Talk:Wells Fargo/Archive 1

This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

History Detail

The FDIC maintains an excellent history summary of banks, mergers, FDIC certificatne numbers, etc. This is public information found at http://www4.fdic.gov/IDASP/main_bankfind.asp.

Here is the history infomration for Wells Fargo of CAlifornia. There are multiple results for "Wells Fargo" all apparently somehow related to the current Wells Fargo bank.

History of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, San Francisco, California (FDIC Cert: 1230) Note: This institution is currently part of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (FDIC Cert: 3511)

	Date 	Event 
1	1/1/1852 	Institution established. Original name: Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (1230)
2	4/13/1970 	Acquired Los Padres National Bank (19046) in Santa Maria, California.
3	11/6/1970 	Acquired The First National Bank Of Holtville (3457) in Holtville, California.
4	1/22/1974 	Acquired Beverly Hills National Bank (3422) in Beverly Hills, California.
5	8/23/1974 	Acquired Commercial National Bank (19297) in Orange County, California.
6	5/6/1978 	Acquired The First National Bank Of Orange County (3482) in Orange, California.
7	7/14/1979 	Acquired First Central Coast Bank (18997) in San Luis Obispo, California.
8	5/30/1986 	Merged into and subsequently operated as part of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association in San Francisco, California (3511)
9	5/31/1988 	Acquired Barclays Bank Of California (19521) in San Francisco, California.
10	7/31/1989 	Acquired Bank Of Paradise (23480) in Paradise, California.
11	1/1/1990 	Acquired Valley National Bank, Glendale (17820) in Glendale, California.
12	3/31/1990 	Acquired American National Bank (19301) in Bakersfield, California.
13	4/1/1990 	Acquired Torrey Pines Bank (22809) in Solana Beach, California.
14	1/1/1991 	Acquired El Camino Bank (20176) in Anaheim, California.
15	1/1/1991 	Acquired Citizens Bank Of Costa Mesa (20878) in Costa Mesa, California.
16	4/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of California (1226) in Los Angeles, California.
17	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Utah, National Association (1261) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
18	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Nevada, National Association (2278) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
19	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Oregon, National Association (2915) in Portland, Oregon.
20	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of New Mexico, National Association (16408) in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
21	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Idaho, National Association (16549) in Boise, Idaho.
22	6/6/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Washington, National Association (2981) in Seattle, Washington.
23	9/1/1996 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Of Arizona, National Association (2843) in Phoenix, Arizona.
24	6/1/1997 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank (colorado), National Association (3009) in Denver, Colorado.
25	2/18/2000 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank (arizona), National Association (34029) in Phoenix, Arizona.
26	7/8/2000 	Acquired Norwest Bank Red Wing, National Association (5233) in Red Wing, Minnesota.
27	8/18/2000 	Acquired North County Bank (21621) in Escondido, California.
28	8/25/2000 	Acquired Napa National Bank (23941) in Napa, California.
29	12/16/2000 	Acquired First Security Bank Of California, N.A. (23496) in West Covina, California.
30	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Wyoming, National Association (2210) in Casper, Wyoming.
31	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank West, National Association (3011) in Denver, Colorado.
32	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Nebraska, National Association (5457) in Omaha, Nebraska.
33	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Texas, National Association (14533) in San Antonio, Texas.
34	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Montana, National Association (16309) in Billings, Montana.
35	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Alaska, National Association (16853) in Anchorage, Alaska.
36	12/6/2003 	Acquired Bank Of Grand Junction (24500) in Grand Junction, Colorado.
37	2/20/2004 	Moved bank headquarters from San Francisco, California to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
38	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Ohio, National Association (778) in Van Wert, Ohio.
39	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank New Mexico, National Association (2252) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
40	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Illinois, National Association (3667) in Galesburg, Illinois.
41	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank North Dakota, National Association (3922) in Fargo, North Dakota.
42	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Iowa, National Association (4448) in Des Moines, Iowa.
43	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Michigan, National Association (5067) in Marquette, Michigan.
44	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, National Association (5208) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
45	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Indiana, National Association (13849) in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
46	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank South Dakota, National Association (15277) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
47	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Wisconsin, National Association (18694) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
48	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Arizona, National Association (19501) in Phoenix, Arizona.
49	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Nevada, National Association (27930) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
50	4/24/2004 	Acquired Pacific Northwest Bank (30887) in Oak Harbor, Washington.
51	9/24/2005 	Acquired First Community Bank, National Association (34049) in Houston, Texas.
52	6/17/2006 	Acquired State Bank Of Rogers (9335) in Rogers, Minnesota.
53	9/23/2006 	Acquired Fremont National Bank Of Canon City (3000) in Canon City, Colorado.
54	9/23/2006 	Acquired Centennial Bank Of Pueblo (22301) in Pueblo, Colorado.
55	9/22/2007 	Acquired Placer Sierra Bank (30307) in Auburn, California.
56	3/15/2008 	Acquired Greater Bay Bank, National Association (27068) in Palo Alto, California.
57	7/1/2008 	Acquired United Bank Of Idaho (58361) in Driggs, Idaho.

Criticism

Why don't we have a Criticism section - many articles do.

$35 dollar overdraft fee policy, etc...
Higher dollar transaction get processed BEFORE smaller ones - this results in multiple overdraft fees.
Transaction have pending status for many days, creating a Hazard for further overdrafts.

