PNC completes post-merger conversion of FirstBank branches

In June, the last remnants of FirstBank Holding Co. — the exterior signage on branch buildings and branded materials inside — were packed up and replaced, a symbolic capstone for PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s (NYSE: PNC) $4.1 billion acquisition of the 63-year-old, Lakewood-born institution. 

“Last Monday was the first day we opened with PNC branch naming on our branch locations, and we had converted our systems over the prior weekend,” Kevin Classen, PNC’s Colorado regional president, told BizWest in a July 1 interview. “So we had a full week last week of getting things in place and working with folks who needed a little bit of help.”

PNC closed on its acquisition of FirstBank in early 2026 and the Pittsburgh-based bank has spent the first half of the year gearing up for the conversion of about 100 branches and the integration of thousands of FirstBank accountholders. 

“Today is about our customers,” PNC CEO William Demchak said in a late June statement after the conversion process wrapped up. “We’re proud to officially welcome FirstBank customers to PNC Bank and deliver the products, capabilities and expertise of one of the nation’s leading banks while maintaining the local relationships they value most. This milestone reflects the hard work of thousands of employees across both organizations who remained focused on one goal: making this transition as seamless as possible for our customers.”

FirstBank, which was the largest independent bank in the state, had $22.2 billion in total deposits as of June 30, 2025. PNC, which last year reported $1.71 billion in total deposits in the state across 37 office locations, became the second-largest banking institution in Colorado after the merger.

“I think (the former FirstBank branches are) certainly well-located, which is a huge advantage for us as PNC going forward,” Classen said. “And the insides were in pretty good shape, pretty functional. So not a lot (of interior remodeling was necessary). But they were spruced up. There’s been some nice improvements — a lot of it’s cosmetic.”

While some FirstBank customers have grumbled about the transition — the Denver Post in late June reported that accountholders have had credit cards frozen and issues with direct deposits, app lockouts and customer-service logjams — Classen said PNC has worked hard to make the conversion process as smooth as possible. 

“We brought in over 600 people from other parts of the country to help in those branches, which was a huge effort,” he said.

Classen said that PNC’s size gives customers access to more financial products and services than were available under the FirstBank banner. 

“We now have a private-bank offering, we have a wealth platform,” he said. “There’s just things we can do now for our customers that they’ve been asking us for for years but we’ve had to turn them away.”

And while the signs on the branch buildings are different, the faces of the bankers inside are likely to be familiar to customers. 

PNC’s newly hired market executives in Boulder and Northern Colorado Chad Mitchell and Nicole Staudinger, both FirstBank veterans, “kept their teams — we kept every single customer-facing employee,” Classen said. “I think that’s a pretty critical point, because that’s not always the case in these kinds of things. … (Customers have) known them a long time, they care about them. So it’s a reciprocal relationship that is very powerful. It’s very helpful to have those same faces be there when you need something.”

While PNC maintained FirstBank’s in-branch workforce, nearly 800 workers at FirstBank’s Lakewood headquarters were laid off in April.

Despite the cuts to the administrative apparatus, Classen said PNC’s customer-facing operations are in growth mode.  

“We are looking at (potential areas for new branches). We’ve got one scheduled later in the year that would be in the south metro area of Denver. … I think we have the best retail network in the state, bar none. We’ve been at it for 60 years, so that’s a huge advantage. But yes, I think we will potentially be looking at some” locations to add new branches.

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