As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 14, 2018

Registration No. 333-                 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of each registrant as specified in its articles of incorporation)

The Tower at PNC Plaza

300 Fifth Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2401

(888) 762-2265

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number including code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Robert Q. Reilly

Chief Financial Officer

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

The Tower at PNC Plaza

300 Fifth Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2401

(888) 762-2265

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:

Edward S. Rosenthal

Deputy General Counsel

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

The Tower at PNC Plaza

300 Fifth Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2401

(888) 762-2265

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ☐

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ☒

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The base prospectus included in this Registration Statement may be used:

PROSPECTUS

THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.

Debt Securities

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Depositary Shares

Purchase Contracts

Units

Warrants

We may offer and sell the securities listed above from time to time in one or more offerings. We may also issue debt securities, common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares upon the conversion, exchange or exercise of certain of the securities listed above. One or more selling security holders to be identified in the future may also offer and sell the securities listed above from time to time. This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities may be offered. When we sell a particular issue of securities, we will provide the specific terms of the securities to be offered in one or more supplements to this prospectus. The prospectus supplements will also describe the specific manner in which these securities will be offered and may also supplement, update or amend information in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.

In addition, PNC Capital Markets LLC and other affiliates of ours may use this prospectus in market-making transactions in any of these securities after their initial sale. Our affiliates, including PNC Capital Markets LLC, have no obligation to make a market in the above referenced securities, and may discontinue their market-making activities at any time without notice in their sole discretion.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PNC.”

Our principal executive offices are located at The Tower at PNC Plaza, 300 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2401, and our telephone number is 888-762-2265.

Investing in these securities involves certain risks. For a discussion of certain risks that you should consider in connection with an investment in our securities, see “Risk Factors” in PNC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and all subsequent filings under Section  13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. See also the section entitled “Risk Factors” on page 3 of this prospectus.

These securities are unsecured, are not savings accounts, deposits or other obligations of any bank, are not guaranteed by PNC Bank, National Association or any other bank, and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency or instrumentality.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission, nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined whether this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is December 14, 2018.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell any of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information contained in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the applicable prospectus supplement. For purposes of this prospectus, any reference to an applicable prospectus supplement may also refer to a free writing prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires. You should read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement together with the additional information described below in the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.”

We have not authorized any other person to provide you with any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We are not responsible for, and can provide no assurance as to the accuracy of, any other information that any other person may give you. This prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, and do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful.

Neither the delivery of this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement nor any sale made hereunder and thereunder shall under any circumstances create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date of this prospectus, or that the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement is correct as of any date other than the date of the applicable document or such other date provided for such information.

In this prospectus, “PNC”, “we”, “us” or “our” refers to The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. excluding its consolidated subsidiaries. References to PNC and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis are specifically made where applicable.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

The registration statement that contains this prospectus, including the exhibits thereto and the information incorporated by reference therein, contains additional information about us and the securities, agreements and other documents described in this prospectus. The registration statement can be read at the SEC’s website.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The reports and other information we file with the SEC are also available at our Internet website at www.pnc.com. We have included the web addresses of the SEC and PNC as inactive textual references only. Except as specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus, information on those websites does not constitute part of this prospectus.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered part of this prospectus, and because we incorporate by reference future filings with the SEC, information that we file later will automatically update and supersede the information in this prospectus and any earlier incorporated information.

This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below that PNC previously filed with the SEC and any future filings that PNC makes with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (in each case other than those documents or portions of those documents not deemed to have been filed in accordance with SEC rules) between the date of this prospectus and the later of (i) the termination of the offering of securities to be issued under the registration statement or (ii) the date on which our affiliates cease offering and selling such securities:

Documents incorporated by reference are available from us without charge, excluding any exhibits to those documents unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus. You can obtain documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus by requesting them in writing or by telephone at the following address or telephone number:

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

The Tower at PNC Plaza

300 Fifth Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2401

Attention: Shareholder Services

Telephone: (800) 982-7652

Online contact form: www.computershare.com/contactus

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RISK FACTORS

We are subject to a number of risks potentially impacting our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. For a detailed description of the potential risks, see Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 (the “2017 Form 10-K”), which report is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should also review the risk factors that will be set forth in other documents we file with the SEC after the date of this prospectus. See the section above entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.” Additional risk factors may also be set forth in any applicable prospectus supplement.

THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.

We are one of the largest diversified financial services companies in the United States and are headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We have businesses engaged in retail banking, including residential mortgage, corporate and institutional banking, and asset management, providing many of our products and services nationally. Our primary geographic markets are located in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southeast. We also provide certain products and services internationally.

We were incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1983 with the consolidation of Pittsburgh National Corporation and Provident National Corporation. Since 1983, we have diversified our geographical presence, business mix and product capabilities through internal growth, strategic bank and non-bank acquisitions and equity investments, and the formation of various non-banking subsidiaries.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “PNC.”

Our principal executive offices are located at The Tower at PNC Plaza, 300 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2401 and our telephone number is (888) 762-2265.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities for general corporate purposes unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. General corporate purposes may include, without limitation, working capital, capital expenditures, investments in or loans to our subsidiaries, refinancing of outstanding indebtedness, share repurchases (including, but not limited to, repurchases of our common stock), dividends, funding potential future acquisitions and satisfaction of other obligations. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds or use them to repay short-term debt until they are used for their stated purpose.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

This section describes the general terms and provisions of the debt securities we may offer. The debt securities may be either senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities.

The senior debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee, dated as of September 6, 2012, as may be amended or supplemented, which we refer to as the senior indenture. The subordinated debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee, dated as of December 19, 2012, as supplemented by a First Supplemental Indenture, dated April 28, 2014, as may be further amended or supplemented, which we refer to as the subordinated indenture. Together, the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are referred to as the indentures.

We have summarized selected provisions of the indentures below. The summary is not complete and does not describe every aspect of each indenture. The indentures have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and have been qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”). You should read the more detailed provisions of the applicable indenture, including the defined terms, for provisions that may be important to you. You should also consider applicable provisions of the Trust Indenture Act. The particular terms of any debt securities we offer, along with any applicable modifications of or additions to the general terms of the debt securities described in this prospectus and in the indentures, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. You should review both the applicable prospectus supplement and the description of the debt securities set forth in this prospectus before making an investment decision. Capitalized terms used in the below summary of the debt securities have the meanings specified in the applicable indenture.

We are a holding company that conducts substantially all of our operations through subsidiaries. Claims of the holders of our debt securities to participate in the assets of any PNC subsidiary upon its liquidation or recapitalization will generally have a junior position to claims of creditors of the subsidiary (including, in the case of any bank subsidiary, its depositors), except to the extent that PNC may itself be a creditor with recognized claims against the subsidiary. In addition, as a holding company, we are dependent on dividends or other distributions from our subsidiaries to fund payments related to our debt securities. There are certain regulatory and other limitations on the payment of dividends and on loans and other transfers of funds to us by our bank subsidiaries. For further information concerning restrictions on loans, dividends or advances from bank subsidiaries to the parent company, see the following sections in the 2017 Form 10-K: Supervision and Regulation section in Item 1 Business, Item 1A Risk Factors, the Liquidity and Capital Management portion of the Risk Management section in Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 18 Regulatory Matters in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

General

The debt securities will be direct unsecured obligations of PNC. The indentures do not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue from time to time in one or more series. We also may, from time to time, incur

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additional indebtedness that is effectively senior to the senior debt securities and/or the subordinated debt securities. Neither the indentures nor the debt securities will limit or otherwise restrict the amount of other indebtedness which may be incurred or other securities that may be issued by us or our subsidiaries, including indebtedness that may rank effectively senior to the senior debt securities and/or the subordinated debt securities.

We will specify in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of debt securities being offered the terms relating to the offering. The terms may include:

The indentures provide that we will issue debt securities in fully registered form. The principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on fully registered securities will be payable at the place of payment designated for such securities and stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. We also have the right to make interest payments by check mailed to the holder at the holder’s registered address. The principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on any debt securities in other forms will be payable in the manner and at the place or places as may be designated by us and specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

You may exchange or transfer debt securities at the corporate trust office of the trustee for such series of debt securities or at any other office or agency maintained by us for those purposes. We will not require payment of a service charge for any transfer or exchange of the debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any applicable tax or other governmental charge.

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We may issue debt securities with “original issue discount.” Original issue discount debt securities bear no interest or bear interest at below-market rates and will be sold below their stated principal amount. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe any special federal income tax consequences and other special considerations applicable to any securities issued with original issue discount.

Ranking of Debt Securities

Senior Debt Securities

The senior debt securities will rank equally with all unsecured senior indebtedness of PNC. There is no limitation on PNC creating, incurring or issuing additional senior indebtedness.

Subordinated Debt Securities

The subordinated debt securities will be subordinated in right of payment to all senior indebtedness of PNC and other specified company obligations.