These things aren't specific to Wells... Sadly enough, they've become industry standard. It wouldn't be appropriate to have a criticism section based on those things, that should be a criticism of the banking industry as a whole. A criticism of WF should be compsed of things specific to the organization. Please sign your posts! jer the linear (talk) 06:05, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

It's extremely appropriate to have a criticism section based on these things! Just because Ted Bundy was a murderer doesn't mean it's not notable that Jeffrey Dahmer was also a murderer! 67.160.123.52 (talk) 08:02, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

Neutrality

Why does this article feel like written by a wells fargo executive? Claims such as: "Wells Fargo's goal is to encourage its customers to buy all their financial products through Wells Fargo..." or "Wells Fargo is respected for its policies and management which have kept the company away from questionable business practices..." are completely subjective and NOT neutral. Can somebody not working for wells fargo please step in and rewrite this article so that the wikipedia will actually have more trust in it?

Jajogluck (talk) 22:43, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

If Wells Fargo claims those things are its goals, then it's objective to state that. 151.151.21.102 (talk) 21:19, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

It may be more appropriate to say something like: "Wells Fargo's stated goal is... Wells Fargo claims to be respected ... etc. If "Wells Fargo" is making those claims. Mdale (talk) 17:50, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

I live in the Netherlands and I do not know much about this bank. On the other hand, throughout my use of Wikipedia, I have never come across another entry which comes any close to this one in sounding so much like an Official Corporate Brochure! Deceptive and manipulative. 15 October 2010. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.86.41.114 (talk) 09:24, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

I love the marketing speak in this article

so much for NPOV. i love the mission statement and all the other marketing speak inserted in here.

I feel like the mission statement and goals of the company should be here. how does a mission statement have anything to do with NPOV? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.203.152.248 (talk) 20:25, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Wells Fargo corporate building

What about the IM Pei Wells Fargo building in Lincoln, NE. It was formerly the National Bank of Commerce building? Check it out:

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/linpei/linpei.html

It is a cool building. I often bank there.

This article says that it is headquartered in San Franciso, yet I was sure it was in Nebraska as they always send me stuff from their headquarters in Nebraska. I live in California so it's not a regional thing.66.210.50.2 (talk) 21:03, 15 September 2011 (UTC)

In use 05:29 20 October 2005

Search of Norwest Corporation leads to Wells Fargo. Norwest Corporation should also list Norwest Corporation, a large energy, mining, and environmental consulting entity located principally in Salt Lake City, UT and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

I'm going to see if I can't source some of this stuff (what, no references?) while I add the one line of data ("the nations largest bank headquartered West of the Mississippi") that I came here to add. (sigh) --Kgf0 05:32, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

Been having some major server-speed and access issues, edit ongoing. If you have something you wanted added, changed, etc., I'd appreciate it if you could post here on Talk and I'll be sure to get it in my edit. If you want the edit credit (heh, editcountitis), then I respectfully request that you edit both the main page and this one, so I don't accidentally blow your edit away. Thanks so much in advance for your coordinated efforts. --Kgf0 04:24, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

What changes will you be making? I think the negative links nicely balance out the "press release" flavor of the article. --Weirdoactor 15:30, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

I'm trying to increase balance and WP:NPOV, add in a bit more news (they're being investigated again, this time for kickbacks), and I'm trying to either source all the quotes and dubious facts or else rework/reword/remove what can't be verified. Anything I remove will be posted on this Talk page with a request for sources, since it's always possible that it came from a print source to which I do not have access. Also, I think increasing the verified balance of the article itself diminishes the need for quite so many "WF blows" links, so I'm just keeping the one's that I've used as references Iwhich is more than half of the better written ones). --Kgf0 21:56, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

OK, I've done as much as I can. I think the Lines of Business section could still use some work, but it is a damn site more accurate and balanced now, overall, than it was, and more up-to-date as well. --Kgf0 07:56, 27 October 2005 (UTC)

Bits removed in need of citations

I have removed the following unsourced statements for which I could find no evidence — links to go exemplar Google searches:

Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich has commented often that Wells Fargo contains "more than 80 lines of businesses". Kovacevich is, most likely, calling each individual product it offers a "line of business". Google
Norwest was numerically the most acquisitive back of the 1980's - no support, however, found cite for "one of the most acquisitive banks of the 1990's"
Selected predecessor companies: Union Trust Co, First Security Bank, & Raegan McKenzie - no support (except First Security), no probative value, and all redlinks
Wells Fargo is the largest asset-based lender of this kind. - hard to prove, and I couldn't even fain a spurrious claim outside of wiki
as Kovacevich has said, "these guys make a lot of money for us." Google

If you can find sources for any of these, please put them back, and if possible use the footnote templates to cite the source. If you don't know how (or can't be bothered) just leave the source info here and I'll get on it as time permits. Thanks in advance for not ruining my work too quickly. ;-) --Kgf0 08:03, 27 October 2005 (UTC)

"*Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich has commented often that Wells Fargo contains "more than 80 lines of businesses". Kovacevich is, most likely, calling each individual product it offers a "line of business". Google" -The article itself mentions that it is unclear what Kovacevich means when he says this. It is a phrase used in nearly ever modern investor presentation by wells however [1]. "*Selected predecessor companies: Union Trust Co, First Security Bank, & Raegan McKenzie - no support (except First Security), no probative value, and all redlinks" A cursory look at google will find support for all these things —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.127.186.156 (talk • contribs)

