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Wells Fargo, Las Vegas, Nevada Complaints and Reviews - Scam and cheating

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Wells Fargo, Las Vegas, Nevada Complaints & Reviews - Scam and cheating

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Wells Fargo, Las Vegas, Nevada

Posted: 2008-05-25 by Tommy [send email]


Scam and cheating
Complaint Rating:  100 % with 2 votes
Company information:
Wells Fargo
Decatur Branch Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
United States
Phone: 702-765-2801
www.wellsfargo.com

KS are federally regulated to protect both themselves and its customers. However, in Nevada, some bankers find it extremely hard to follow these regulations and make their bonuses every quarter. In order to receive their incentives, they bend the rules so they can get their bonuses and their customers suffer the consequences. How do I know this? I am a former employee of the company and was personally affected by this misconduct.

The 'trick' is simple, a customer comes into the bank to get a statement, inquire about an account or activate a debit card, the banker looks at the customer profile, immediately notices that the customer has been pre-approved for a line of credit so he/she decides that Mr. Customer needs it and submits an application without even informing the customer.

That alone violates many regulations, first the customer must always be aware of any credit applications submitted on his/her name, second, rates and disclosures have to be presented to the customer before summiting the application, and last but not least, the customer has to give authorization to have his/her credit report pulled.

Other great way bankers satisfy their loan requirements every week is with the famous solicitation calls. This happens on Thursdays from 5:00pm to 7:00pm when bankers are required to stay after work to make outbound calls to existing customers to offer products and services they may need. A person or two at my old bank had a great technique to get customers to apply: they call the customer, introduce themselves and offer to mail information about a line of credit, if the customer agrees to receive that information the banker automatically submits an application, if the customer gets approved the line of credit is open and will remain open at a zero balance indefinitely, if it gets denied, it will be hard for that customer to know that an application was submitted (unless they check their credit reports). Usually bankers have a way to avoid denial letters, so the customer never finds out.

What about signatures? No problem, not need it for a personal line of credit since is a revolving trade (just like a credit card) only installment loans require closing signatures. This issue is only the surface of many unethical things some bankers do. I invite people to check their credit reports and see if there are any unauthorized inquiries from Wells Fargo. If you don't want to go through the hassle of getting that report call a local office and inquire what accounts you have open with the bank or if there are any credit applications entered for you in the past (they will only go back 30 days on that, so getting the copy of your credit report is best). If there are any lines of credit, credit cards or accounts you didn't know about, report that branch. Credit is a serious issue and bankers need to respect the customer's decision to obtain it or not.
Comments United States Banks

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Wells Fargo cheating the public

Wells Fargo Warning

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*NEW* Facebook page by other unhappy Wells Fargo Customers: http://www.facebook.com/groups/246398062060202/

Welcome to www.WellsFargoWarning.com! I created this site to tell the story of my experience with Wells Fargo Bank, and to invite all of you to submit your own stories which I will also post to this site. Information on how you can do that is at the bottom of this page. But most importantly, this site should give you an idea of how you could expect to be treated by Wells Fargo in the unfortunate event that a problem should arise.

If you’re like me, then you’re sick and tired of being cheated, bullied, and lied to by large organizations like Wells Fargo and are not going to stand around and do nothing about it. It’s time to send them a clear message and affect them where it counts, their “bottom line”, because that’s obviously the only thing they care about. They don’t care about you or me or even what’s right or wrong. Together we can force Wells Fargo to get their act together and begin respecting their customers. Working together on this we can make a difference, but rest assured I have no intention of letting up until Wells Fargo changes their behavior toward customers and starts behaving ethically! In the meantime, I urge you to close your accounts at Wells Fargo and take your hard earned money elswhere.

With that said, let me begin by introducing myself and giving you some background about my situation….

I am a father of two beautiful children, ages 8 and 6, with whom I love to spend as much time as possible. Unfortunately I am currently going through a divorce and my ex-wife has primary custody of our children. Like all good fathers, I take care of my children and pay child support. I am current on all my child support obligations, but the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) doesn’t see it that way. They claim I’m over $3,000 behind in child support when in fact I am currently 3 months ahead on my payments. Whether due to bureaucracy, inadequate staffing or simply the arrogance of the DCSS, several of my monthly payments have not been properly credited. A court hearing scheduled for October ought to straighten all this out.

So I bet you're asking yourself at this point, “What does this all have to do with Wells Fargo??”