“Senior indebtedness of PNC” means the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on (i) all “indebtedness for money borrowed” (as defined below) of PNC whether outstanding on the date of execution of the subordinated indenture or thereafter created, assumed or incurred, except for the subordinated debt securities, specified previously issued subordinated indebtedness, trade creditor indebtedness and indebtedness that expressly states that it is subordinated in right of payment to indebtedness for borrowed money of PNC and (ii) any deferrals, renewals or extensions of any such indebtedness.

The term “indebtedness for money borrowed” means:

Unless otherwise provided for in the terms of the debt securities of any series, the subordinated debt securities will also be subordinated in right of payment to all “other company obligations” (as defined below) and will be subject to an obligation of PNC to pay any “excess proceeds” (as defined in the subordinated indenture) to creditors in respect of any unpaid “other company obligations.”

“Other company obligations” means obligations of PNC associated with derivative products such as interest rate and currency exchange contracts, foreign exchange contracts, commodity contracts, or any similar arrangements, unless the instrument by which PNC incurred, assumed or guaranteed the obligation expressly provides that it is subordinate or junior in right of payment to any other indebtedness or obligations of PNC.

Unless otherwise provided for in the terms of the debt securities of any series, upon the liquidation, dissolution, winding up, or reorganization of PNC, we must pay to the holders of all senior indebtedness of PNC the full amounts of principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on, that senior indebtedness before any payment is made on the subordinated debt securities. If, after we have made those payments on the senior indebtedness (i) there are amounts available for payment on the subordinated debt securities (as defined in the subordinated indenture, “excess proceeds”), and (ii) at such time, any creditors in respect of “other company obligations” have not received their full payments, then we will first use such excess proceeds to pay in full all

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such “other company obligations” before we make any payment in respect of the subordinated debt securities. In addition, we may not make any payment on the subordinated debt securities in the event we have defaulted in the payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on any senior indebtedness of PNC, after giving effect to any applicable grace period, or if any event of default with respect to any senior indebtedness of PNC that would give rise to a right of acceleration has occurred and is continuing, or would occur as a result of such payment on the subordinated debt securities.

The subordinated debt securities will rank equally with all other unsecured subordinated indebtedness of PNC issued under the subordinated indenture. In the event of insolvency of PNC, it is possible that the definition of indebtedness that is senior to the subordinated indebtedness issued under prior indentures could be construed differently because the definition of senior indebtedness in the current subordinated indenture does not read identically to such definition in prior subordinated indentures. If this were to occur, it is possible certain holders of the subordinated indebtedness issued under prior subordinated indentures may have rights that are senior to the subordinated debt securities issued under the subordinated indenture, and holders of the subordinated debt securities may recover less ratably than holders of subordinated indebtedness issued under these prior indentures.

Because of the subordination provisions and the obligation to pay excess proceeds described above and as described more fully in the applicable prospectus supplement, in the event of insolvency of PNC, holders of the subordinated debt securities may recover less ratably than holders of subordinated indebtedness issued by PNC under prior subordinated indentures, holders of senior indebtedness of PNC, creditors with respect to “other company obligations” and other creditors of PNC.

In addition, the subordinated debt securities may be fully subordinated to interests held by the U.S. government in the event of a receivership, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding by the Corporation, including a proceeding under the orderly liquidation authority provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Certain Covenants

The indentures contain certain covenants that impose various restrictions on us and, as a result, afford the holders of our debt securities certain protections. The section below provides a description of these covenants, which description does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the covenants contained in the indentures.

Restriction on Sale or Issuance of Voting Stock of a Principal Subsidiary Bank

The covenant described below is designed to ensure that, so long as any senior debt securities issued by us are outstanding, we will continue directly or indirectly to own and thus serve as the holding company for our “principal subsidiary banks.” When we use the term “principal subsidiary banks,” we mean each of:

As of the date hereof, our only principal subsidiary banks are PNC Bank and its parent, PNC Bancorp, Inc.

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The senior indenture prohibits us, unless consent is obtained from the holders of a majority in principal amount of each series of senior debt securities, from:

if, after giving effect to any one of the transactions described above and the issuance of the maximum number of voting shares issuable upon the exercise of all such rights to acquire voting shares of a principal subsidiary bank, we would own directly or indirectly less than 80% of the voting shares of such principal subsidiary bank.

These restrictions do not apply to:

The indenture does permit the following:

so long as, in any such case in which we are not the surviving, resulting or acquiring entity, we would own at least 80% of the voting shares of the principal subsidiary bank surviving such transaction.

This covenant only applies to senior debt securities issued by us and is not contained in the subordinated indenture.

Restriction on Liens

The purpose of the restriction on liens covenant is to preserve, for so long as any senior debt securities issued by us are outstanding, our direct or indirect interest in voting shares of principal subsidiary banks free of security interests of other creditors. The covenant permits certain specified liens and liens where the senior debt securities are equally secured. The senior indenture prohibits us and our subsidiaries from creating or permitting

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any liens (other than certain tax and judgment liens) upon voting shares of any principal subsidiary bank to secure indebtedness for borrowed money unless the senior debt securities are equally and ratably secured. Notwithstanding this prohibition, we may create or permit the following:

This covenant only applies to senior debt securities issued by us and is not contained in the subordinated indenture.

Consolidation or Merger

The covenant described below protects the holders of debt securities upon certain transactions involving us by requiring any successor to PNC to assume the predecessor’s obligations under the indentures. We may consolidate with, merge into, or transfer our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any other corporation organized under the laws of any domestic jurisdiction, if:

This covenant is contained in both the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture. However, the indentures do not limit our ability to enter into a highly leveraged transaction or provide you with any special protection in the event of such a transaction.

Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may modify each indenture with the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modification, provided, however, that each affected holder must consent to any modification or amendment that:

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We and the trustee may modify and amend each indenture without the consent of any holder of debt securities for any of the following purposes:

In addition, the holders of a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of any series may, on behalf of all holders of that series, waive compliance with certain covenants, including in the case of outstanding senior debt securities those described under the captions above entitled “Restriction on Sale or Issuance of Voting Stock of a Principal Subsidiary Bank” and “Restriction on Liens.” Covenants concerning the payment of principal, premium, if any, and interest on the debt securities, compliance with the terms of the indenture, maintenance of an agency, and certain monies held in trust may only be waived pursuant to a supplemental indenture executed with the consent of each affected holder of debt securities as described above.

Events of Default, Defaults and Waivers of Default

The senior indenture defines an “Event of Default” with respect to any series of senior debt securities as being any one of the following events, unless such event is specifically deleted or modified in connection with the establishment of the senior debt securities of a particular series:

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The subordinated indenture defines an Event of Default with respect to any series of subordinated debt securities as certain events involving the bankruptcy or reorganization of PNC or any principal subsidiary bank, or any other Event of Default specified in the supplemental indenture under which such subordinated debt securities are issued or in the form of securities for such series. The subordinated indenture defines a “Default” with respect to any series of subordinated debt securities as:

With respect to the subordinated debt securities, there is only a right of acceleration in the case of an Event of Default. There is no right of acceleration in the case of a Default. Accordingly, payment of principal of any series of subordinated debt securities may be accelerated only in the case of the bankruptcy or reorganization of PNC or any principal subsidiary bank or any other Event of Default specified in the supplemental indenture under which such subordinated debt securities are issued.

If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to any series of debt securities, either the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of that series may declare the principal of such series (or if debt securities of that series are original issue discount securities, a specified amount of the principal) to be due and payable immediately. Subject to certain conditions, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series may rescind such declaration. Prior to any declaration of acceleration, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series may waive any past default, except a payment default, or a past default in respect of a covenant or provision of the indenture which cannot be modified without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security affected. Upon this waiver the default will cease to exist and any Event of Default or Default arising therefrom will be deemed cured.

Other than its duties in the case of an Event of Default or Default, the trustee is not obligated to exercise any of the rights or powers in the indenture at the request or direction of holders of debt securities unless such holders offer the trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to the trustee. If such indemnification is provided, then, subject to the other rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee with respect to debt securities of such series.

Each indenture provides that if default is made on payment of interest and continues for a 30-day period or if default is made on payment of principal of any debt security of any series, we will, upon demand of the trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the holder of any such debt security, the whole amount then due and payable on such debt security for principal, premium, if any, and interest. Each indenture further provides that if we fail to pay such amount immediately upon such demand, the trustee may, among other things, institute a judicial proceeding for its collection.

Each indenture requires us to furnish annually to the trustee certificates as to the absence of any default under the applicable indenture. The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any default

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(except in payment of principal, premium, if any, interest or sinking fund installment) if the trustee determines that the withholding of the notice is in the interest of those holders.

The holder of any debt security of any series may institute any proceeding with respect to the applicable indenture or for any remedy thereunder if:

The holder of any debt security will have an absolute right to receive payment of the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on such debt security when due, to convert such debt security, if applicable, and to institute suit to enforce any such payment.

