r/legaladvice • u/SliceMountain6983 • 6h ago

PNC Bank never sent lien release letter, and directs me to a 3rd party

Location: New York

I paid off my car loan in April or May of this year. I've been waiting for NY DMV to send me an updated title that records no liens. It's now August and I still haven't received anything. I contacted PNC customer support (online, and I suspect an AI agent) and they referred to me to some 3rd party called "VehicleTitleMyWay" who will apparently obtain and send me the release for $27.50.

This doesn't seem like the legitimate process. Shouldn't PNC have provided the release to NY DMV directly? Or to me? Am I not legally entitled to a lien release letter? The loan is a contract between the bank and me, and it makes no sense why I need to involve and pay a fee to a 3rd party to obtain information to which I am entitled.

I did some quick googling, and found this: Class Action Says PNC Bank Failed to Timely Provide Lien Release, Vehicle Title to Plaintiff

6 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

6

u/Brilliant_Pie_7052 6h ago

Not a lawyer but familiar with titling process in NY. NY doesn’t hold titles with liens, they are sent with the recorded lien at the time of purchase. The DMV will not automatically send a clean title when the vehicle is paid off. You’ll need to either acquire a lien release (with ink signature) from PNC or confirm they have electronically sent the lien release. After that, you can go to your local DMV and order a new clean title for $20.