Here's how. In late July, my parents received a letter from Wells Fargo stating that their savings account is being levied in the amount of $1,896.00 by the DCSS for past due child support. In addition, Wells Fargo took an additional $100 for themselves calling it a “Legal Order Processing Fee”, bringing the total to almost $2K. It turns out my parents had added my brother and me as account holders in case something should happen to them. So DCSS levied the account, and instructed Wells Fargo to forward the funds to them after 10 days, which would have been on August 5, 2010. When my parents received this letter from Wells Fargo they immediately contacted the DCSS to explain that this account and all funds in it belong to them, not myself nor my brother. Surprisingly, DCSS was very cooperative and asked my parents to fax several bank statements, deposits, cancelled checks, and so on in order to prove it was their account. After verifying the information DCSS agreed that the funds indeed belong to my parents, and on August 2, 2010, the DCSS faxed Wells Fargo instructing them to return the funds to my parents since the levy was withdrawn.

Pretty clear cut huh? It should have ended there, but the story continues….

On August 2, 2010, my father, who is as gentle, kind, polite and pleasant a person as you will ever meet, tried to call Wells Fargo's "Levy Processing Department" as was signed at the bottom of the letter. He had a very difficult time trying to reach this department as there was no phone number on the letter and no one in the Wells Fargo organization had heard of them. As it turns out, there is no such department. Finally he was given the number (480) 724-2000 which is to Wells Fargo’s Legal Department. He wanted to confirm that they received the instructions to return the money. After being on hold for over 45 minutes, someone picked up the line, said “hello” and then hung up the phone. My father called back and after another 40 minute hold, he finally spoke to a lady named “Fatima” who confirmed that they received the order to stop the levy and would return the money to his account.

After several days with no sign of the money, my father called once more and again spent 40-45 minutes on hold before finally speaking to a gentleman named “Alex”. Alex was extremely rude and belligerent toward my father, told him something to the effect of “we mailed you a check on August 3rd and you’ll just have to wait!” and then immediately hung up the phone. A couple more days, still no funds and no check. At this point, my mother called the legal department and, true to form, spent over two hours in total on hold including the times someone would pick up the phone, say “hello” and then immediately hang up. Finally she spoke to Alex who again was extremely rude and hung up the phone. My father then called back, and this time spoke to “Fatima” again. Fatima told him that if he doesn’t receive the check within 10 days to call back, and Wells Fargo will stop payment on the check and deposit the money back into his account.

10 days passed and still no check. He called back and this time spoke to a “Meagan” Meagan was just as bad if not worse than Alex. She rudely told him, “We don’t have your money. Once we mail a check, it’s not our problem anymore.” He politely explained to her that Wells Fargo has the money, and that issuing a check in itself is not payment, especially when the check was never received nor cashed. Megan then rudely exclaimed, “Well, you’ll have to wait 30 days.” He asked her why he should have to wait 30 days when they can just simply stop payment on the check (if such a check existed) and deposit the money into his account. Meagan then replied, “30 DAYS!” and hung up the phone on him.

Not wanting to spend hours on the phone again, my father decided to go to the Wells Fargo branch located on White Lane & Gosford hoping to get matters resolved. He spoke to “Monica”, an Assistant Vice President at that branch. Monica called the legal department to try and resolve the problem. She spent over 30 minutes on hold (while my father waited) before finally being connected with “Alex”. Alex picked up the phone, said “hello” then hung up the phone. She called back and spent another 30 minutes on hold before getting Alex again. By this time she was quite upset herself. Alex was again rude towards her. At one point she expressed her own frustrations of being on hold for over 30 minutes and his response was “No, it’s only been 25!” How arrogant, huh? She asked Alex to stop payment on the check and deposit the money into my father's account per the original agreement. He told her he’d get back to her.

After a few more days and still no check, my father stopped by the same branch and left a message for Monica to follow up and get back to him; he received no response. Next day he sent her a fax, but still no response. At that point he returned to the branch and spoke to “Monica” as well as “Susan”, the branch manager. They explained to him that they did all they could and could provide no further assistance as they themselves were getting no cooperation from the people in the legal department. They gave him the phone number to the Wells Fargo Executive Offices and the team that handles customer resolutions.

Being upset about the whole situation and the distress it had caused my parents, I decided to get involved. Although my parents did not blame me one bit and understood that this happened through no fault of my own, I felt a moral obligation to take on this battle. At their age they really don’t need the stress and, after all, it was my name that got them into this mess in the first place.