Convertibility

The debt securities may be designated as convertible into our common stock at the option of the holder in accordance with the terms of such series. You should refer to the applicable prospectus supplement for a description of the specific conversion provisions and terms of any series of convertible debt securities that we may offer by that prospectus supplement. These terms and provisions may include:

Defeasance

We may choose to defease the debt securities in one of two ways as described below. If we have the ability to do so, we will state that in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Full Defeasance

We may terminate or “defease” our obligations under the indenture of any series of debt securities, provided that certain conditions are met, including:

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If we ever fully defease your debt security, you will have to rely solely on the trust deposit for payments on your debt security. You could not look to us for repayment in the unlikely event of any shortfall. Conversely, the trust deposit would most likely be protected from claims of our lenders and other creditors if we ever became bankrupt or insolvent. Your right to convert any convertible debt security remains after defeasance.

Covenant Defeasance

Under current federal tax law, we can make the same type of deposit described above and be released from some of the restrictive covenants relating to your debt security. This is called “covenant defeasance.” In that event, you would lose the protection of those restrictive covenants but would gain the protection of having money and securities set aside in trust to repay your debt security. In order to achieve covenant defeasance, we must do the following:

Governing Law

Each indenture provides that the debt securities issued pursuant thereto will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, except that the rights, immunities, duties and liabilities of the trustee will be governed by New York law.

Regarding the Trustee

In the ordinary course of business, we may maintain lines of credit with one or more trustees for a series of debt securities, and the principal subsidiary banks and other subsidiary banks may maintain deposit accounts and conduct other banking transactions with one or more trustees for a series of debt securities.

Trustee’s Duty to Resign under Certain Circumstances

We may issue both senior and subordinated debt securities pursuant to the indentures described in this section. The trustee currently serves as trustee under both the indenture governing senior debt securities and the indenture governing subordinated debt securities.

Because the subordinated debt securities will rank junior in right of payment to the senior debt securities, the occurrence of a default under the indenture with respect to the subordinated debt securities or any senior debt securities could create a conflicting interest under the Trust Indenture Act with respect to any trustee who serves as trustee for both senior and subordinated debt securities.

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Furthermore, upon the occurrence of a default under the indenture with respect to any series of debt securities the trustee of which maintains banking relationships with us, such trustee would have a conflicting interest under the Trust Indenture Act as a result of such business relationships. If a default has not been cured or waived within 90 days after the trustee has or acquires a conflicting interest, the trustee generally is required by the Trust Indenture Act to eliminate such conflicting interest or resign as trustee with respect to the appropriate debt securities.

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DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

General

As of the date of this prospectus, we are authorized to issue 800,000,000 shares of our common stock, par value $5.00 per share.

The following summary is not complete. You should refer to the applicable provisions of the following for a complete statement of the terms and rights of the common stock:

Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to shareholders. Holders of common stock have neither cumulative voting rights nor any preemptive rights for the purchase of additional shares of any class of our stock, and are not subject to liability for further calls or assessments. The common stock does not have any sinking fund, conversion or redemption provisions.

In the event of dissolution or winding up of our affairs, holders of common stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payments to all creditors and payments required to be made in respect of outstanding preferred stock (including accrued and unpaid dividends thereon) have been made.

The Board may, except as otherwise required by applicable law or the rules of the NYSE, cause the issuance of authorized shares of common stock without shareholder approval to such persons and for such consideration as the Board may determine in connection with acquisitions by us or for other corporate purposes.

Computershare Trust Company, N.A., Canton, MA, is the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock. The shares of common stock are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “PNC.” The outstanding shares of common stock are, and the shares offered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement will be, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and the holders of the common stock are not and will not be subject to any liability as shareholders.

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Dividends and Other Payments

Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive such dividends as the Board may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. The payment of future dividends is subject to the discretion of the Board, which will consider, among other factors, economic and market conditions, our financial condition and operating results, and other factors, including contractual restrictions and applicable government regulations and policies (such as those relating to the ability of bank and non-bank subsidiaries to pay dividends to the parent company and regulatory capital limitations).

The amount of our dividends is also currently subject to the results of the supervisory assessment of capital adequacy and capital planning processes undertaken by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) and our primary bank regulators as part of the Federal Reserve’s Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review process. The Federal Reserve has the power to prohibit us from paying dividends without its approval.

We are incorporated in Pennsylvania and governed by the PBCL. Under the PBCL, we cannot pay dividends if, after giving effect to the dividend payments, we would be unable to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of our business or our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed, if we were to be dissolved at the time as of which the dividend is measured, to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of shareholders whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving the dividends.

Subject to certain important exceptions, the terms of certain of our outstanding series of preferred stock and capital securities prohibit us from declaring or paying dividends or distributions on or redeeming, purchasing, acquiring or making a liquidation payment with respect to our common stock unless all accrued and unpaid dividends for all completed dividend periods with respect to that preferred stock or capital security, as applicable, have been paid.

In addition, we have outstanding junior subordinated debentures associated with certain capital securities. The terms of these debentures permit us to defer interest payments on the debentures for up to five years. If we defer interest payments on these debentures, subject to certain important exceptions, we may not declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, redeem, purchase, acquire or a make a liquidation payment with respect to any of our common stock during the deferral period.

Dividends from our subsidiary banks are the primary source of funds for payment of dividends to our stockholders, and there are statutory limits on the amount of dividends that our subsidiary banks can pay to us without regulatory approval. We are a holding company that conducts substantially all of our operations through our bank subsidiaries and other subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to make dividend payments on the common stock depends primarily on certain federal regulatory considerations and the receipt of dividends and other distributions from our subsidiaries. There are various regulatory restrictions on the ability of our banking subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other payments to us, and those restrictions can vary among the different subsidiaries based on performance, capital and other factors.

For further information concerning dividend restrictions and other factors that could limit our ability to pay dividends, including restrictions on loans, dividends or advances from bank subsidiaries to the parent company, see the following sections of the 2017 Form 10-K: Supervision and Regulation section in Item 1 Business, Item 1A Risk Factors, the Liquidity and Capital Management portion of the Risk Management section in Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 10 Borrowed Funds, Note 15 Equity and Note 18 Regulatory Matters in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

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Other Provisions

The Articles of Incorporation and our Amended and Restated By-Laws (the “By-Laws”) contain various provisions that may discourage or delay attempts to gain control of PNC. The By-Laws include provisions:

The Articles of Incorporation vest the authority to make, amend and repeal the By-Laws in the Board, subject to the power of our shareholders to change any such action.

Provisions of Pennsylvania law also could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of PNC or have the effect of discouraging a third party from attempting to control PNC. The PBCL allows Pennsylvania corporations to elect to either be covered or not be covered by certain “anti-takeover” provisions. We have elected in the By-Laws not to be covered by Subchapter G of Chapter 25 of the PBCL, which would otherwise enable existing shareholders of PNC in certain circumstances to block the voting rights of an acquiring person who makes or proposes to make a control-share acquisition. We have also opted out of the protection of Subchapter H of Chapter 25 of the PBCL, which would otherwise enable us to recover certain payments made to shareholders who have evidenced an intent to acquire control of PNC. However, the following provisions of the PBCL do apply to us:

In addition, in certain instances the ability of the Board to issue authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock may have an anti-takeover effect.

Existence of the above provisions could result in PNC being less attractive to a potential acquirer, or result in our shareholders receiving less for their shares of common stock than otherwise might be available if there is a takeover attempt.

The ability of a third party to acquire PNC is also limited under applicable banking regulations. The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the “Bank Holding Company Act”) requires any “bank holding company” (as

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defined in the Bank Holding Company Act) to obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve prior to acquiring more than 5% of our outstanding common stock. Any person other than a bank holding company is required to obtain prior approval of the Federal Reserve to acquire 10% or more of our outstanding common stock under the Change in Bank Control Act of 1978. Any holder of 25% or more of our outstanding common stock, other than an individual, is subject to regulation as a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act. Furthermore, while we do not have a shareholder rights plan currently in effect, under Pennsylvania law, the Board can adopt a shareholder rights plan without stockholder approval. If adopted, a shareholder rights plan could result in substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire PNC on terms not approved by the Board.

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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK

This section describes the general terms and provisions of our preferred stock that may be offered by this prospectus, as well as the specific terms of our outstanding series of preferred stock and certain terms of our authorized but unissued series of preferred stock. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of the series of preferred stock offered through that prospectus supplement and any general terms outlined in this section that will not apply to that series of preferred stock. The following summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the pertinent sections of the Articles of Incorporation and any statements with respect to shares pursuant to which outstanding series of preferred stock were issued. You should read the Articles of Incorporation, which includes the designations relating to each series of preferred stock, for additional information before you buy any preferred stock.

