Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Wells Fargo to Pay $3.7B Over Consumer Law Violations
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
December 20, 2022

Share

Consumer banking giant Wells Fargo agreed to pay $3.7 billion to settle charges that it harmed customers by charging illegal fees and interest on auto loans and mortgages, as well as incorrectly applying overdraft fees against savings and checking accounts.

Wells was ordered to repay $2 billion to consumers by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which also enacted a $1.7 billion penalty against the San Francisco bank Tuesday. It’s the largest fine ever leveled against a bank by the CFPB and the largest yet against Wells, which has spent years trying to rehabilitate its image after a series of scandals tied to its sales practices.

Regulators made it clear, however, that they believe Wells Fargo has further to go on that front.

“Put simply: Wells Fargo is a corporate recidivist that puts one out of three Americans at risk for potential harm,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, in a call with reporters.

The bank’s pattern of behavior has made it necessary for regulators to take additional actions against Wells Fargo that go beyond the $3.7 billion in fines and penalties, Chopra said.

The violations impacted more than 16 million customers, the bureau said. In addition to improperly charging auto loan customers with fees and interest, the bank wrongfully repossessed vehicles in some cases. The bank also improperly denied thousands of mortgage loan modifications for homeowners.

Wells Fargo has been sanctioned repeatedly by U.S. regulators for violations of consumer protection laws going back to 2016, when employees were found to have opened millions of accounts illegally in order to meet unrealistic sales goals. Since then, executives have repeatedly said Wells is cleaning up its act, only for the bank to be found in violation of other parts of consumer protection law, including in its auto and mortgage lending businesses.

Wells paid a $1 billion penalty in 2018 for widespread consumer law violations, the largest against a bank for such violations at the time.

The bank had signaled to its investors that it anticipated additional fines and penalties from regulators and aside $2 billion in the third quarter for that reason.

Wells remains under a Federal Reserve order forbidding the bank from growing any larger until the Fed deems that its problems are resolved. That order, originally enacted in 2018, was expected to last only a year or two.

CEO Charles Scharf said in a prepared statement Tuesday that the agreement with the CFPB is part of an effort to “transform operating practices at Wells Fargo and to put these issues behind us.”

While Wells Fargo tried to frame the agreement with the CFPB as a resolution of established bad behavior, CFPB officials said some of the violations cited in Tuesday’s order took place this year.

“This should not been seen as Wells Fargo has moved past its problems,” Chopra said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Judge Allows Newspaper Copyright Lawsuit Against OpenAI to Proceed

DON'T MISS

Vang Inches Closer to Outright Fresno Council Victory

DON'T MISS

Clovis Man Arrested as Police Serve 4 Warrants in Child Exploitation Probe

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Clovis Sales Tax Hike Starts April 1

DON'T MISS

Visalia Man Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography

DON'T MISS

State Audit: CPUC Needs to Boost Oversight of Energy Efficiency Programs We’re Paying For

DON'T MISS

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let Him Cancel Grants to Teachers

DON'T MISS

Appeals Court Upholds Ban on Trump Admin’s Deportations Under Wartime Law

DON'T MISS

Fresno County’s First Fentanyl Murder Trial Ends in Guilty Verdict

DON'T MISS

Democrats’ Popularity Plummets, yet Midterm Prospects Remain Strong

UP NEXT

Stock Market Today: Nvidia, Tesla and Other Big Tech Drag Wall Street Lower

UP NEXT

Dollar Tree Sells Family Dollar After a Decade of Trying to Find a Fit

UP NEXT

Hyundai to Build $5.8B Steel Mill in Louisiana, Creating 5,400 Jobs

UP NEXT

Napster Sold to Tech Commerce Company for $207 Million

UP NEXT

US Consumer Confidence Tumbles to 12-Year Low

UP NEXT

Tesla Gets Permit to Ferry Passengers in CA, a Stepping Stone to Driverless Taxis

UP NEXT

Another Massive Deal in the Building Supply Sector, James Hardie Offers AZEK $8.75 Billion

UP NEXT

23andMe Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy as Co-Founder and CEO Wojcicki Resigns

UP NEXT

California Seniors Are Paying the Price for Lawsuit Abuse 

UP NEXT

Eyeing China Threat, Trump Announces Boeing Wins Contract for Secretive Future Fighter Jet

Wired Wednesday: Clovis Sales Tax Hike Starts April 1

60 minutes ago

Visalia Man Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography

1 hour ago

State Audit: CPUC Needs to Boost Oversight of Energy Efficiency Programs We’re Paying For

1 hour ago

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let Him Cancel Grants to Teachers

2 hours ago

Appeals Court Upholds Ban on Trump Admin’s Deportations Under Wartime Law

3 hours ago

Fresno County’s First Fentanyl Murder Trial Ends in Guilty Verdict

3 hours ago

Democrats’ Popularity Plummets, yet Midterm Prospects Remain Strong

5 hours ago

Trump’s Approval Rating Hits Historic Low, Worse Than Any Modern President

5 hours ago

Trump Administration Considers Money for Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioters

5 hours ago

Musk Slams Government Waste, Calls Treasury Payments System ‘Totally Insane’

5 hours ago

Judge Allows Newspaper Copyright Lawsuit Against OpenAI to Proceed

NEW YORK — A federal judge has ruled that The New York Times and other newspapers can proceed with a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Mi...

6 minutes ago

6 minutes ago

Judge Allows Newspaper Copyright Lawsuit Against OpenAI to Proceed

16 minutes ago

Vang Inches Closer to Outright Fresno Council Victory

51 minutes ago

Clovis Man Arrested as Police Serve 4 Warrants in Child Exploitation Probe

60 minutes ago

Wired Wednesday: Clovis Sales Tax Hike Starts April 1

1 hour ago

Visalia Man Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography

1 hour ago

State Audit: CPUC Needs to Boost Oversight of Energy Efficiency Programs We’re Paying For

2 hours ago

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let Him Cancel Grants to Teachers

3 hours ago

Appeals Court Upholds Ban on Trump Admin’s Deportations Under Wartime Law

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend