As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 11, 2004            

Registration No.            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE

SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

One PNC Plaza

249 Fifth Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2707

(412) 762-2000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area

code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

PFPC Inc. Retirement Savings Plan

(Full title of the plan)

William S. Demchak

Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

One PNC Plaza

249 Fifth Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2707

(412) 762-2000

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

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The purpose of this Registration Statement on Form S-8 is to register 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock for issuance pursuant to the PFPC Inc. Retirement Savings Plan (the “Plan”) and an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the Plan.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference

The following documents, each as filed by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (the “Corporation” or “PNC”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated herein by reference:

The Corporation also incorporates by reference any additional documents, other than information in such documents that the SEC allows us to furnish rather than file and any other information that the SEC allows us not to incorporate by reference, subsequently filed by the Corporation with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, and each such document shall be a part of this Registration Statement from the respective date of filing of each such document. These documents may include periodic reports, such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as Proxy Statements. Information in any documents that the Corporation subsequently files with the SEC will automatically update and replace the information previously filed with the information incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement. Any statement or information so modified or replaced shall not be deemed, except as so modified or replaced, to be part of this Registration Statement.

The Plan also incorporates by reference all documents subsequently filed by the Plan with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including the Plan’s Annual Reports on Form 11-K, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, and each such document shall be a part of this Registration Statement from the respective date of filing of each such document. Information in any documents that the Plan subsequently files with the SEC will automatically update and replace the information previously filed with the information incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement. Any statement or information so modified or replaced shall not be deemed, except as so modified or replaced, to be part of this Registration Statement.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Pursuant to Sections 1741-1743 of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988 (Act of December 21, 1988, P.L. 1444) (“PA BCL”), PNC has the power to indemnify its directors and officers against liabilities they may incur in such capacities provided certain standards are met, including good faith and the belief that the particular action is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to

a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. In general, this power to indemnify does not exist in the case of actions against a director or officer by or in the right of the corporation if the person entitled to indemnification shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and to the extent that the person is adjudged to be fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity. A corporation is required to indemnify directors and officers against expenses they may incur in defending actions against them in such capacities if they are successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of such actions. Pursuant to Section 1745 of the PA BCL, PNC has the power to pay expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by a director or officer in a proceeding in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director or officer to repay the amount if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation.

Section 1746 of the PA BCL 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.

PNC’s By-Laws generally 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 and for mandatory advancement of expenses upon receipt of the required undertaking. PNC’s 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 such elimination is not permitted by law.

PNC has purchased directors’ and officers’ liability insurance covering certain liabilities that may be incurred by the Corporation’s directors and officers in connection with the performance of their duties.

Item 8. Exhibits

The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement or, where so indicated, have been previously filed and are incorporated herein by reference. Incorporated document references to filings by the Registrant are to SEC File No. 001-09718.

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to submit the Plan and any amendment thereto to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) in a timely manner and to make all changes required by the IRS in order to qualify the Plan.

Item 9. Undertakings

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

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 Securities 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 Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

The Registrant. 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-8 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 May 11, 2004.

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 date indicated:

The Plan. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the trustees (or other persons who administer the employee benefits plan) have 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 this May 11, 2004.

INDEX TO EXHIBITS