General

Our authorized capital stock includes 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share, as reflected in our the Articles of Incorporation. The Board is authorized without further shareholder action to cause the issuance of additional shares of preferred stock in one or more series, each with the preferences, limitations, designations, conversion or exchange rights, voting rights, dividend rights, redemption provisions, voluntary and involuntary liquidation rights and other rights as the Board may determine at the time of issuance.

The rights of the holders of our common stock are subject to any rights and preferences of the outstanding series of preferred stock and the preferred stock offered in this prospectus. In addition, the rights of the holders of our common stock and any outstanding series of our preferred stock would be subject to the rights and preferences of any additional shares of preferred stock, or any series thereof, which might be issued in the future.

Terms of Preferred Stock

The preferred stock will, when issued, be fully paid and nonassessable. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, the shares of each series of preferred stock will upon issuance rank on parity in all respects with our currently existing series of preferred stock, described below, and each other series of our preferred stock outstanding at that time. Holders of the preferred stock will have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any additional securities that may be issued by us. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., Canton, MA, will be the transfer agent and registrar for the preferred stock.

Because we are a holding company, our rights and the rights of holders of our securities, including the holders of preferred stock, to participate in the assets of any PNC subsidiary upon its liquidation or recapitalization will be subject to the prior claims of such subsidiary’s creditors and preferred shareholders, except to the extent we may be a creditor with recognized claims against such subsidiary or a holder of preferred shares of such subsidiary.

We may elect to offer depositary shares evidenced by depositary receipts. If we so elect, each depositary share will represent a fractional interest (to be specified in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of preferred stock) in a share of a particular series of preferred stock issued and deposited with a depositary (as defined below). For a further description of the depositary shares, you should read “Description of Depositary Shares” below.

Dividends and Other Payments

The holders of the preferred stock will be entitled to receive dividends, if declared by the Board or a duly authorized committee thereof. The applicable prospectus supplement will specify the dividend rate and dates on which dividends will be payable. The rate may be fixed or variable or both. If the dividend rate is variable, the

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applicable prospectus supplement will describe the formula used for determining the dividend rate for each dividend period. We will pay dividends to the holders of record as they appear on our stock books on the record dates fixed by the Board or a duly authorized committee thereof. We may pay dividends in the form of cash or preferred stock (of the same or a different series) or common stock of PNC, in each case as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Any series of preferred stock will, with respect to the priority of payment of dividends, rank senior to all classes of common stock and any class of preferred stock we issue that specifically provides that it will rank junior to such preferred stock in respect to dividends, whether or not the preferred stock is designated as cumulative or noncumulative.

The applicable prospectus supplement will state whether dividends on any series of preferred stock are cumulative or noncumulative. If our board of directors does not declare a dividend payable on a dividend payment date on any noncumulative preferred stock, then the holders of that noncumulative preferred stock will not be entitled to receive a dividend for that dividend period, and we will have no obligation to pay any dividend for that dividend period, even if our board of directors declares a dividend on that series payable in the future. Dividends on any cumulative preferred stock will accrue from the date of issuance or the date specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The Board will not declare and pay a dividend on our common stock or on any class or series of our stock ranking subordinate as to dividends to a series of preferred stock (other than dividends payable in our common stock or in any class or series of our stock ranking subordinate as to dividends and assets to such series), until we have paid in full dividends for all past dividend periods on all outstanding senior ranking cumulative preferred stock and have declared a current dividend on all preferred stock ranking senior to that series. If we do not pay in full dividends for any dividend period on all shares of preferred stock ranking equally as to dividends, all such shares will participate ratably in the payment of dividends for that period in proportion to the full amounts of dividends to which they are entitled.

Subject to certain important exceptions, the terms of certain of our outstanding series of capital securities prohibit us from paying dividends on or redeeming, purchasing, acquiring or making a liquidation payment with respect to our preferred stock unless all accrued and unpaid dividends for all completed dividend periods with respect to such capital security have been paid.

In addition, we have outstanding junior subordinated debentures associated with certain capital securities. The terms of these debentures permit us to defer interest payments on the debentures for up to five years. If we defer interest payments on these debentures, subject to certain important exceptions, we may not pay any dividends on, redeem, purchase, acquire or make a liquidation payment with respect to any of our preferred stock during the deferral period.

Dividends from our subsidiary banks are the primary source of funds for payment of dividends to holders of preferred stock, and there are statutory limits on the amount of dividends that our subsidiary banks can pay to us without regulatory approval. We are a holding company that conducts substantially all of our operations through our bank subsidiaries and other subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to make dividend payments on the preferred stock depends on the receipt of dividends and other distributions from our subsidiaries. There are various regulatory restrictions on the ability of our banking subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other payments to us, and those restrictions can vary among the different subsidiaries based on performance, capital and other factors.

For further information concerning dividend restrictions and other factors that could limit our ability to pay dividends, as well as restrictions on loans, dividends or advances from bank subsidiaries to the parent company, see the following sections of the 2017 Form 10-K: Supervision and Regulation section in Item 1 Business, Item 1A Risk Factors, the Liquidity and Capital Management portion of the Risk Management section in Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 10 Borrowed

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Funds, Note 15 Equity and Note 18 Regulatory Matters in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Voting

Except as provided in this prospectus or in the applicable prospectus supplement, or as required by applicable law, the holders of preferred stock will not be entitled to vote. Except as otherwise required by law or provided by the Board and described in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of preferred stock having voting rights and holders of common stock vote together as one class. Holders of preferred stock do not have cumulative voting rights. We are not required to obtain any consent of the holders of preferred stock of a given series in connection with the authorization, designation, increase or issuance of any shares of preferred stock that rank junior or equal to the preferred stock of such series with respect to dividends and liquidation rights.

Right to Elect Two Directors upon Nonpayment of Dividends. If we have failed to pay, or declare and set apart for payment, dividends on all outstanding shares of preferred stock in an amount that equals six quarterly dividends at the applicable dividend rate for such preferred stock, whether or not cumulative, then the number of directors on the Board will be increased by two at the first annual meeting of shareholders held thereafter, and at such meeting and each subsequent annual meeting held until cumulative dividends payable for all past dividend periods and continuous noncumulative dividends for at least one year on all outstanding shares of preferred stock entitled thereto shall have been paid, or declared and set apart for payment, in full, the holders of all outstanding preferred stock voting together as a class will be entitled to elect those two additional directors to hold office for a term of one year. Upon such payment, or declaration and setting apart for payment, in full, the terms of the two additional directors will end, the number of directors on the Board will be reduced by two and such voting rights of the holders of preferred stock will end, subject to an increase in the number of directors on the Board as described above and the revesting of this voting right in the event of each and every additional failure in the payment of dividends in an amount equal to six quarterly dividends as described above.

Under interpretations adopted by the Federal Reserve or its staff, if the holders of preferred stock of any series become entitled to vote for the election of directors because dividends on such series are in arrears as described above, that series may then be deemed a “class of voting securities” and a holder of 25% or more of such series (or a holder of 5% or more if it otherwise exercises a “controlling influence” over PNC) may then be subject to regulation as a bank holding company in accordance with the Bank Holding Company Act. In addition, when the series is deemed a class of voting securities, any other bank holding company may be required to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve to acquire more than 5% of that series, and any person other than a bank holding company may be required to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve to acquire 10% or more of that series.

Voting Rights under Pennsylvania Law. The PBCL attaches mandatory voting rights to preferred stock in connection with certain amendments to a company’s articles of incorporation, providing that the holders of preferred stock of a particular series would be entitled to vote as a class if the amendment would:

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Holders of outstanding shares of preferred stock are also entitled under Pennsylvania law to vote as a class on a plan of merger that effects any change in the company’s articles of incorporation if the holders would have been entitled to a class vote under the statutory provision relating to the adoption of articles amendments discussed above.

Liquidation of PNC

In the event of the voluntary or involuntary liquidation of PNC, the holders of each outstanding series of preferred stock will be entitled to receive liquidating distributions before any distribution is made to the holders of our common stock or of any class or series of our stock ranking subordinate to that series, in the amount fixed by the Board for that series and described in the applicable prospectus supplement, plus, if dividends on that series are cumulative, accrued and unpaid dividends.

Subject to certain important exceptions, the terms of certain of our outstanding capital securities prohibit us from making a liquidation payment with respect to our preferred stock unless all accrued and unpaid dividends for all completed dividend periods with respect to that capital security have been paid.

In addition, we have outstanding junior subordinated debentures associated with certain capital securities. The terms of these debentures permit us to defer interest payments on the debentures for up to five years. If we defer interest payments on these debentures, subject to certain important exceptions, we may not make a liquidation payment with respect to any of our preferred stock during the deferral period.

