Office address: 420 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94104
Website: wellsfargo.com
Year established: 1852
Company type: banking
Employees: 217,000 (2024)
Expertise: retail banking, commercial banking, investment banking, wealth management, asset management, mortgage lending, treasury management, capital markets, insurance, global payments
Parent company: Wells Fargo & Company
Key people: Charles Scharf (CEO); Barry Sommers, Fernando Rivas, Michael Santomassimo, Derek Flowers, Scott Powell, and Kyle Hranicky (senior EVPs)
Financing status: corporation
Wells Fargo is a leading US bank headquartered in California, serving millions of clients nationwide. It delivers diverse financial and investment options, covering wealth management, asset management, and investment banking services. Managing over $2 trillion in assets, the company operates one of the largest investment advisory networks and is recognized as a Big Four US bank.
Wells Fargo began its story in 1852, when Henry Wells and William Fargo saw a need for reliable banking and express services during the California Gold Rush. Their company quickly became known for moving gold, mail, and freight across the growing American West. The famous Wells Fargo stagecoach soon became a symbol of trust and connection for people seeking opportunity.
The company played a key role in linking distant towns and cities, helping communities grow and thrive. By the late 1800s, Wells Fargo was handling express deliveries, banking, and even managing the western portion of the Pony Express. Its reach stretched from California to the Midwest, making it a household name for pioneers and businesses.
Wells Fargo faced many changes over the years, including government takeovers and new banking laws. In 1905, the express and banking businesses split, and the bank merged with Nevada National Bank. Through world wars, economic downturns, and the rise of new technologies, it adapted to meet the needs of each era.
A major milestone came in 1998, when Wells Fargo merged with Norwest Corporation, creating a coast-to-coast banking powerhouse. The company expanded further by acquiring Wachovia in 2008, which made it one of the largest banks in the US. Today, it stands as a leader in American banking, known for its resilience and commitment to serving millions of customers nationwide.
Wells Fargo’s offerings are structured to provide a range of options for independent advisors, individuals, and businesses. The company combines technology, national reach, and advisor support to deliver financial and investment solutions:
Wells Fargo also provides digital tools and platform enhancements to help advisors and clients manage their finances efficiently. The company’s national reach and experienced teams offer support and resources for a wide range of financial needs.
Wells Fargo states that its culture focuses on inclusion, support, and engagement for all employees. The work environment is described as one where people are encouraged to speak up and feel valued, with teamwork and respect emphasized.
Eligible employees at Wells Fargo receive a variety of benefits that support their health, finances, and work-life balance, including:
According to Wells Fargo, it supports social, economic, and environmental sustainability through business practices and community efforts. The company reports $178 billion deployed in sustainable finance over three years, including $16 billion for renewable energy. It also notes $55 billion in commitments to oil, gas, utilities, and over $15 billion for clean transportation.
Charles W. Scharf is CEO and President of Wells Fargo, leading the company’s strategy and operations since 2019. Scharf previously served as CEO of Bank of New York Mellon and Visa, and held executive roles at JPMorgan Chase. He brings over 30 years of experience in banking and payments, including leadership in both public and private companies.
Here are the key people overseeing Wells Fargo’s investment, banking, and financial management divisions:
The board and management state that they are committed to sound and effective corporate governance. Leadership aims to ensure strong oversight and clear accountability throughout the company.
Wells Fargo Investment Institute’s chief investment officer shared four signals that could support a longer bull market for clients. The firm highlights trends like AI growth, fiscal clarity, and broadening market strength as reasons for optimism through 2026. This analysis helps the company guide investors with strategies that match changing market conditions and future opportunities.
Wells Fargo Advisors also brought in four experienced professionals in 2025, adding nearly $1 billion in assets under management. The company’s new hires from UBS and JPMorgan show its focus on attracting advisors with strong client relationships and established books of business. This move expands Wells Fargo’s wealth management division and increases the firm’s total client AUM.
The broker recruiting wars are heating up, with wirehouses jacking up their offers to new heights to lure more representatives in 2010.
Wells Fargo & Co. said Tuesday it will sell stock for $25 per share to help repay $25 billion in government bailout money.
President Barack Obama is asking bank executives to support his efforts to tighten the financial industry, while bankers are prepared to tell the president he should stop oversimplifying their concerns if he wants good-faith collaboration.
Wells Fargo & Co. says its third-quarter profit nearly doubled from a year ago although it joins other big U.S. banks in reporting higher loan losses.
The two trustees of Medical Capital Holdings Inc.'s private placements, Wells Fargo & Co. and The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., have been sued by investors seeking class action status.
Fidelity Investments is unveiling details of the enhanced service model that Charles Goldman, head of its institutional platforms business, promised for registered investment advisers when he joined the firm from The Charles Schwab Corp. almost a year ago.
A Wells Fargo Securities analyst today speculated that Prudential Financial Inc. may target ING's U.S. retirement business as an acquisition.
The number of buyers snapping up new homes dipped unexpectedly last month as the effects of a temporary tax credit for first-time owners started to wear off.
The latest data showing unemployment now at its highest level in 26 years translates into a challenge for stock pickers over the next several years, according to Ann Miletti, who manages more than $2 billion for the Wells Fargo Funds Management Group.
More than twice the number of target date funds have liquidated this year than in all of 2008, indicating how difficult it is for asset managers unaffiliated with 401(k) record keepers to build assets in such funds.
Though the industry has been transformed, some old mistakes are being made again
Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. is pursuing a legal strategy that could give it a leg up in collecting from brokers who owe the firm money on retention packages.
Karen Ogard, a 26-year industry veteran, last week left Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, where she was in the brokerage's Greenwood Village, Colo., office, and joined Robert W. Baird & Co.