Regarding your first profered Google search, all of those links which are relevant at all point to mirrors of earlier versions of this article, and are therefore worthless as sources. However, there is similar information in some of the documents on the second page to which you linked, so thank you for that, and I'll add the information, with the proper citation. Finally, regarding a "cursory look at Google," please note that I spent a solid week editing this article performing a great many Google (and other) searches in the process, and failed to find the information you claim is so readily available. If you believe the information is that simple to come by, please add it to the article yourself (with references), or at least post a better search link here. --Kgf0 20:29, 7 November 2005 (UTC)

Here we go: [2] -wells and union trust [3] -wells and ragen

"...website and browser support policies..." The citation on this needs to be strengthened as well if it is to stay. Sourcing the policy itself does not support that people are protesting it. In addition, this only attempts to provide a source for "browser support", but not for "website support". 65.78.150.181 11:32, 24 December 2005 (UTC)

No responses, so it's now deleted. 65.78.150.181 18:41, 27 December 2005 (UTC)

I made a minor change to the claim W.F. is the only U.S. Bank with the highest possible ratings for Moody's and S&P ratings. At least one other bank is (USAA). If anyone has more data to solidify the distiction, that would be good. BeboGuitar (talk) 20:16, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Who Fargo?

Is it too much to ask the Wells Fargo page actually deal with the original? Trekphiler 19:02, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

There is a couple sentences in the history section - I'll check back in a week and see if you've expanded it satisfactorily. Stan 22:40, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

There really needs to be either a lot more in here about the old freight, stagecoach days and how that Wells Fargo was so abusive of its franchise that it caused the lobbying that led to the creation of what is now the United States Postal Service's parcel service. Also, perhaps a link to the Tales of Wells Fargo TV series about that era. 68.53.110.123 23:07, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

See the article History of Wells Fargo for more about the stagecoach line and express service. Whyaduck 06:01, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Focus/GLAAD incident

I have added a mention of Focus on the Family's withdrawal from banking with WF due to its support of GLAAD. I have tried to do so in an NPOV fashion. NTK 03:04, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Suggestions for additions

A few suggestions that I don't have time to do anything about right now... I believe that the Norwest merger resulted in Wells Fago picking up a fairly large insurance operation, yet there is no sub-section about insurance (commercial or individual) under the business lines section. On the Norwest topic, it would be nice to put a history of Norwest (pre-Wells Fargo name) on this page or on a dedicated Norwest page. I also have photos of Wells Fargo Center (formally Norwest Center) which was the headquarters when they were in Minneapolis. If someone is interested in using these please contact me. --BenFranske 01:46, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

Big huge addition

Did anyone else notice how much got added to this article, unwikified, in a single edit from a single source (4.131.155.87 (talk · contribs)) that never edited before or since? Check the diff, I think that nearly doubled the length. I've poked around online and can't prove it's a copyvio (and it doesn't seem to have come from the company itself - that IP is a dialup in LA), but it sure smells fishy anyway. Even aside from the fact that most of it probably belongs in a separate Norwest article. --KGF0 ( T | C ) 09:21, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

KGF0 I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU! I WAS AN ENGLISH MAJOR AT A GOOD UNIVERSITY AND THIS THING READS LIKE A CORPORATE BROCHURE! EVEN THE CONTROVERSY SECTION SEEMS TO FOCUS THE BLAME ON THOSE WHO EITHER DISASGREE WITH WELLS FARGO'S PRO-GAY POLITICS (A STANCE WHICH AT LEAST HALF OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE MONEY THEY ARE GIVING TO A PARTISAN POLITICAL GROUP DON'T AGREE WITH) NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT THOSE WHO RIGHTLY PROTEST WELLS FARGO'S PREDATORY LENDING AND RAPACIOUS FEES ARE NEARLY MOCKED AND COMPLETELY DISMISSED WITHOUT EVEN HAVING THEIR COMPLAINTS PROPERLY EXPLAINED! THERE ARE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHO ARE COWED IN TO USING CORRUPT BANKS BECAUSE THERE'S NO ALTERNATIVE TO GETTING YOUR CHECK CASHED OTHER THAN PAYING 2 TO 7 DOLLARS A CHECK TO CORRUPT CHECK CASHING PLACES AND A LOT OF THEM ARE UPSET THAT WELLS FARGO COMPUTERS PURPOSELY DON'T UPDATE THEIR CUSTOMER'S ACCOUNTS SO THEY WILL DIP BELOW ZERO AND BE FORCED TO PAY THE RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS PER CHARGE (EVEN IF THE CHARGE IS A DOLLAR!) THIS MAY NOT AFFECT RICH PEOPLE BUT FOR MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE FORCED TO LIVE FROM PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK THIS IS DEVASTATING! ...and all so some corporate scumbag can drop thousands of dollars at clubs to get 17 year old girls drunk and have sex with them! GOD HELP US ALL FOR ALLOWING THIS! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.109.174.204 (talk) 16:31, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

No, according to wikipedia conventions, since norwest bought wells fargo, if anything belongs in a seperate article it would be information about the legacy wells fargo.

Norwest did NOT buy Wells Fargo...it was a merger of equals.