Other Provisions

Redemption by PNC

We may redeem the whole or any part of the preferred stock at the times and at the amount for each share set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

We may acquire preferred stock from time to time at the price or prices that we determine. If cumulative dividends, if any, payable for all past quarterly dividends have not been paid, or declared and set apart for payment, in full, we may not acquire preferred stock except in accordance with an offer made in writing or by publication to all holders of record of shares of preferred stock.

Subject to certain important exceptions, the terms of certain of our outstanding capital securities prohibit us from redeeming our preferred stock unless all accrued and unpaid dividends for all completed dividend periods with respect to that capital security have been paid.

In addition, we have outstanding junior subordinated debentures associated with certain capital securities. The terms of these debentures permit us to defer interest payments on the debentures for up to five years. If we defer interest payments on these debentures, subject to certain important exceptions, we may not redeem any of our preferred stock during the deferral period.

Redemption of preferred stock is generally subject to prior regulatory approval.

Conversion

The applicable prospectus supplement may set forth the rights, if any, for a holder of preferred stock to convert that preferred stock into our common stock or any other class of our capital securities.

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Outstanding Preferred Stock

We have six outstanding series of preferred stock, with the following amounts outstanding as of December 1, 2018:

As of the date of this prospectus, the following authorized and issued preferred stock has been redeemed and is no longer outstanding:

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Additionally, the Series N Preferred Stock issued under the TARP Capital Purchase Program has been redeemed, the Series G Junior Participating Preferred Stock authorized in connection with our expired rights plan was never issued, we have redeemed all of the PNC Preferred Funding Trust II and Trust III securities that had been exchangeable into Series I and Series J Preferred Stock, respectively, and we have redeemed the Series A Preferred Stock of PNC REIT Corp. that had been exchangeable into Series H Preferred Stock.

Computershare Trust Company, N.A., Canton, MA, is transfer agent and registrar for all outstanding series of preferred stock.

Summary of Key Terms of Outstanding Preferred Stock

The following is a summary of certain terms of our outstanding preferred stock. To the extent not included in the table, we have also described certain aspects of our outstanding preferred stock below.

Series B Preferred Stock

Holders of outstanding Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to cumulative dividends at the annual rate set forth above in the table titled “Summary of Certain Key Terms of Preferred Stock,” which are payable quarterly when and as declared by the Board.

Holders of outstanding Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to a number of votes equal to the number of full shares of common stock into which their preferred stock is convertible. Unless we receive the consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of preferred stock of all series, we will not:

Holders of outstanding Series B Preferred Stock currently are entitled to the conversion privileges set forth above in the table titled “Summary of Certain Key Terms of Preferred Stock.” Series B Preferred Stock is convertible into our common stock (unless called for redemption and not converted within the time allowed therefor) at any time at the option of the holder. No adjustment will be made for dividends on preferred stock converted or on common stock issuable upon conversion. The conversion rate of Series B Preferred Stock will be adjusted in certain events, including payment of stock dividends on, or splits or combinations of, the common stock or issuance to holders of common stock of rights to purchase common stock at a price per share less than 90% of current market price as defined in the Articles of Incorporation. Appropriate adjustments in the conversion provisions also will be made in the event of certain reclassifications, consolidations or mergers or the sale of substantially all of the assets of PNC.

Series B Preferred Stock is currently traded in the over-the-counter market.

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Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock

Dividends

Dividends on shares of the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R and S Preferred Stock are not mandatory. Holders of such series of preferred stock are entitled to receive, when, as, and if declared by the Board or a duly authorized committee thereof, out of assets legally available for the payment of dividends under Pennsylvania law, non-cumulative cash dividends based on the liquidation preference of such series of preferred stock at a rate equal to:

In the event we issue additional shares of any such series of preferred stock after the original issue date, dividends on such shares will accrue from the original issue date of such additional shares.

A dividend period for any such series of preferred stock is the period from and including a dividend payment date to, but excluding, the next dividend payment date. Dividends payable on any such series of preferred stock for the period in which the interest rate is fixed are computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months. Dividends payable on any such series of preferred stock for any period in which the interest rate is based on three-month LIBOR will be computed based on the actual number of days in a dividend period and a 360-day year. Dollar amounts resulting from that calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent, with one-half cent being rounded upward. Dividends on any such series of preferred stock will cease to accrue on the redemption date, if any, as described below under “—Redemption,” unless we default in the payment of the redemption price of the shares called for redemption.

Dividends on shares of Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock are not cumulative. Accordingly, if the Board or a duly authorized committee thereof does not declare a dividend

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payable in respect of any dividend period before the related dividend payment date, such dividend will not accrue and we will have no obligation to pay a dividend for that dividend period on the dividend payment date or at any future time, whether or not dividends on such series of preferred stock are declared for any future dividend period.

During a dividend period with respect to each of the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock, so long as any share of such series remains outstanding, (i) no dividend will be declared or paid or set aside for payment and no distribution will be declared or made or set aside for payment on any junior stock (other than (a) a dividend payable solely in such junior stock or (b) any dividend in connection with the implementation of a shareholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of any rights under any such plan), (ii) no shares of junior stock will be repurchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired for consideration by us (other than (a) as a result of a reclassification of such junior stock for or into other such junior stock, (b the exchange or conversion of one share of such junior stock for or into another share of such junior stock, (c) through the use of the proceeds of a substantially contemporaneous sale of other shares of such junior stock, (d) purchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of such junior stock in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of employees, officers, directors or consultants, (e) purchases of shares of such junior stock pursuant to a contractually binding requirement to buy such junior stock existing prior to the preceding dividend period, including under a contractually binding stock repurchase plan, or (f) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of such junior stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such stock or the security being converted or exchanged), nor will any monies be paid to or made available for a sinking fund for the redemption of any such securities by us and (iii) no shares of parity stock will be repurchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired for consideration by us otherwise than pursuant to pro rata offers to purchase all, or a pro rata portion, of the applicable series of preferred stock and such parity stock except by conversion into or exchange for junior stock, unless, in each case of clause (i) through (iii) above, the full dividends for the preceding dividend period on all outstanding shares of Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock, as applicable, have been declared and paid or declared and a sum sufficient for the payment thereof has been set aside.

As used in this description, (i) “junior stock” means our common stock and any other class or series of our stock hereafter authorized over which the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock, as applicable, has preference or priority in the payment of dividends or in the distribution of assets on any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of PNC and (ii) “parity stock” means any other class or series of our stock that ranks on parity with the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock, as applicable, in the payment of dividends and in the distribution of assets on any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of PNC. The following series of preferred stock are considered parity stock: Series B, Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock, and Series H and Series I Preferred Stock, if issued.

When dividends are not paid in full upon the shares of Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock, as applicable, and any parity stock, all dividends declared upon shares of such series of preferred stock and any parity stock will be declared on a proportional basis so that the amount of dividends declared per share will bear to each other the same ratio that accrued dividends for such series of preferred stock, and accrued dividends, including any accumulations, on any parity stock, bear to each other for the then-current dividend period.

Dividends on the Series Q, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock will not be declared, paid or set aside for payment to the extent such act would cause us to fail to comply with the laws and regulations applicable to us, including applicable capital adequacy guidelines.

Subject to the foregoing, and not otherwise, dividends (payable in cash, stock or otherwise), as may be determined by the Board or a duly authorized committee thereof, may be declared and paid on our common stock and any other stock ranking equally with or junior to any of the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock from time to time out of any assets legally available for such payment, and the holders of Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock shall not be entitled to participate in any such dividend.

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Voting Rights

Except as described above under “Terms of Preferred Stock—Voting,” or otherwise in this prospectus or in the applicable prospectus supplement, or as required by applicable law, holders of the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock have no voting rights.

So long as any shares of the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock, as applicable, remain outstanding, the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of all outstanding shares of the series, voting separately as a class, shall be required to:

The foregoing voting provisions will not apply if, at or prior to the time when the act with respect to which such vote would otherwise be required shall be effected, all outstanding shares of Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock, as applicable, have been redeemed or called for redemption upon proper notice and sufficient funds shall have been set aside by us for the benefit of the holders of such series of preferred stock to effect such redemption.

Redemption

The Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock are not subject to any mandatory redemption, sinking fund or other similar provisions, and the holders of such series of preferred stock have no right to require the redemption or repurchase of such series of preferred stock (or any depositary shares representing such series of preferred stock).

The Series O Preferred Stock is redeemable at our option, in whole or part, on any dividend payment date on or after August 1, 2021, at a redemption price equal to $100,000 per share (equivalent to $1,000 per depositary share), plus any declared and unpaid dividends, without accumulation of any undeclared dividends.

The Series P Preferred Stock is redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, from time to time, on any dividend payment date on or after May 1, 2022, at a redemption price equal to $100,000 per share (equivalent to $25.00 per depositary share), plus any declared and unpaid dividends, without accumulation of any undeclared dividends.

The Series Q Preferred Stock is currently redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, from time to time, on any dividend payment date, at a redemption price equal to $100,000 per share (equivalent to $25.00 per depositary share), plus any declared and unpaid dividends, without accumulation of any undeclared dividends.