So I entered the ring…

On August 18, 2010, I called Wells Fargo Executive Offices at (800) 869-3557 or (800) 511-2265 and spoke to “Nancy V” on the executive team, who supposedly works in the offices of the CEO. I must say that Nancy was more polite than the other folks we encountered at Wells Fargo. She assured me she would resolve the matter expeditiously, and promised she would call me back the next morning. She called me back on the morning of August 19. She said she spoke to the legal department, and they asked her to send them an email which she told me she had done. She also told me that she would be in touch with me throughout the day. When I hadn’t heard from her by 4:30 that afternoon, I called back and left a message. Approximately another 30-45 minutes went by, and I still had not heard from her. Wanting to make sure to get status before she left for the day, I called again. Again I was told she was not available. I then asked for the head of that office, and was put through to “Mary Jo” who is the Executive Supervisor. Mary Jo was familiar with the situation, and told me that Nancy was actually on the other line with the head manager in the legal department and that if I could just hold a minute, Nancy was flagging her over to give her a message for me. I held, and Mary Jo got back on the line to tell me that if I sent her a fax signed by all four account holders authorizing Wells Fargo to deposit the money back into the savings account then it would get done. First thing the next morning I sent her the fax she requested. The whole day passed without contact from anyone. At about 5:00pm on Friday, August 20, 2010, I called and asked for Mary Jo or Nancy. I was told that Mary Jo had gone home for the day and that “Nancy is not available.” I told the lady I would hold. She said, “You can’t hold,” and hung up the phone. I called back, and this time another person answered. I asked for Nancy, and she asked my name; I told her, and after 20 seconds she returned to say, “Nancy’s not available.” I explained that I would call back until Nancy would speak with me. Again I was put on hold, but this time Nancy picked up and told me she was on the phone with the legal department, and now they want all four persons listed on the account to appear in person at the same time at a Wells Fargo Branch in order to receive “the check”.

As you might imagine, I was furious at this point, and felt we were treated like circus animals being asked to jump through hoops. I told Nancy what she could do with her new circus trick so here we are today with no check, no funds returned and absolutely no cooperation from Wells Fargo. Do these people have any ethics or morals??

Summary:

  • Wells Fargo claims they mailed a check on 8/3/2010

  • No check was received

  • Wells Fargo states that if the check is not received within 10 days, they will stop payment and make a direct deposit.

  • 10 days come and go, no check (and no deposit)

  • Wells Fargo states that once a check is issued, they wash their hands of it regardless of whether that check is ever actually received. (They confirmed that check was not cashed)

  • Wells Fargo states that we have to wait 30 days before they will stop payment or even look into the matter.

  • Well Fargo requests a fax signed by all account holders to authorize direct deposit (fax sent).

  • Wells Fargo then says all four persons listed on account must appear at the same time in person (nearly impossible due to our different schedules).

It seems that Wells Fargo is doing everything in their power to make it as difficult as possible in an attempt to delay or avoid returning the money. If this isn't stealing, I don't know what is!

I don’t for one minute believe Wells Fargo ever mailed a check in the first place. In my opinion, based on this experience and the experiences of others with Wells Fargo, they are one of the most, if not the most, dishonest and shady banking organizations of our time. Not even at the top level in their Executive Offices will you get satisfactory treatment or resolution to your complaint.

For those of you who have had problems with Wells Fargo Bank, you know exactly what I’m saying. For those who haven’t “YET”, do you really want to stick around till you do??

Comments:

from Marion C222@intrstar.net
to WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

date Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 7:25 AM
subject $100 taken from my account for legal fees
mailed-byintrstar.net

hide details Nov 12 (12 days ago)


I set up payments for taxes owed to the IRS. Because all of the funds were not in the bank, Wells Fargo charged me $100 dollars. This is not the first dirty, underhanded thing they have done. They continue to charge me overdraft fees with no concrete explanations. This is awful. We need to come together to do a class action lawsuit. First Priority is to get your money out of Wells Fargo Bank.

Marion
from Sam sam@.com
to WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

date Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 12:58 PM
subject Where Do I Start?


hide details Nov 16 (7 days ago)


I lost a house to foreclosure to WF this past May. I had attempted a “loan modification” for almost two years, during which time I faxed them the same documentation (i.e., letter of hardship, budget, etc.) FIVE to SIX times, because they either kept losing it or they just threw it in the trash. In the end, they foreclosed on the house, and turned around and bought it back on the day of foreclosure. This, after a $30,000 cash down payment, plus paying nothing but interest on the home for six years. It was a real tragedy, especially since the occupant of my house was my mother, a recent widow who was forced into bankruptcy after my father’s death months before, and therefore could not make the monthly mortgage. She literally became homeless (I moved her in with me), and the saddest part was that the down payment was my parents’ money.