I dispute that. It was widely reported that Norwest 1)Purchased Wells Fargo and then 2)Changed the company name to Wells Fargo because it was more widely recognized outside the midwest. This shouldn't be difficult to verify. -BenFranske 05:46, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

It was widely reported as a merger, not an acquisition (I think if you're going to make statements like that here, you need to provide some evidence too). Do a google search on "Norwest merger" - you get links to tons of legitimate (i.e. non-press release) news stories about the merger. Now try one on "Norwest acquisition," or "Norwest acquisition Wells Fargo" -- not a lot of news sources there. And there's no mention in any actual news source (that I could find) that called it an acquisition. Granted, I'm sure that if during the time of the merger someone would have characterized as an acquisition, some bank lawyers would be calling them the next day. But still - after the merger, former WF sharholders owned 52% of the stock in the new company...doesn't sound like an acquisition to me. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/06/09/MN9823.DTL Robko626 12:34, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Working for Wells Fargo, I can tell you that it was an acquisition. This is something which is told by the company to new hires in the department I work in. 24.118.142.223 23:19, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Found at https://www.wellsfargo.com/invest_relations/vision_values/15 :"Wells Fargo virtually doubled in size, again, in 1998, to $186 billion in a “merger of equals” with Norwest Corporation of Minneapolis. Norwest took on the older company’s name and moved its headquarters to San Francisco. It also brought with it the histories of about a thousand more banks and financial companies across the Midwest, the Rockies and the Southwest."

This paragraph basically summarizes what we've been arguing; but at least from the way I'm reading it, it was a "merger of equals" in that both banks were big, powerful, and reputable, but Norwest is the foundation. From my knowledge, Wells Fargo is in name only, Wells Fargo uses the banking software and processes that Norwest used. Essentially, it's Wells Fargo in name only. 151.151.21.103 00:23, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

The points you make are academic. From a shareholder (i.e. ownership) perspective, it's clear that the new company represented a merger of equals, as 52% of the new company's shareholders were "old" WF shareholders. If it were an acquistion, those shareholders would have essentially liquidated their shares -- that did not occur. One poorly-worded paragraph from deep within the corporate website does not constitute proof. The preponderance of evidence is that it was indeed a merger and not an acquisition. Robko626 20:58, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Regardless of corporate culture or press coverage, the Agreement filed with the SEC clearly defines the transaction as a merger. Legally, that's what it was ... which was news to me, actually. The "surviving company" (for purposes of Tax ID, etc) was Norwest. Idsfa 21:47, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Delisted GA

Whoa nelly, folks, i'd just to like say, take a good, hard look at those two history sections. In all the months i've edited, I don't think i've ever seen sections for real articles which are that increadibly long. While its certainly broad, its definently overly broad, and almost none of it is referenced, for all I know, it all could be fake and I wouldn't be able to tell just by reading the article. If all of that information really is notable, put it into new articles please, properly sectioned, and leave a short synopsis here with a see also at the top of each of those sections. But right now, there's waaaaaay too many unnecessary things here. Homestarmy 13:16, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Wikified

Wikified as part of the Wikification wikiproject! I took a run through the sections marked for wikification and tried to section them a bit, as well as adding some wikilinks. The history sections definitely need to be split out into their own articles. JubalHarshaw 17:26, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm thinking that the section of Wells Fargo history concerned primarily with the express business, from the beginning up to the 1917 merger into the Railway Express Agency, could be a single article, and then linked both from this parent article and from the "Early History" section of the American Express Company article. From what I recall of what I've read on the subject over the years, this particular section of the article is accurate (though it would be a big job to track down citations for all the specific claims it makes.) I'm not versed in how to go about separating out sections of articles, but if somebody does that then I can do a bit of Wikifying on the new article (lots of internal links are already possible.) For the remainder of the history section covering the banking business after it was separated from the express business in 1905 I wouldn't be much help. But I think it would be best if that section were made into yet another separate article, in any case. Whyaduck 06:06, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, what I was thinking is this entire article, from beginning to end is a bit long and should be broken into seperate sections. On the early history, we could have maybe one paragraph giving the outline and then a link to the long discussion, and then follow that sort of thing for each section. Most people coming here probably aren't expecting to spend twenty minutes reading all the intricacies. Wjhonson 06:13, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

POV info about Internet Banking

Removed inaccurate POV info about internet banking. Sounds like it was written by someone who doesn't understand how banks work, and maybe bounced some checks and is unhappy about it. It's unfair to say their accounts are "inaccurate" and don't reflect some pending payments. There isn't a bank out there that doesn't have some delay between a physical check coming in and it showing up electronically. I've had accounts with WF for years, and they've always been really good to me. I never had any problems with inaccurate info.

Robko626 12:20, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Split proposal

Came across this article as part of the WikiProject Wikify - but before it can be wikified I really think it needs to be split into three pages as it is far too long and deals with three distinctive corporate entities. The current page should stick with the info up to the merger with Norwest. A new page should deal with the history of Norwest. A second new page should be created for the company post-merger. It would also need a disambiguation page leading to all three pages. Madmedea 18:39, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

I have now performed a major edit on this article. I have split off sections to form:

History of Wells Fargo - retained the 'key dates' and 'predecessor companies' in the main article to help the causal reader have a picture of the history the company. This could be expanded to include a 2-3 paragraph summary of the history if anyone fancies it/I get round to it.
First Interstate Bank - history leading up to merger with Wells Fargo
Norwest - history leading to takeover of Wells Fargo and taking on the Wells Fargo name.

Please, if you're not happy with what I've done don't just revert it all - leave a message on my talk page first. The history page in particular is a work in progress as there was a lot of duplicate information - feel free to help. Madmedea 13:35, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

No this is against the so far established wikipedia principals on articles about corporations. The standards state that the article should be about the surviving corparation according to the SEC, which in this case would be Norwest. There could be a seperate article about the "legacy wells fargo".

