
Wells Fargo Bank is the flagship banking brand of Wells Fargo & Company, a publicly traded American financial services company founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, trading on NYSE under ticker WFC. The bank serves tens of millions of customers through approximately 4,000 branches and 11,000 ATMs. For FY2025, Wells Fargo reported $83.7 billion in revenue and $21.3 billion in net income.
Parent Company
Founded
1852
Status
Publicly Traded
Headquarters
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank | Wells Fargo & Company | Wholly owned |
Wells Fargo was founded on March 18, 1852, by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo to provide banking and express delivery to Gold Rush-era California, shipping gold, mail, and packages by stagecoach, the image that became the brand's lasting logo.
The bank survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, rebuilt, and consolidated through the twentieth century. The modern Wells Fargo formed through the 1998 merger of Norwest Corporation and Wells Fargo, with Norwest retaining the Wells Fargo name and moving headquarters to San Francisco. The 2008 acquisition of Wachovia made it a true coast-to-coast franchise.
The brand suffered its defining crisis with the fake accounts scandal revealed in 2016, when employees opened millions of unauthorized accounts to meet sales targets. The scandal cost the bank billions in fines, multiple CEOs, and a 2018 Federal Reserve asset cap. The Fed lifted the cap in June 2025 and terminated the enforcement action entirely in March 2026, closing a near-decade regulatory chapter.
Who owns Wells Fargo?
Wells Fargo & Company is a publicly traded corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker WFC. No single shareholder holds a controlling stake. Ownership is distributed among institutional investors, mutual funds, and individual shareholders. Berkshire Hathaway, once the largest shareholder, has significantly reduced its position in recent years.
What is Wells Fargo's annual revenue?
Wells Fargo reported total revenue of $83.7 billion for fiscal year 2025, up 2% from $82.3 billion in 2024. Net income for FY2025 was $21.3 billion, or $6.26 per diluted share. The company's primary revenue driver is net interest income, which totaled $47.5 billion in FY2025, supplemented by $36.2 billion in noninterest income from fees, advisory services, and other sources.
Is the Wells Fargo asset cap still in place?
No. The Federal Reserve removed the asset growth restriction on June 3, 2025, after determining that Wells Fargo had met all required conditions under the 2018 enforcement action. On March 5, 2026, the Fed terminated the enforcement action entirely. The asset cap had limited Wells Fargo's total assets to approximately $1.95 trillion for seven years.
Who is the CEO of Wells Fargo?
Charlie Scharf has served as Chief Executive Officer since October 2019. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Scharf was CEO of Visa and Bank of New York Mellon. Under his leadership, Wells Fargo has focused on improving risk management, terminating multiple consent orders, reducing costs, and investing in digital capabilities. Mike Santomassimo serves as Chief Financial Officer.
How many employees does Wells Fargo have?
Wells Fargo employed approximately 205,000 people as of December 31, 2025, with approximately 76% based in the United States. The company's workforce has declined from approximately 268,000 in 2020, reflecting efficiency initiatives and severance programs under CEO Charlie Scharf. The global workforce was 50% female and 50% male as of the end of 2025.
What are Wells Fargo's main business segments?
Wells Fargo operates through four reportable segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth and Investment Management. Consumer Banking and Lending is the largest segment by revenue, providing checking and savings accounts, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, and auto loans to individual consumers.
Is Wells Fargo a systemically important financial institution?
Yes. Wells Fargo is classified as a systemically important financial institution by U.S. regulators and is one of the "Big Four" U.S. banks alongside JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup. This designation subjects the company to enhanced regulatory oversight, including higher capital requirements and stress testing requirements.
What was the Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal?
In September 2016, Wells Fargo was fined $185 million by the CFPB, OCC, and the City and County of Los Angeles for creating approximately 2 million unauthorized bank and credit card accounts in customers' names. The scandal led to the resignation of CEO John Stumpf, a $3 billion DOJ/SEC settlement in 2020, and a Federal Reserve asset cap in 2018 that lasted until June 2025.
Wells Fargo has committed to net zero financed emissions by 2050 and pledged $500 billion in sustainable finance through 2030. The bank's ethics record is dominated by the 2016 fake accounts scandal, which produced over $3 billion in DOJ/SEC penalties and an OCC order, alongside later enforcement actions covering mortgage modifications and account fees.
Wells Fargo's mobile app and Fargo virtual assistant have earned digital banking awards, and the brand's history museums and stagecoach iconography remain among the most recognized corporate identities in American banking.
Fake accounts scandal (2016): Employees opened millions of unauthorized accounts under sales pressure; the scandal cost billions in fines, CEO John Stumpf resigned, and the Fed imposed an unprecedented asset cap, lifted only in June 2025 with the enforcement action fully terminated in March 2026.
Mortgage and auto remediation: Earlier consent orders covered improper rate-lock fees on mortgages and forced-placement auto insurance, with the bank paying over $1 billion in additional penalties through 2018-2022 remediation programs.
These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.
| Brand | Parent Company | Country | Founded | Market Position | Primary Market | Gender Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Of America | USA | 1998 | Mass market | United states | Unisex | |
| Jpmorgan Chase | USA | 1877 | Mass market | United states | All Genders | |
| Citi | USA | 1812 | Mass market | United states | All Genders | |
| Td Bank | USA | 1852 | Mass market | United states | All Genders |
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Finance FintechOwned by JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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Finance FintechOwned by Citigroup Inc.
American consumer banking brand providing retail banking, credit cards, mortgages, and wealth management services through Citigroup.
Finance FintechOwned by TD Bank, N.A.
TD Bank is the U.S. retail banking brand of Toronto-Dominion Bank, operating about 1,100 East Coast branches as "America's Most Convenient Bank" under a federal asset cap since 2024.
Market Positioning: Wells Fargo Bank competes with 4 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.
Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.
Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.
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Finance FintechOwned by TD Bank, N.A.
TD Bank is the U.S. retail banking brand of Toronto-Dominion Bank, operating about 1,100 East Coast branches as "America's Most Convenient Bank" under a federal asset cap since 2024.
TD Bank is privately owned, unlike Wells Fargo Bank which is under a publicly traded parent company.
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Consumer and commercial banking brand serving roughly 70 million clients through approximately 3,500 financial centers and industry-leading digital banking.
Bank of America operates independently without a large parent corporation.
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Capital One operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Finance FintechOwned by The Charles Schwab Corporation
American brokerage and wealth management brand serving 38.5 million active accounts and $11.90 trillion in client assets, flagship of The Charles Schwab Corporation.
Charles Schwab operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Finance FintechOwned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual)
Global asset management firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and subsidiary of MassMutual, managing investments across fixed income, real estate, and private markets.
Barings is privately owned, unlike Wells Fargo Bank which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Finance FintechOwned by Bloomberg L.P.
Industry-standard financial data and analytics platform used by approximately 325,000 subscribers at banks, hedge funds, and institutional investors worldwide.
Bloomberg Terminal is privately owned, unlike Wells Fargo Bank which is under a publicly traded parent company.
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