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The Series R Preferred Stock is redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, from time to time, on any dividend payment date on or after June 1, 2023, at a redemption price equal to $100,000 per share (equivalent to $1,000 per depositary share), plus any declared and unpaid dividends, without accumulation of any undeclared dividends.

The Series S Preferred Stock is redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, from time to time, on any dividend payment date on or after November 1, 2026, at a redemption price equal to $100,000 per share (equivalent to $1,000 per depositary share), plus any declared and unpaid dividends, without accumulation of any undeclared dividends.

We may redeem shares of the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock at any time within 90 days following the occurrence of a regulatory capital treatment event (as defined below), in whole but not part, at a redemption price equal to $100,000 per share of preferred stock (equivalent to $1,000 per depositary share in the case of the Series O, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock and $25.00 per depositary share in the case of the Series P and Series Q Preferred Stock), plus any declared and unpaid dividends and any accrued and unpaid dividends on the shares of preferred stock called for redemption up to the redemption date. A “regulatory capital treatment event” means the good faith determination by us that, as a result of (i) any amendment to, or change in, the laws or regulations of the United States or any political subdivision of or in the United States that is enacted or becomes effective after the initial issuance of any share of the applicable series of preferred stock; (ii) any proposed change in those laws or regulations that is announced after the initial issuance of any share of the applicable series of preferred stock; or (iii) any official administrative decision or judicial decision or administrative action or other official pronouncement interpreting or applying those laws or regulations that is announced after the initial issuance of any share of the applicable series of preferred stock, there is more than an insubstantial risk that we will not be entitled to treat the full liquidation value of the shares of the applicable series of preferred stock then outstanding as “Tier 1 capital” (or its equivalent) for purposes of the regulatory capital rules of the Federal Reserve (or, as and if applicable, the regulatory capital regulations of any successor appropriate federal banking agency), as then in effect and applicable, for as long as any share of the applicable series of preferred stock is outstanding.

Redemption of the Series O, Series P, Series Q, Series R or Series S Preferred Stock, as applicable, is subject to our receipt of any required prior approvals from the Federal Reserve and to the satisfaction of any conditions set forth in the capital guidelines of the Federal Reserve applicable to the redemption of such series of preferred stock.

Listing

The Series O, Series R and Series S Preferred Stock are currently traded in the over-the-counter market. The Series P Preferred Stock and Series Q Preferred Stock are listed on the NYSE under the symbols “PNCPRP” and “PNCPRQ,” respectively.

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DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES

We may, at our option, elect to offer fractional interests in the preferred stock, rather than whole shares of preferred stock. If we do so, we will provide for the issuance by a depositary to the public of receipts for depositary shares, and each of these depositary shares will represent a fraction of a share of a particular series of preferred stock. We will specify that fraction in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The shares of any series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement between us and a depositary selected by us. The depositary will be a bank or trust company and will have its principal office in the United States and a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. The prospectus supplement relating to a series of depositary shares will set forth the name and address of the depositary. Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable fractional interest in a share of preferred stock underlying that depositary share, to all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock underlying that depositary share. Those rights include dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and liquidation rights.

The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued under the deposit agreement. If you purchase the fractional interests in the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares, you will receive depositary receipts as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Dividends and Other Distributions

The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions received in respect of the preferred stock to the record holders of related depositary shares in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by those holders.

If we make a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary shares that are entitled to receive the distribution, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution. If this occurs, the depositary may, with our approval, sell the property and distribute the net proceeds from the sale to the applicable holders.

Redemption of Depositary Shares

Whenever we redeem shares of preferred stock that are held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem, as of the same redemption date, the number of depositary shares representing the shares of preferred stock so redeemed. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the applicable fraction of the redemption price per share payable with respect to that series of preferred stock. If fewer than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary will select the depositary shares to be redeemed by lot or pro rata as may be determined by the depositary.

Depositary shares called for redemption will no longer be outstanding after the applicable redemption date, and all rights of the holders of these depositary shares will cease, except the right to receive any money or other property upon surrender to the depositary of the depositary receipts evidencing those depositary shares.

Voting the Preferred Stock

Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of preferred stock are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in the notice of meeting to the record holders of depositary shares representing shares of such preferred stock. Each record holder of those depositary shares on the record date (which will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock) will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount of preferred stock underlying that holder’s depositary shares. The depositary will try, insofar as practicable, to vote the number of shares of preferred stock

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underlying those depositary shares in accordance with those instructions, and we will agree to take all action which the depositary deems necessary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will not vote the shares of preferred stock to the extent it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing shares of such preferred stock.

Conversion of Preferred Stock

If a series of the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares is convertible into shares of our common stock or any other class of our capital securities, we will accept the delivery of depositary receipts to convert the preferred stock using the same procedures as those for delivery of certificates for the preferred stock. If the depositary shares represented by a depositary receipt are to be converted in part only, the depositary will issue a new depositary receipt or depositary receipts for the depositary shares that are not converted.

Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement

We and the depositary may amend the form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement at any time. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary shares will not be effective unless the amendment has been approved by the holders of at least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding. We or the depositary may terminate the deposit agreement only if (i) all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed or (ii) there has been a final distribution of the underlying preferred stock in connection with any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of PNC.

Charges of Depositary

We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will also pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred stock and any redemption of the preferred stock. Holders of depositary shares will pay other transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and such other charges as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts.

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may remove the depositary at any time. Any such resignation or removal will take effect only upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of its appointment. The successor depositary must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000.

Miscellaneous

The depositary will forward to the holders of depositary shares all reports and communications that we deliver to the depositary and that we are required to furnish to the holders of the preferred stock.

Neither we nor the depositary will be liable if we are prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond our control in performing our obligations under the deposit agreement. Our obligations and the obligations of the depositary under the deposit agreement will be limited to performance in good faith of our respective duties under the deposit agreement. Neither we nor the depositary will be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding relating to any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. Both we and the depositary may rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, or upon information provided by holders of depositary shares or other persons we believe to be competent, and on documents we believe to be genuine. The depositary may also rely on information provided by us.

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DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS

We may issue purchase contracts, including purchase contracts issued as part of a unit with one or more other securities, for the purchase or sale of:

The price of our debt securities or price per share of common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares, as applicable, may be fixed at the time the purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula contained in the purchase contracts. We may issue purchase contracts in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish.

The applicable prospectus supplement may contain, where applicable, the following information about the purchase contracts issued under it:

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any purchase contracts. The preceding description and any description of purchase contracts in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the purchase contract agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such purchase contracts.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:

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The preceding description and any description of units in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the unit agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such units.

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants to purchase debt securities, common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares. We may issue warrants independently of or together with any other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from such securities. We will issue each series of warrants under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrant of such series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency for or with holders or beneficial owners of warrants. The following sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer. Further terms of the warrants and the applicable warrant agreement will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Debt Warrants

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any debt warrants, including the following:

Stock Warrants

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any stock warrants, including the following:

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GLOBAL SECURITIES

Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue securities in registered and not bearer form. This means that our obligation runs to the holder of the security named on the face of the security. Each security in registered form will be represented either by a certificate issued in definitive form to a particular investor or by one or more global securities representing the entire issuance of securities.

We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names, on the books that we, the trustee or an agent maintain for this purpose, as the “holders” of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names as indirect owners of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect owners are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in global or book-entry form or in street name will be indirect owners.

Street Name Owners

If we issue certificated securities in definitive form registered in the names of the beneficial owners, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in street name. Securities held in street name would be registered in the name of a broker, bank or other financial institution that the investor chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those securities through an account he or she maintains at that institution.

For securities held in street name, we will recognize only the intermediary banks, brokers or other financial institutions in whose names the securities are registered as the holders of those securities, and we will make all payments on those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect owners, not holders, of those securities.

Legal Holders

Our obligations, as well as the obligations of the trustee under any indenture and the obligations, if any, of any warrant agents, unit agents, depository for depository shares and any other third parties employed by us, the trustee or any of those agents, run only to the holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, who hold the securities in street name or who hold the securities by any other indirect means. This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect owner of a security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global form. For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the holder, we have no further responsibility for that payment or notice even if that holder, despite being obligated by law or under agreements with the depository participants or customers to pass it along to the indirect owners, fails to do so. Similarly, if we want to obtain the approval of the holders for any purpose, such as to amend the indenture for a series of debt securities, the warrant agreement for a series of warrants or the unit agreement for a series of units or to relieve us of the consequences of a default or of our obligations to comply with a particular provision of an indenture, we would seek the approval only from the holders, and not the indirect owners, of the relevant securities. Whether and how the holders contact the indirect owners is up to the holders.

