Transfer of Title: Junking a Car Where the Title Has a Lienholder on It

Note this is about a car that is currently registered/titled in California (and I live there too).
My procrastination has got me in a big bind.

I bought my car in 1991, and it was paid off by 1995.
The bank sent me a letter confirming the loan was cleared (In 1995).
But the financial institution listed on the title is different than the one on the letter the bank sent.

I never went down to the DMV to clear the title.
I want to get rid of the car. I applied for the California buy back program for junking old cars.
It wasn't approved because of fact that the financial institution name of the lien holder on the title isn't the same as the one in the bank's letter.
They want a statement from the bank that the financial institution listed on the title is the same as the one in the letter.
In the mean time the bank have been acquired and changed several times.
At this point I can't find anyone that can send me a letter verifying that the two name/financial institutions are the same.

I don't even care about the buy back program/getting money, I just want to find a way to get rid of the car (junk it).

Can you suggest anything I can do?

Thank you,
Chris

Transfer of Title: Junking a Car Where the Title Has a Lienholder on It