PNC Bank rolls out new mobile banking app

• Key insight: PNC Bank is releasing an upgraded mobile banking app weeks after integrating FirstBank’s former customer base to its platform.
• Supporting data: PNC’s mobile app serves 8 million customers and 150 million monthly sessions; active users grew 8% YoY in the first quarter before the new app rollout.
• Expert quote: “Ease of use has long been the bank’s mobile Achilles’ heel, and they have addressed that well with this redesign.” —Javelin’s Emmett Higdon

PNC Bank has overhauled its banking app as it brings former FirstBank customers into its mobile banking infrastructure.

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The Pittsburgh-based bank announced a multi-phase rollout of its new mobile banking app on Tuesday. A statement from the company said that “clients in several markets, including all recently converted FirstBank customers, have received access to the new platform, with all clients expected to be introduced to the modernized experience by the end of summer.”

The platform upgrade comes months after PNC closed on a deal to acquire Colorado-based FirstBank in a $4.1 billion cash-and-stock deal. The $603 billion-asset bank subsequently upped its loan and net interest income guidance for 2026 in its first-quarter earnings after reporting an uptick in acquisition-related growth.

PNC Bank also announced last month that it had successfully completed the conversion of FirstBank’s 780,000 customers and 95 branches across Colorado and Arizona to its platform.

The app rollout also follows an ongoing buildout of new branches for the bank. PNC said in November 2025 that it plans to spend $2 billion to add 300 new branches in major markets, largely across the South and Southeast.

Users can now customize their app by organizing and prioritizing accounts, adjusting their dashboard and selecting display preferences such as light or dark mode and various language options.

PNC Bank

“We’ve created a flexible platform that allows clients to manage their money, their way,” said Alex Overstrom, head of retail banking at PNC. “By combining modern design, integrated rewards and advanced technology, we will deliver a more personalized and complete mobile banking experience.”

The platform is also designed to support embedded generative AI tools such as intelligent assistance, proactive insights and enhanced self-service functionality that will be expanded over time, according to a company statement.

PNC’s existing mobile app serves 8 million customers and 150 million monthly sessions. Active users grew 8% year-over-year in the first quarter before the new app’s official rollout, according to the company, and the bank expects the new upgrades to further accelerate its adoption and usage metrics.

Emmet Higdon, director of digital banking for Javelin Strategy and Research, told American Banker that PNC’s app redesign has been in the works for several years. PNC was ranked 15th out of 20 on Javelin’s 2025 Mobile Banking Scorecard.

“Vestiges of its Virtual Wallet design, which were innovative and, in some cases, best-in-class when they were introduced in 2008, gave the current app an outdated look and delivered distinctly different experiences for a Virtual Wallet Spending account than a standard PNC checking account,” Higdon said.

He noted that the new app, which was rolled out after Javelin put together its latest mobile banking scorecard, now delivers a single experience across all account types and has improved its organization and navigation. 

“Ease of use has long been the bank’s mobile Achilles’ heel, and they have addressed that well with this redesign,” he said. “With this new baseline, it is time for the bank to turn to other areas where it lags its peers — notably its lack of a virtual assistant and weakness in financial wellness functionality.”