterwords I closed the account because there were no branches by my home. I had $2.38 in that account when I closed it, I never did go to the bank and get the money so they charged me $5.00 for not getting it and reopened my account in order to bill me for it. I received notice that my once closed account was negative by $42.61, how could that be?? well this is probably similar to stories that you read on blogs they took my positive $2.38 in my CLOSED account and took the $5.00 from it leaving the now OPEN account red by -2.62. That automatically triggered an overdraft fee of 39.99 bringing my account balance to -42.61. Everyday that I didn't pay they added an additional fee the final charge to my account was -$264.23 once they hit the federal maximum for fee's. They sent many collection notices but I refused to pay on principle. They finally nailed my credit report and wrote the balance off. It knocked about 125 points from my score but I didn't care at that point since I wasn't applying for any new loans and what not. It took about 4 years but it dropped off my credit report and my score returned back to normal so in the end I wasn't effected and PNC didn't get there ridiculous fee's.

5.) Inflexibility at PNC Bank. The banking side and the car loan side at PNC bank are one in the same. They wouldn't allow me to setup direct payment or online billpay for my loan unless I opened a PNC checking account (after the above I wasn't going to do that). So every month I have to mail a check to PNC Bank Loan Services, everyone else I can pay online for.

So you may now be asking yourself. If the service and fee's are so bad at PNC Bank then why were you even considering between PNC Bank and Citizens?

Easy, my current bank National City, got bought out by PNC Bank so this coming November my accounts would have become PNC Bank checking accounts. I started my hunt for another bank but I wanted to consider PNC Bank since it would require no effect on my part. I thought well after this many years maybe their banking service is better, but after reading online blogs it doesn't seem that way.

I will admit, if sheer number of ATM's and Branches are your primary focus then PNC Bank would be right for you. Within 5 miles of my home in Carnegie there are 15 branches and 51 ATM machines (pncbank.com)

But there are also 6 citizen branches and 10 ATM machines within 5 miles of my home so I'm still covered. Plus at my camp near Slippery Rock there are NO PNC Bank ATM's or Branches. There is a Citizens Branch and ATM however!

PNC Bank does have an iPhone app for their virtual wallet service so if thats something that would interest you then perhaps that's another reason to go with PNC Bank, that did not apply to me as I have Blackberry Storm powered by Verizon Wireless.

Bottom line if you only work/play/live in Pittsburgh and # of ATM's is your primary focus then go with PNC otherwise go with Citizens

I chose PNC and in my opinion Citizen's would not make a patch on PNC's Customer's Service. The managers, yes plural managers at Citizens are rude, egotistical, and think their do-do does not stink.
Please whatever anybody does do not go to Citizens.