When we refer to “you” in this prospectus, we mean those who invest in the securities being offered by this prospectus, whether they are the holders or only indirect owners of those securities. When we refer to “your securities” in this prospectus, we mean the securities in which you will hold a direct or indirect interest, as the case may be.

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Book-Entry Only Issuance

Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue each security in global or book-entry form. This means that we will not issue certificated securities in definitive form to investors. Instead, we will issue global securities in registered form representing the entire issuance of securities. Each global security will be registered in the name of a financial institution or clearing system that holds the global security as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in that depositary’s book-entry system. These participating institutions, in turn, hold beneficial interests in the global securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.

Because securities issued in global form are registered in the name of the depositary, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities. This means that we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary passes along the payments it receives from us to its participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its participants are not obligated to pass these payments along under the terms of the securities. Instead, they do so under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers.

As a result, investors will not own securities issued in book-entry form directly. Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a bank, broker, or other financial institution that participates in the depositary’s book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant in the depositary’s book-entry system. As long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect owners, and not holders, of the securities. The depositary will not have knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities.

Book-Entry System

The securities depositary will be The Depository Trust Company, New York, NY, known as DTC, unless otherwise identified in the applicable prospectus supplement. If DTC is the depositary for an issuance of securities, the issuance will be issued as fully registered securities registered in the name of Cede & Co. (DTC’s partnership nominee) or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. One fully registered security certificate will be issued for each issue of securities, each in the aggregate principal amount of such issue, and will be deposited with DTC. If, however, the aggregate amount of any issue exceeds $500 million, one certificate will be issued with respect to each $500 million of such issue and an additional certificate will be issued with respect to any remaining amount of such issue.

If so stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, investors may elect to hold their interest in the global securities through either DTC, Clearstream Banking, société anonyme (“Clearstream”) or Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. (“Euroclear”) if they are participants in these systems, or indirectly through organizations which are participants in these systems. Clearstream and Euroclear in turn will hold interests in such global securities as participants on the books of DTC.

DTC, the world’s largest securities depository, is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. DTC holds and provides asset servicing for over 3.5 million issues of U.S. and non-U.S. equity issues, corporate and municipal debt issues, and money market instruments (from over 100 countries) that DTC’s participants (“direct participants”) deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the post-trade settlement among direct participants of sales and other securities transactions in deposited securities, through electronic computerized book-entry transfers and pledges between direct participants’ accounts. This eliminates the need for physical movement of securities certificates. Direct participants include both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”). DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered

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clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, and clearing corporations that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly (“indirect participants”).

Clearstream is incorporated under the laws of Luxembourg as an international clearing system. Clearstream holds securities for its participants and facilitates the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between its participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. Clearstream provides its participants with, among other things, services for safekeeping, administration, clearance and settlement of internationally traded securities and securities lending and borrowing. Clearstream interfaces with domestic securities markets in several countries. As a professional depositary, Clearstream is subject to regulation by the Luxembourg Commission for the Supervision of the Financial Sector, also known as the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. Clearstream participants are recognized financial institutions around the world, including underwriters, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. Clearstream’s participants in the U.S. are limited to securities brokers and dealers and banks. Indirect access to Clearstream is also available to other institutions such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with Clearstream participants either directly or indirectly. Distributions with respect to interests in global securities held through Clearstream will be credited to cash accounts of its participants in accordance with its rules and procedures, to the extent received by the U.S. depositary for Clearstream.

Euroclear was created in 1968 to hold securities for its participants and to clear and settle transactions between its participants through simultaneous electronic book-entry delivery against payment, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates and any risk from lack of simultaneous transfers of securities and cash. Euroclear provides various other services, including securities lending and borrowing, and interacts with domestic markets in several countries. Euroclear is operated by Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. (the “Euroclear operator”) under contract with Euroclear plc, a U.K. corporation. All operations are conducted by the Euroclear operator, and all Euroclear securities clearance accounts and Euroclear cash accounts are accounts with the Euroclear operator, not Euroclear plc. Euroclear plc establishes policy for Euroclear on behalf of Euroclear participants. Euroclear participants include banks, including central banks, securities brokers and dealers and other professional financial intermediaries. Indirect access to Euroclear is also available to other firms that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Euroclear participant, either directly or indirectly. Euroclear is an indirect participant in DTC.

Purchases of the securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of each actual purchaser of each security, referred to herein as the “beneficial owner,” is in turn to be recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions and periodic statements of their holdings, in each case from the direct or indirect participant through which the beneficial owner entered into the transaction. Transfers of ownership interests in the securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of direct and indirect participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the securities unless the use of the book-entry system for the securities is discontinued.

The deposit of global securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee do not effect any change in beneficial ownership. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the global securities; DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts global securities are credited, which participants may or may not be the beneficial owners. The direct participants and indirect participants will remain responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by

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arrangements among them, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time.

None of DTC, Cede & Co., or any other DTC nominee will consent or vote with respect to the securities unless authorized by a direct participant in accordance with DTC’s Money Market Instrument procedures. Under its usual procedures, DTC mails an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns Cede & Co.’s consenting or voting rights to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited on the record date (identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy).

To the extent any issuance of securities is redeemable, we will send redemption notices to DTC. If less than all of the securities within an issue are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in such issue to be redeemed. The applicable prospectus supplement for an issuance of securities will indicate whether such issue is redeemable.

A beneficial owner must give any required notice of its election to have its securities repurchased through the participant through which it holds its beneficial interest in the security to the applicable trustee or tender agent. The beneficial owner shall effect delivery of its securities by causing the direct participant to transfer its interest in the securities on DTC’s records. The requirement for physical delivery of securities in connection with an optional tender or a mandatory purchase will be deemed satisfied when the ownership rights in the securities are transferred by the direct participant on DTC’s records and followed by a book-entry credit of tendered securities to the applicable trustee or agent’s DTC account.

Redemption proceeds, distributions, and dividend payments on the global securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detailed information from us or our agent, on the applicable payable date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC’s records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as in the case of securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” These payments will be the responsibility of such participant and not DTC, PNC or any agent thereof, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions, and dividend payments to Cede & Co. (or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC) will be the responsibility of PNC or its agent. Disbursement of such payments to direct participants will be the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of such payments to beneficial owners will be the responsibility of direct or indirect participants. None of PNC, any trustee or agent, or the registrar for the securities will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests of the global security or global securities for any series of securities or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial interests.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as depositary with respect to any securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us or our agent. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, security certificates in definitive form will be printed and delivered to DTC. In addition, we may decide to discontinue use of the system of book-entry-only transfers through DTC (or a successor securities depositary). In that event, security certificates in definitive form are required to be printed and delivered to DTC.

Neither we nor the principal paying agent will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of securities by DTC, Clearstream or Euroclear, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records of those organizations relating to the securities.

We have provided the descriptions of the operations and procedures of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear solely as a matter of convenience. The information in this section has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for its accuracy. The depositaries may change or discontinue the foregoing procedures at any time.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

These securities may be distributed under this prospectus from time to time in one or more transactions:

Each time we sell securities, we will describe the method of distribution of the securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

We may offer and sell the debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, purchase contracts, units and warrants being offered by this prospectus:

In addition, we may issue securities as a dividend or distribution, in a subscription rights offering to our existing holders or in exchange for outstanding securities. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will name any underwriter, dealer or agent involved in the offer and sale of the securities. The prospectus supplement will also set forth the terms of the offering, including the purchase price of the securities and the net proceeds we will receive from the sale of the securities, any underwriting discounts and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation related to the offering, public offering or purchase price and any discounts or commissions allowed or paid to dealers, any commissions allowed or paid to agents and any securities exchanges on which the securities may be listed.

Distribution through Underwriters

We may offer and sell securities from time to time to one or more underwriters who would purchase the securities as principal for resale to the public, either on a firm commitment or best efforts basis. If the securities are sold to underwriters, we will execute an underwriting agreement with them at the time of the sale and we will name them in the applicable prospectus supplement. In connection with these sales, the underwriters will receive compensation in the form of underwriting commissions, which will be paid by us. The underwriters also may receive commissions from purchasers of securities for whom they may act as agent. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters will not be obligated to purchase the securities unless the conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement are satisfied, and if the underwriters purchase any of the securities, they will be required to purchase all of the offered securities. The underwriters may acquire the securities for their own account and may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or varying prices determined at the time of sale. The underwriters may sell the offered securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive discounts, concessions, or commissions from the underwriters as well as from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.

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Distribution through Dealers

We may offer and sell securities from time to time to one or more dealers who would purchase the securities as principal. The dealers then may resell the offered securities to the public at fixed or varying prices to be determined by the dealers at the time of resale. We will set forth the names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Distribution through Agents

We may offer and sell securities on a continuous basis through agents that become parties to an underwriting or distribution agreement. We will name any agent involved in the offer and sale and describe any commissions payable by us in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the agent will be acting on a best efforts basis during the appointment period.