Have to say I disagree. Norwest coroporation ceased to exist after the merger/takeover with Wells Fargo. It took on Well Fargo's identity and so the continuing company was, to all intents and purposes, a continuation of Wells Fargo (this is evidenced by the corporate history given on the official website). I thought about creating a "Wells Fargo post Norwest takeover" article but decided this would just confuse the reader - the status of the company is made clear in the introduction. If you are going to quote Wikipedia policy please reference it with a link so I can read exactly what you are referring to and please sign your posts so I know who I'm talking to Madmedea 11:43, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I'm got some anecdotal evidence to add to the discussion for what it's worth. According to my mom, who has worked at WF for ~20 years, the internal propagand of the "merger" was that it was a merger of equals. She says in actuality the Norwest managers and corporate culture dominate the combined company. ike9898 19:37, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Picture of 'Typical Branch'

That isn't a picture of a typical branch. If you click the link, it goes into explicit detail of what it's typical of. I think there would be better branch pictures to show a 'typical' branch. --Jickyincognito 04:51, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Well, the problem with Wells Fargo is that they have three different types of typical branches. They have those really old "adobe" designs from the 19th and early 20th centuries, like in Berkeley. Then they have the ugly 1950s and 1960s branches (usually with lots of brick walls). And then they have the contemporary ones built after 1980. Only the smaller chains like World Savings have a consistent look across all their branches. --Coolcaesar 05:44, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I feel the picture of the modern building should be above the picture of the "old branch". Its a large company, and first impression that this article gives is not that. I dont know, it just doesnt fit the way it is, to my eye Bl4h 15:07, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

There's a new CEO in town

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a0H0ih8iVB6s&refer=us

John Stumpf is succeeding Richard Kovacevich, effective today. Jesse0986 27 June 2007

Advertisement Tag

No discussion of nor rationale for adding this tag. Removing. Robko626 21:48, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Lines of Business/Internet Services

Statement about "somewhat ambiguous" is completely subjective. The "source" provided is just one investor presentation -- it's a matter of opinion whether this one presentation is ambiguous -- let alone all investor presentations. Also -- "Despite this wide range of divisions, Wells Fargo only..." Biased -- "only" is subjective. Section needs additional sourcing as well.

Loomis Fargo

Loomis Fargo redirects to this article, but the only mention of the name is in an extlink. What is Loomis-Fargo's relationship to Wells Fargo? --Golbez 22:39, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loomis_Fargo_%26_Company

The details on Wells Fargo's security arm, Loomis Fargo. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.169.195.238 (talk) 22:43, 6 October 2008 (UTC)

Addition of America's Servicing Company material

An anon has twice tried to add information about "Heinrich v. Wells Fargo", first as an external link then as a section with a citation. The problem is that the source that is provided fails multiple criteria (WP:ELNO, WP:RS, WP:SOAPBOX, WP:NOT#REPOSITORY, etc). I tried salvaging some of the criticism addition by finding a better source, but no news services seemed to have anything, and even the case number provided by the anon failed to turn up anything with the case search tool provided by the courthouse where it's claimed to be filed. Anyone have anything on this? --- Barek (talk • contribs) - 00:26, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

Photo Correction?

The photo with the caption of "A map of states and cities where Wells Fargo operates retail banks under the Wells Fargo and Wachovia names." is NOT correct.

Wachovia did not have retail bank operations in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, for example, so that's not a proper map. I can't say about various other states, but I'm sure some of the Inter Mountain West states didn't have Wachovia branches, either. On the other hand, Wells Fargo did not have retail bank operations in the East Coast, such as New York and New Jersey, as well as Florida, etc. I would have just deleted the photo, but I don't want to do anything that drastic until consulting the group here. 76.200.145.233 (talk) 18:13, 2 August 2010 (UTC) JMN, 08/02/2010.

"Nominal"

The history section says this: "The current Wells Fargo is a result of a 1998 merger between Minneapolis-based Norwest Corporation and the original Wells Fargo.[19] Although Norwest was the nominal survivor, the new company kept the Wells Fargo name to capitalize on the long history of the nationally-recognized Wells Fargo name."

I don't know enough of this history to edit this section, but the statement that "Norwest was the nominal survivor" is clearly wrong. Wells Fargo was the NOMINAL survivor -- the combined company operates under "Wells Fargo" name. Norwest may be the corporate survivor, but Wells Fargo is (apparently, based on what's written here) the nominal survivor. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.28.250.194 (talk) 01:45, 21 October 2010 (UTC)

No, your analysis is incorrect. Legally, Norwest is the nominal survivor in that it was the surviving entity. --Coolcaesar (talk) 00:01, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

bad business

I have a friend who has a mortgage through Wells Fargo Bank and his payments have skyrocketed due to a lie by one of it's employees.He has tried to get Wells Fargo to refinance him several times and their employees have told him that there is nothing they can do and they would be better of letting his home get foreclosed on because they would make more money out of it.Now he will be losing his home and putting himself and his 2 children out on the street.What kind of people do that?Hope you all can live with yourselves knowing all the stress and heartache that you put onto people. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.177.112.144 (talk) 18:36, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Debate: Change the headquarters listing inside of the InfoBox

I know that Wells Fargo lists its corporate headquarters as San Francisco, California but according to the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) database, legally Wells Fargo's main office/headquarter is in Sioux City, South Dakota (see here). Therefore I'd like to propose that in the InfoBox for the Headquarters that San Francisco, California and Sioux City, South Dakota be listed as dual headquarters. Opinions are welcome and encouraged on this topic. Thank you. TheGoofyGolfer (talk) 22:11, 22 July 2011 (UTC)

