Wells Fargo & Co

Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services corporation with a significant global footprint. Operating in 35 countries, the company serves over 70 million clients worldwide. Recognized as a systemically important financial institution by the Financial Stability Board, it is considered one of the "Big Four Banks" in the United States, alongside JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup.

The primary subsidiary of the company is Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., a national bank that designates its main office at its Sioux Falls, South Dakota location. It ranks as the fourth-largest bank in the United States by total assets and also stands out as one of the largest banks based on deposits and market capitalization. With a network of 8,050 branches and 13,000 automated teller machines, as well as 2,000 stand-alone mortgage branches, it is the second-largest retail mortgage originator in the U.S., responsible for originating one out of every four home loans, and services $1.8 trillion in home mortgages, making it one of the largest servicing portfolios in the nation. Additionally, it is recognized as one of the most valuable banking brands, ranking 47th on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. companies.

Beyond traditional banking, Wells Fargo offers equipment financing through subsidiaries like Wells Fargo Rail and provides investment management and brokerage services. A core aspect of Wells Fargo's business approach is cross-selling, which involves encouraging existing customers to acquire additional banking services. This strategy led to the infamous Wells Fargo cross-selling scandal.

The company maintains international offices in cities including London, Dublin, Paris, Milan, Dubai, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, and Toronto, among others. Its back-office operations are located in India and the Philippines, employing more than 20,000 staff. Notably, Wells Fargo is the first major national U.S. bank to successfully undergo a unionization effort. As of 2024, 20 branch locations have joined Wells Fargo Workers United-CWA, a division of the Communications Workers of America, within less than a year.

Wells Fargo operates under Charter No. 1, the first national bank charter issued in the United States, which was granted to the First National Bank of Philadelphia on June 20, 1863, by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The current entity known as Wells Fargo is the result of a merger between the original Wells Fargo & Company and Norwest Corporation, based in Minneapolis, in 1998. Following the merger, the combined company adopted the more recognizable Wells Fargo name and relocated to the Wells Fargo headquarters in San Francisco. At that time, Norwest’s banking subsidiary merged with Wells Fargo’s Sioux Falls-based banking unit, allowing Wells Fargo to become a coast-to-coast bank with the acquisition of Wachovia, based in Charlotte, in 2008.