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.
Client-centric marketing tactics and a more emotional approach are key to financial advisers' efforts to distinguish themselves from their competition, a tele-savvy adviser said today at the Insured Retirement Institute's annual conference in Boston.
The Bad Advisors and outright crooks always grab the headlines; time to strike back.
President warned financial titans on Monday — the first anniversary of the Lehman Brothers collapse — they could not count on any more bailouts.
The continued zero interest rate environment may be presenting a bigger challenge to money market mutual fund managers than rule changes <a href= http://tinyurl.com/lom2a4>proposed </a> by the Securities and Exchange Commission, several managers told participants today at the Money Fund Symposium in Providence, R.I.
A former broker with Wells Fargo Advisors LLC of St. Louis has sued the firm for sexual discrimination.
Kenneth Lewis, Bank of America Corp.'s embattled chief executive, gave a trenchant analysis of the state of banking — and the brokerage business, in particular— last week when he announced that former Smith Barney boss Sallie Krawcheck will run the bank's global wealth and investment management sector.
Bank holding companies raked in $3.03 billion in insurance brokerage fee income during the first quarter, down from $3.21 billion a year earlier, according to a report.
Hard-hit Swiss bank UBS AG reported another quarterly loss today while France's BNP Paribas posted a 6.6 percent increase in net profit.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. has slapped Wells Fargo Investments LLC and four other investment firms with $1.65 million in fines for supervisory failures in mutual fund and variable annuity transactions.
Bank holding companies reaped a record $734.5 million in annuity fee income during the first quarter, according to data from Michael White Associates.
Wells Fargo has joined other big banks in reporting significant second-quarter results, with a 47 percent rise in profit helped by its acquisition of Charlotte, N.C.,-based Wachovia Corp.
Competition among clearing firms and custodians to woo advisers with technology ratcheted up a notch last week when National Financial Services LLC said that it had integrated the Thomson One wealth management platform into its Streetscape broker workstation.
Like businesses across the financial services industry, clearing firms are feeling the pressure and the strain from the historic market downturn. It is a difficult and competitive business environment for the firms, which are key partners to broker-dealers, clearing and settling transactions for them and their representatives.
Wells Fargo & Co. said today it has renamed its investment banking and capital markets businesses as Wells Fargo Securities.
Record levels of stock issuance by public companies over the past several weeks could come back to haunt the market and hurt investors, at least in the near term.
