Nearly seven years — and at least $4.7 billion in federal regulatory fines — after Wells Fargo & Co.’s fraudulent customer account scandal erupted in September 2016, the bank is the subject of a federal lawsuit alleging the same conduct with a twist.
Wells Fargo & Company and its subsidiary, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., have agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve their potential criminal and civil liability stemming from a practice between 2002 and 2016 of pressuring employees to meet unrealistic sales goals that led thousands of employees to provide millions of accounts or products to customers under false pretenses or without consent, often by creating false records or misusing customers’ identities, the Department of Justice announced today.
Wells Fargo & Co. agreed Friday to pay a massive $3 billion penalty and to accept a three-year deferred prosecution agreement to avoid a criminal trial over its fake bank account scandal.
Workplace equitySettlementAgainst
Wells Fargo & Co. settled a lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring and lending practices
The settlement involving Wells Fargo & Co. concerns workplace discrimination.
Low- and moderate-income homebuyers from 50 cities will be eligible for new mortgage assistance programs after Wells Fargo & Co. settled a lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring and lending practices.
Corporate conductSettlementAgainst
Wells Fargo settles legal woes from 2016 fake accounts
Wells Fargo hired CEO Charles Scharf in 2019 to address the 2016 fake accounts scandal, resolving the matter through a settlement.
Nearly seven years — and at least $4.7 billion in federal regulatory fines — after Wells Fargo & Co.’s fraudulent customer account scandal erupted in September 2016, the bank is the subject of a federal lawsuit alleging the same conduct with a twist.
Scharf President and CEO Wells Fargo & Company 420 Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94104 Dear Mr. Scharf: In light of growing incidences of fraud in the financial system, we write to request information about the protocols and systems you have in place to protect consumers. In 2023, consumers lost more than $10 billion due to fraud—through both unauthorized and fraudulently induced transactions1—up 14 percent from the year before.2 According to the Federal Trade Commission, in terms of dollars lost, “Bank Transfer or Payment” is the largest payment method used by fraudsters.3 Additionally, the FBI has received reports of nearly $3 billion in losses associated with “business email compromise” scams overall, which are carried out by fraudsters who compromise email accounts to conduct unauthorized transfers of funds— usually by wire.4 Those figures are deeply troubling.
The settlement is the latest regulatory matter resolved under Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf, who was hired in 2019 to clean up the bank's legal woes that began with a 2016 fake accounts scandal.
Wells Fargo & Co. agreed Friday to pay a massive $3 billion penalty and to accept a three-year deferred prosecution agreement to avoid a criminal trial over its fake bank account scandal.
Corporate conductConfirmedAgainst
Wells Fargo & Company pays $87 million civil penalty
Wells Fargo & Company pays $87 million civil money penalty.
Singh Bank of New York, New York, New York Section 19 Letters /boarddocs/legaldevelopments/ordersother/section19/2012/20120312.pdf Letter (PDF) 2012-03-08 2014-09-01 Central Bancorp, Inc., Garland, Texas Written Agreement /newsevents/pressreleases/enforcement20120313a.htm Press Release 2012-02-17 2014-03-14 Commerce Bancshares, Inc., Edina, Minnesota Written Agreement /newsevents/pressreleases/enforcement20120223a.htm Press Release 2012-02-13 Citigroup Inc., New York, New York Civil Money Penalty, $22,000,000 /newsevents/pressreleases/enforcement20120213a.htm Press Release 2012-02-10 Ally Financial Inc., Detroit, Michigan;Residential Capital, LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and GMAC Mortgage, LLC, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania Civil Money Penalty, $207,000,000 /newsevents/pressreleases/enforcement20120213a.htm Press Release 2012-02-09 Wells Fargo & Company, San Francisco, California Civil Money Penalty, $87,000,000 /newsevents/pressreleases/enforcement20120213a.htm Press Release 2012-02-09 JPMorgan Chase & Co., New York, New York and EMC Mortgage Corporation, Lewisville, Texas Civil Money Penalty, $275,000,000 /newsevents/pressreleases/enforcement20120213a.htm Press Release
Workplace equityConfirmedAgainst
Wells Fargo disciplined employee for race complaint
Wells Fargo disciplined and terminated an employee in retaliation for complaining about racial and national origin discrimination, violating Title VII.
An OFCCP investigation found that – from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2014 – Wells Fargo & Co.’s Phone Bank Premier, Home Equity & Online Customer Service (OCS) unit discriminated against 2,066 female applicants for positions as online customer service representatives in Glen Allen, Virginia, and Salt Lake City, Utah, and 282 African American applicants for phone banker positions in Phoenix, Arizona.