As the parent corporation (bank holding company), Wells Fargo & Company is the topic of the article. The FDIC database lists their headquarters as San Francisco. The FDIC also shows five banking subsidiaries of the holding company, the largest of which (by far) is Wells Fargo National Association, with headquarters in Sioux ~~City~~Falls. But for the actual, NYSE-listed, parent corporation, San Francisco appears to be correct. Fat&Happy (talk) 22:40, 22 July 2011 (UTC)

Actually, so we're all totally clear about this, the national bank, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association has their headquarters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which is located 90 miles north of Sioux City, Iowa, across the state boundary. --Coolcaesar (talk) 11:07, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

So how should this be handled? IMHO I think both locates should both should be dually listed but I'd like to make sure there is a consensus among Wikipedians before any changes are made so there is no misunderstandings. TheGoofyGolfer (talk) 18:50, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Disagree. The corporate headquarters of the parent corporation should be listed, not the headquarters of each of their five subsidiaries. (Another approach – and I'm neither supporting the idea nor sure how it was justified here – would be to emulate the treatment of Chase, which has one article for JPMorgan Chase, the parent company, showing the headquarters as New York, and a completely separate article for Chase (bank), the primary banking subsidiary, showing the headquarters as Chicago.) Fat&Happy (talk) 19:19, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't Wells Fargo National Association in Sioux City, S.D. the actual legal parent company and Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco, CA which as I am to understand is a wholly owned subsidiary of the N.A.? Again that's how the FDIC's Institutional directory shows it and the only active FDIC entry for Wells Fargo is the N.A. (See below).

Wells Fargo Bank, National Association has been FDIC insured since January 1, 1934.

It was established on January 1, 1870.

Its main office (headquarters) is located at:
101 N. Phillips Avenue
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57104
County of Minnehaha

Wells Fargo Bank, National Association has 6544 Domestic Branches (Offices) located in 41 state(s) and 37 Foreign Offices.
(Check to locate Branches (Offices) by state.)

All of the other Wells Fargo companies including the one in San Francisco listed in the FDIC's Institutional directory are currently listed as inactive. TheGoofyGolfer (talk) 19:25, 25 July 2011 (UTC)

No. Wells Fargo & Company is a holding company (BHC), not a bank per se All the others, including Wells Fargo, N.A. are subsidiaries.

FDIC-Insured Subsidiaries of Bank Holding Companies -- Detail

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
San Francisco, CA
5 records were found matching your selection criteria
Multibank and One Bank HCs, Having BHC ID #1120754
Sorted by Total Assets($000)
Information as of March 31, 2011
Note: Important Information About This Data 1

BHC ID Bank Holding Company Name City State Class Combined Total Domestic Deposits of Insured Subsidiaries ($000)1 Combined Total Assets of Insured Subsidiaries ($000)1
1120754 WELLS FARGO & COMPANY San Francisco CA HC 781,048,309 1,144,003,579

Bank and thrift subsidiaries of the bank holding company:
Cert Institution Name City County State Class Total Domestic Deposits ($000) Total Assets ($000)
25890 Wells Fargo Bank, Ltd. Los Angeles Los Angeles CA NM 796 333,310
27389 Wells Fargo Financial National Bank Las Vegas Clark NV N 2,513 3,513,269
13718 Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, National Association Ogden Weber UT N 14,955,000
17,330,000 5146 Wells Fargo Bank South Central, National Association Houston Harris TX N 16,361,000
29,797,000
3511 Wells Fargo Bank, National Association Sioux Falls Minnehaha SD N 749,729,000
1,093,030,000

(See also: http://www.ffiec.gov/nicpubweb/nicweb/Top50Form.aspx)

Fat&Happy (talk) 21:22, 25 July 2011 (UTC)

Suggestion withdrawn, Discussion on this matter is now CLOSED Your points have been well made, Thank you. TheGoofyGolfer (talk) 04:48, 26 July 2011 (UTC)

Am I talking to FatandHappy?

I have no idea whether or not you're reading this because I can't figure out how to talk to someone. Been trying to "talk" with you but clueless.

If you're there: Thanks for all your citation contributions to the Garbo page. Radically improves the entry (Most of the citation revisions were of an earlier writer's citations. Wonder why you didn't make corrections then?!)

As for your "Cit needed" in "Personal Life" section, sentence beginning, "Her last interview...." I can't provide the citation because I didn't write about this incident. Shoud we just delete it?

Thanks--glad to be working with you.

Classicfilmbuff

Business model

Pure PR. Want to delete the whole section. Dissent opinions? Polmandc (talk) 06:11, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Outdated

Historical data needs update. --Polmandc (talk) 05:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

History Detail

The FDIC maintains an excellent history summary of banks, mergers, FDIC certificatne numbers, etc. This is public information found at http://www4.fdic.gov/IDASP/main_bankfind.asp.

Here is the history infomration for Wells Fargo of CAlifornia. There are multiple results for "Wells Fargo" all apparently somehow related to the current Wells Fargo bank.