Direct Sales

We may sell directly to, and solicit offers from, institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters, as defined in the Securities Act of 1933, for any resale of the securities. We will describe the terms of any sales of this kind in the applicable prospectus supplement.

At-the-Market Offerings

To the extent that we make sales to or through one or more underwriters or agents in at-the-market offerings, we will do so pursuant to the terms of a distribution agreement between us and the underwriters or agents. If we engage in at-the-market sales pursuant to a distribution agreement, we will issue and sell shares of our common stock to or through one or more underwriters or agents, which may act on an agency basis or on a principal basis. During the term of any such agreement, we may sell shares on a daily basis in exchange transactions or otherwise as we agree with the underwriters or agents. The distribution agreement will provide that any shares of our common stock sold will be sold at prices related to the then prevailing market prices for our common stock. The terms of each such distribution agreement will be set forth in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. In the event that any underwriter or agent acts as principal, or any broker-dealer acts as underwriter, it may engage in certain transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of our securities. We will describe any such activities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Selling Security Holders

If any securities are sold pursuant to this prospectus by any persons other than us, we will, in a prospectus supplement, name the selling security holder and provide the information required under the Securities Act, including the name of the selling security holder, the security or securities to be offered and sold, and information about any underwriters or agents, including commissions that we or the selling security holder must pay.

General

In connection with offerings made through underwriters or agents, we may enter into agreements with such underwriters or agents pursuant to which we receive our outstanding securities in consideration for the securities being offered to the public for cash. In connection with these arrangements, the underwriters or agents may also sell securities covered by this prospectus to hedge their positions in these outstanding securities, including in short sale transactions. If so, the underwriters or agents may use the securities received from us under these arrangements to close out any related open borrowings of securities.

We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in

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connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment).

We may loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities using this prospectus. Such financial institution or third party may transfer its short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a simultaneous offering of other securities offered by this prospectus.

Securities may be offered and sold, if so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing after their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to their terms, or otherwise, by one or more firms, including our affiliates, acting as principals for their own accounts, for the account of holders of the securities, or as our agent. Any such firm will be identified and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Such firms may be deemed to be underwriters, as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933, in connection with the securities remarketed thereby.

If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain institutional investors to purchase securities from us pursuant to contracts providing for payment and delivery at a future date. In all cases, these purchasers must be approved by us. Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, the obligations of any purchaser under any of these contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that (i) the purchase of the securities must not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction to which that purchaser is subject and (ii) if the securities are also being sold to underwriters, we must have sold to these underwriters the securities not subject to delayed delivery. Underwriters and other agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of these contracts.

Underwriters, dealers, agents and other persons may be entitled under agreements which may be entered into with us to indemnification against and contribution toward certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933 and to be reimbursed by us for certain expenses.

Subject to any restrictions relating to debt securities in bearer form, any securities initially sold outside the United States may be resold in the United States through underwriters, dealers or otherwise.

Each series of securities other than our common stock will be a new issue of securities with no established trading market prior to its original issue date. The securities offered by this prospectus may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange or a foreign securities exchange. Any underwriters to whom offered securities are sold by us for public offering and sale may make a market in such securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue doing so at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity or activity of any trading in the offered securities.

In connection with an underwritten offering, the underwriters may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing transactions and syndicate covering transactions in accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Over-allotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which creates a short position for the underwriters. The underwriters may enter bids for, and purchase, securities in the open market in order to stabilize the price of the securities. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions. In addition, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover

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syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions, or otherwise. These activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. Those activities, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

The anticipated date of delivery of the securities offered by this prospectus will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Although we expect that delivery of securities generally will be made against payment on the third business day following the date of any contract for sale, we may specify a longer settlement cycle in the applicable prospectus supplement. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days unless the parties to a trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade those securities on the date of the contract for sale, or on one or more of the next succeeding business days as we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, will be required, by virtue of the fact that those securities initially will settle in T+3, to specify an alternative settlement arrangement at the time of the trade to prevent a failed settlement. Such purchasers should consult their own advisors in connection with that election.

Market-Making Transactions by Affiliates

Following the initial distribution of an offering of securities, our affiliates, including PNC Capital Markets LLC and other affiliates, may use this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement in connection with offers and sales of the securities in the secondary market. These affiliates may act as principal or agent in those transactions. Secondary market sales will be made at prices related to market prices at the time of sale.

Conflicts of Interest

PNC Capital Markets LLC, a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), is an affiliate of PNC. The distribution arrangements for any offering in which PNC Capital Markets LLC participates will comply with the requirements of FINRA Rule 5121 regarding a FINRA member firm’s participation in the distribution of securities of an affiliate. In accordance with Rule 5121, PNC Capital Markets LLC may not make sales in such offering to any discretionary account without the prior approval of the customer.

The maximum commission or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer will not be greater than 8% of the initial gross proceeds from the sale of any security being sold.

The underwriters, agents, and their affiliates may engage in financial or other business transactions with us and our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business. In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, one or more of the underwriters, dealers or agents and/or their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. These investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. These underwriters, dealers, agents or their affiliates that have a lending relationship with us routinely hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, these parties would hedge such exposure to us by entering into transactions that consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities, including potentially the securities offered by this prospectus. Any such short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the securities offered by this prospectus. These broker-dealers or their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

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LEGAL OPINIONS

Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities will be passed upon for us by Alicia G. Powell, Managing Chief Counsel and Corporate Secretary of PNC. Ms. Powell beneficially owns, or has the right to acquire, an aggregate of less than 1% of PNC’s common stock. If the securities are being distributed in an underwritten offering, the validity of the securities will be passed upon for the underwriters by counsel identified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

The consolidated financial statements of BlackRock, Inc. for the year-ended December 31, 2017 incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Estimated expenses that will be incurred by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered under this Registration Statement, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, are as follows:

PNC is incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Sections 1741 and 1742 of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law (“PBCL”) provide that a Pennsylvania corporation has the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation), by reason of the fact that the person is or was a representative of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a representative of another enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the action or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful. In the case of any threatened, pending or completed action by or in the right of the corporation, indemnification of any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to the action by reason of the fact that the person is or was a representative of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a representative of another enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action is permitted if such person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation. No indemnification is permitted with respect to actions by or in the right of the corporation, however, in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person has been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the court of common pleas of the judicial district embracing the county in which the registered office of the corporation is located or the court in which the action was brought determines upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for the expenses that the court of common pleas or other court deems proper.

Section 1743 of the PBCL provides, in general, that a corporation must indemnify any representative of a business corporation who has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action or proceeding

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referred to in Section 1741 or Section 1742 or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter therein, against expenses (including attorney fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith.

Section 1744 of the PBCL provides that, unless ordered by a court, any indemnification under Section 1741 or Section 1742 shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because the officer or director has met the applicable standard of conduct. In accordance with Section 1744 of the PBCL, such determination shall be made (i) by the board of directors by a majority vote of a quorum of directors not parties to the action or proceeding, (ii) if such a quorum is not obtainable or if obtainable and a majority vote of a quorum of disinterest directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (iii) by the shareholders.

Section 1745 of the PBCL provides, in general, that expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by a director or officer in defending any action or proceeding referred to in Subchapter D of Chapter 17 of the PBCL may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such person to repay such amount if it is ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation. Except as otherwise provided in the corporation’s by-laws, advancement of expenses shall be authorized by the board of directors.

Section 1746 of the PBCL provides that the foregoing provisions shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which a person seeking indemnification may be entitled under, among other things, any by-law provision, provided that no indemnification may be made in any case where the act or failure to act giving rise to the claim for indemnification is determined by a court to have constituted willful misconduct or recklessness.

Our By-Laws provide for the mandatory indemnification of directors and officers in accordance with and to the full extent permitted by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as in effect at the time of such indemnification. Our By-Laws also eliminate, to the maximum extent permitted by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for any action taken, or any failure to take any action as a director, except in any case where such elimination is not permitted by law.

Section 1747 of the PBCL provides, in general, that a corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a representative of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a representative of another entity against any liability asserted against the person and incurred by the person in any such capacity, or arising out of the person’s status as such, regardless of whether the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against that liability under the provisions of the PBCL. PNC has purchased directors’ and officers’ liability insurance covering certain liabilities that may be incurred by its directors and officers in connection with the performance of their duties.

The foregoing is only a general summary of certain aspects of Pennsylvania law and our By-Laws dealing with indemnification of directors and officers, and does not purport to be complete. It is qualified in its entirety by reference to the detailed provisions of Sections 1741, 1742, 1743, 1746 and 1747 of the PBCL and our By-Laws.

The following exhibits are filed herewith, will be filed by amendment, or are incorporated herein by reference to other filings:

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(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

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provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the

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following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Pittsburgh, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on December 14, 2018.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

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