A finding by the EEOC determined that Wells Fargo disciplined and terminated a Minneapolis Wells Fargo employee in retaliation for complaining of differential treatment based on her race and national origin in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Labor & working conditionsAllegationYou decide
Wells Fargo is accused of anti-union activity
Wells Fargo is accused of anti-union activity, refusing to bargain in good faith with unionized workers.
In the wake of unfair labor practice (ULP) charges filed against your company, we write to urge Wells Fargo to fully respect employees’ right to unionize as required by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and bargain in good faith with your unionized employees attempting to form a first collective bargaining agreement.
September 17, 2025 Charlie Scharf Chief Executive Officer Wells Fargo & Company 420 Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94104 Dear Mr. Scharf, As Senators representing constituents who are Wells Fargo employees and customers across the country, we write with concern regarding Wells Fargo’s continued anti-union activity, refusal to bargain in good faith with unionized workers, and alleged unlawful conduct with respect to worker organizing efforts.
In the wake of unfair labor practice (ULP) charges filed against your company, we write to urge Wells Fargo to fully respect employees’ right to unionize as required by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and bargain in good faith with your unionized employees attempting to form a first collective bargaining agreement.
September 17, 2025 Charlie Scharf Chief Executive Officer Wells Fargo & Company 420 Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94104 Dear Mr. Scharf, As Senators representing constituents who are Wells Fargo employees and customers across the country, we write with concern regarding Wells Fargo’s continued anti-union activity, refusal to bargain in good faith with unionized workers, and alleged unlawful conduct with respect to worker organizing efforts.
Corporate conductAllegationAgainst
Wells Fargo & Company is accused of victimizing customers
Wells Fargo & Company is accused of victimizing customers through pernicious and often illegal sales tactics.
The banking business model employed by Wells Fargo is based on selling customers multiple banking products, which Wells Fargo calls “solutions.” In order to achieve its goal of selling a high number of “solutions to each customer, Wells Fargo imposes unrealistic sales quotas on its employees, and has adopted policies that have, predictably and naturally, driven its bankers to engage in fraudulent behavior to meet those unreachable goals.
The Complaint, which was consistent with the information Respondents Julian had received over the years related to the Bank’s sale practices, alleged the following: For years, Wells Fargo & Company and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (collectively “Well s Fargo”) have victimized their customers by using pernicious and often illegal sales tactics to maintain high levels of sales of their banking and financial products.
Corporate conductSettlementAgainst
Wells Fargo & Company entered into five consent orders with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The settlement involving Wells Fargo &
Company concerns consent orders.
, and its holding company, Wells Fargo & Company (collectively, “Wells Fargo”) entered into five consent orders with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“ CFPB”), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“ OCC”), and Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) to settle the regulators’ allegations of widespread consumer abuses and compliance failures within Wells Fargo.
, and its holding company, Wells Fargo & Company (collectively, “Wells Fargo”) entered into five consent orders with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“ CFPB”), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“ OCC”), and Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) to settle the regulators’ allegations of widespread consumer abuses and compliance failures within Wells Fargo.
, and its holding company, Wells Fargo & Company (collectively, “Wells Fargo”) entered into five consent orders with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“ CFPB”), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“ OCC”), and Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) to settle the regulators’ allegations of widespread consumer abuses and compliance failures within Wells Fargo.
, and its holding company, Wells Fargo & Company (collectively, “Wells Fargo”) entered into five consent orders with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“ CFPB”), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“ OCC”), and Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) to settle the regulators’ allegations of widespread consumer abuses and compliance failures within Wells Fargo.
Corporate conductAllegationAgainst
Wells Fargo is accused of discharging employee in retaliation
Wells Fargo is accused of discharging an employee in retaliation for exercising her freedom of association rights.
And on June 15, 2022, an unfair labor practice charge was filed with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that Wells Fargo discharged an employee in retaliation for exercising her freedom of association rights.1
Ukraine & RussiaConfirmedYou decide
Wells Fargo & Co donated $1 million to the American Red Cross
NEW YORK, March 2 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co, the United States' fourth-largest bank, said on Wednesday it was donating $1 million to the American Red Cross and other nonprofit groups that are helping Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.
NEW YORK, March 2 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co and Bank of America each pledged on Wednesday to donate $1 million to the American Red Cross and other non-profit groups that are helping Ukraine and refugees fleeing invasion by Russia.
NEW YORK, March 2 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co, the United States' fourth-largest bank, said on Wednesday it was donating $1 million to the American Red Cross and other nonprofit groups that are helping Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Wells Fargo & Co and Bank of America each pledged on Wednesday to donate $1 million to the American Red Cross and other non-profit groups that are helping Ukraine and refugees fleeing invasion by Russia.