History of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, San Francisco, California (FDIC Cert: 1230) Note: This institution is currently part of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (FDIC Cert: 3511)

	Date 	Event 
1	1/1/1852 	Institution established. Original name: Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (1230)
2	4/13/1970 	Acquired Los Padres National Bank (19046) in Santa Maria, California.
3	11/6/1970 	Acquired The First National Bank Of Holtville (3457) in Holtville, California.
4	1/22/1974 	Acquired Beverly Hills National Bank (3422) in Beverly Hills, California.
5	8/23/1974 	Acquired Commercial National Bank (19297) in Orange County, California.
6	5/6/1978 	Acquired The First National Bank Of Orange County (3482) in Orange, California.
7	7/14/1979 	Acquired First Central Coast Bank (18997) in San Luis Obispo, California.
8	5/30/1986 	Merged into and subsequently operated as part of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association in San Francisco, California (3511)
9	5/31/1988 	Acquired Barclays Bank Of California (19521) in San Francisco, California.
10	7/31/1989 	Acquired Bank Of Paradise (23480) in Paradise, California.
11	1/1/1990 	Acquired Valley National Bank, Glendale (17820) in Glendale, California.
12	3/31/1990 	Acquired American National Bank (19301) in Bakersfield, California.
13	4/1/1990 	Acquired Torrey Pines Bank (22809) in Solana Beach, California.
14	1/1/1991 	Acquired El Camino Bank (20176) in Anaheim, California.
15	1/1/1991 	Acquired Citizens Bank Of Costa Mesa (20878) in Costa Mesa, California.
16	4/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of California (1226) in Los Angeles, California.
17	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Utah, National Association (1261) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
18	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Nevada, National Association (2278) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
19	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Oregon, National Association (2915) in Portland, Oregon.
20	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of New Mexico, National Association (16408) in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
21	6/1/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Idaho, National Association (16549) in Boise, Idaho.
22	6/6/1996 	Acquired First Interstate Bank Of Washington, National Association (2981) in Seattle, Washington.
23	9/1/1996 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Of Arizona, National Association (2843) in Phoenix, Arizona.
24	6/1/1997 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank (colorado), National Association (3009) in Denver, Colorado.
25	2/18/2000 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank (arizona), National Association (34029) in Phoenix, Arizona.
26	7/8/2000 	Acquired Norwest Bank Red Wing, National Association (5233) in Red Wing, Minnesota.
27	8/18/2000 	Acquired North County Bank (21621) in Escondido, California.
28	8/25/2000 	Acquired Napa National Bank (23941) in Napa, California.
29	12/16/2000 	Acquired First Security Bank Of California, N.A. (23496) in West Covina, California.
30	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Wyoming, National Association (2210) in Casper, Wyoming.
31	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank West, National Association (3011) in Denver, Colorado.
32	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Nebraska, National Association (5457) in Omaha, Nebraska.
33	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Texas, National Association (14533) in San Antonio, Texas.
34	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Montana, National Association (16309) in Billings, Montana.
35	11/21/2003 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Alaska, National Association (16853) in Anchorage, Alaska.
36	12/6/2003 	Acquired Bank Of Grand Junction (24500) in Grand Junction, Colorado.
37	2/20/2004 	Moved bank headquarters from San Francisco, California to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
38	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Ohio, National Association (778) in Van Wert, Ohio.
39	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank New Mexico, National Association (2252) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
40	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Illinois, National Association (3667) in Galesburg, Illinois.
41	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank North Dakota, National Association (3922) in Fargo, North Dakota.
42	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Iowa, National Association (4448) in Des Moines, Iowa.
43	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Michigan, National Association (5067) in Marquette, Michigan.
44	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, National Association (5208) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
45	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Indiana, National Association (13849) in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
46	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank South Dakota, National Association (15277) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
47	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Wisconsin, National Association (18694) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
48	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Arizona, National Association (19501) in Phoenix, Arizona.
49	2/20/2004 	Acquired Wells Fargo Bank Nevada, National Association (27930) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
50	4/24/2004 	Acquired Pacific Northwest Bank (30887) in Oak Harbor, Washington.
51	9/24/2005 	Acquired First Community Bank, National Association (34049) in Houston, Texas.
52	6/17/2006 	Acquired State Bank Of Rogers (9335) in Rogers, Minnesota.
53	9/23/2006 	Acquired Fremont National Bank Of Canon City (3000) in Canon City, Colorado.
54	9/23/2006 	Acquired Centennial Bank Of Pueblo (22301) in Pueblo, Colorado.
55	9/22/2007 	Acquired Placer Sierra Bank (30307) in Auburn, California.
56	3/15/2008 	Acquired Greater Bay Bank, National Association (27068) in Palo Alto, California.
57	7/1/2008 	Acquired United Bank Of Idaho (58361) in Driggs, Idaho.

Criticism

Why don't we have a Criticism section - many articles do.

$35 dollar overdraft fee policy, etc...
Higher dollar transaction get processed BEFORE smaller ones - this results in multiple overdraft fees.
Transaction have pending status for many days, creating a Hazard for further overdrafts.

These things aren't specific to Wells... Sadly enough, they've become industry standard. It wouldn't be appropriate to have a criticism section based on those things, that should be a criticism of the banking industry as a whole. A criticism of WF should be compsed of things specific to the organization. Please sign your posts! jer the linear (talk) 06:05, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

It's extremely appropriate to have a criticism section based on these things! Just because Ted Bundy was a murderer doesn't mean it's not notable that Jeffrey Dahmer was also a murderer! 67.160.123.52 (talk) 08:02, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

Neutrality

Why does this article feel like written by a wells fargo executive? Claims such as: "Wells Fargo's goal is to encourage its customers to buy all their financial products through Wells Fargo..." or "Wells Fargo is respected for its policies and management which have kept the company away from questionable business practices..." are completely subjective and NOT neutral. Can somebody not working for wells fargo please step in and rewrite this article so that the wikipedia will actually have more trust in it?

Jajogluck (talk) 22:43, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

If Wells Fargo claims those things are its goals, then it's objective to state that. 151.151.21.102 (talk) 21:19, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

It may be more appropriate to say something like: "Wells Fargo's stated goal is... Wells Fargo claims to be respected ... etc. If "Wells Fargo" is making those claims. Mdale (talk) 17:50, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

I live in the Netherlands and I do not know much about this bank. On the other hand, throughout my use of Wikipedia, I have never come across another entry which comes any close to this one in sounding so much like an Official Corporate Brochure! Deceptive and manipulative. 15 October 2010. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.86.41.114 (talk) 09:24, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

I love the marketing speak in this article

so much for NPOV. i love the mission statement and all the other marketing speak inserted in here.

I feel like the mission statement and goals of the company should be here. how does a mission statement have anything to do with NPOV? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.203.152.248 (talk) 20:25, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Wells Fargo corporate building

What about the IM Pei Wells Fargo building in Lincoln, NE. It was formerly the National Bank of Commerce building? Check it out:

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/linpei/linpei.html

It is a cool building. I often bank there.

This article says that it is headquartered in San Franciso, yet I was sure it was in Nebraska as they always send me stuff from their headquarters in Nebraska. I live in California so it's not a regional thing.66.210.50.2 (talk) 21:03, 15 September 2011 (UTC)

In use 05:29 20 October 2005

Search of Norwest Corporation leads to Wells Fargo. Norwest Corporation should also list Norwest Corporation, a large energy, mining, and environmental consulting entity located principally in Salt Lake City, UT and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

I'm going to see if I can't source some of this stuff (what, no references?) while I add the one line of data ("the nations largest bank headquartered West of the Mississippi") that I came here to add. (sigh) --Kgf0 05:32, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

Been having some major server-speed and access issues, edit ongoing. If you have something you wanted added, changed, etc., I'd appreciate it if you could post here on Talk and I'll be sure to get it in my edit. If you want the edit credit (heh, editcountitis), then I respectfully request that you edit both the main page and this one, so I don't accidentally blow your edit away. Thanks so much in advance for your coordinated efforts. --Kgf0 04:24, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

What changes will you be making? I think the negative links nicely balance out the "press release" flavor of the article. --Weirdoactor 15:30, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

I'm trying to increase balance and WP:NPOV, add in a bit more news (they're being investigated again, this time for kickbacks), and I'm trying to either source all the quotes and dubious facts or else rework/reword/remove what can't be verified. Anything I remove will be posted on this Talk page with a request for sources, since it's always possible that it came from a print source to which I do not have access. Also, I think increasing the verified balance of the article itself diminishes the need for quite so many "WF blows" links, so I'm just keeping the one's that I've used as references Iwhich is more than half of the better written ones). --Kgf0 21:56, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

OK, I've done as much as I can. I think the Lines of Business section could still use some work, but it is a damn site more accurate and balanced now, overall, than it was, and more up-to-date as well. --Kgf0 07:56, 27 October 2005 (UTC)

Bits removed in need of citations

I have removed the following unsourced statements for which I could find no evidence — links to go exemplar Google searches:

Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich has commented often that Wells Fargo contains "more than 80 lines of businesses". Kovacevich is, most likely, calling each individual product it offers a "line of business". Google
Norwest was numerically the most acquisitive back of the 1980's - no support, however, found cite for "one of the most acquisitive banks of the 1990's"
Selected predecessor companies: Union Trust Co, First Security Bank, & Raegan McKenzie - no support (except First Security), no probative value, and all redlinks
Wells Fargo is the largest asset-based lender of this kind. - hard to prove, and I couldn't even fain a spurrious claim outside of wiki
as Kovacevich has said, "these guys make a lot of money for us." Google

If you can find sources for any of these, please put them back, and if possible use the footnote templates to cite the source. If you don't know how (or can't be bothered) just leave the source info here and I'll get on it as time permits. Thanks in advance for not ruining my work too quickly. ;-) --Kgf0 08:03, 27 October 2005 (UTC)

"*Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich has commented often that Wells Fargo contains "more than 80 lines of businesses". Kovacevich is, most likely, calling each individual product it offers a "line of business". Google" -The article itself mentions that it is unclear what Kovacevich means when he says this. It is a phrase used in nearly ever modern investor presentation by wells however [4]. "*Selected predecessor companies: Union Trust Co, First Security Bank, & Raegan McKenzie - no support (except First Security), no probative value, and all redlinks" A cursory look at google will find support for all these things —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.127.186.156 (talk • contribs)

Regarding your first profered Google search, all of those links which are relevant at all point to mirrors of earlier versions of this article, and are therefore worthless as sources. However, there is similar information in some of the documents on the second page to which you linked, so thank you for that, and I'll add the information, with the proper citation. Finally, regarding a "cursory look at Google," please note that I spent a solid week editing this article performing a great many Google (and other) searches in the process, and failed to find the information you claim is so readily available. If you believe the information is that simple to come by, please add it to the article yourself (with references), or at least post a better search link here. --Kgf0 20:29, 7 November 2005 (UTC)

Here we go: [5] -wells and union trust [6] -wells and ragen