The same situation is happening now with my house (the house I live in). I’ve been trying for a “loan modification” for a year. I’ve faxed over the same documentation three times in the past year. They always come back with some technicality which prevents them from processing the loan, and by the time they respond, the 60-day window has passed, and I have to submit the information all over again, including bank statements. This last attempt at a “modification” (I keep putting this in quotes because I am beginning to wonder if there is such a thing) resulted in them not processing the material I sent because I didn’t have a DATE on the financial worksheet. I’m serious. This just happened moments ago. I told the WF person that I was recording our conversation, and they said I couldn’t, even though they do. Last time I checked, I was supposed to have rights as an American citizen, but I am learning now that without a lot of money, you have few rights in this country.

This much more to my story, but all I want to really know is, is there a we could gather the people who have been wronged (illegally, I’m sure) by WF and do a class-action lawsuit? Seems they’re just too big to bring to justice, but I would certainly be a willing participant if the opportunity arose.

Thanks so much for your site. I just discovered it today, and have already told two friends about it (one of whom, along with his wife, just lost their home of ten years to foreclosure because WF wouldn’t work with them on a “loan modification”.

Regards,

Sam B
Memphis, TN
from Lowell free@gmail.com
to WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

date Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 9:43 AM
subject Problems
mailed-bygmail.com
signed-bygmail.com


hide details Nov 11 (12 days ago)


I am experiencing the same problems like everyone in Wells fargo are lying to me. I talked to the branch manager about a charge against my saving account that i never made.
He told me the charge was a mistake and it would be cleared up in 3 to 5 days ..So i am waiting till about nov 15 for it to be removed. As far as ,removing all my money from the bank.That would be a time consuming task because i have direct depoist and lots of bills being paid to Wells Fargo. And if i start reducing the money in my accounts,they will start charging fees for all these transactions. I do believe that all the problems people are having is caused by the main office. And it looks like to me that there must be a law and a department that can put the screws to wells fargo.
I will keep you informed about my problems.

--
LOWELL
from John @yahoo.com
tow ellsfargowarning@gmail.com

date Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 9:50 AM
subject Caught up in the storm
mailed-byyahoo.com
signed-byyahoo.com


hide details Nov 10 (13 days ago)


I came upon your website while trying to find the location of the 215-973-4005 phone number for Wells Fargo Legal Processing. After reading some of the comments submitted I am now quite concerned about ever having my money returned to my account.
I have discovered that the federal government monitors bank accounts of individuals across the country that are listed as being in arrears with support payments. For eleven months in 2008 I had absolutely no employment. As a result I did indeed incur arrearages to a support order. I became gainfully employed in December of 2008 and fortunately have not been out of work since. Upon finding employment I made arrangements with the domestic relations division of the court to make monthly payments on the arrearages to my account. I have not missed a payment in the two years since signing this agreement. I made arrangements with my current employer to receive an advance on my pay so I could pay off a car loan early. I deposited the one thousand nine hundred dollars into my checking account and promptly did an online payment to pay off the vehicle. The nineteen hundred dollars could not have been in the account for more than two days at most. The feds happened to check the account with this balance and promptly notifed the court that I had "too much money" in my checking account. This process apparently took about two weeks to pan out. By that time the money was long spent and I had deposited my regular check of seven hundred dollars. I was never contacted by domestic relations and their office ordered Wells Fargo to freeze and sieze my account. Wells Fargo did not send any type of alert notifying me of this and I only found out because my card was rejected for online bill payment.
I spent several hours sorting out the reason for the freeze on my account and after finally getting the finance director of domestic relations to agree that my account should not have been seized, a court order was issued and sent on to Wells Fargo telling them to release my account and reinstate the funds previously listed on the balance. A week after the order was issued Wells Fargo still denied delivery of the order. At that time I contacted domestic relations again and they faxed a copy of the order to a phone number somewhere in North Carolina. 704-427-3684 I am still confused by this because the 215 number is in Philadelphia but "Danny", whom I spoke with there stated that he was in Arizona. I have yet to have anyone pick up the phone at the 215 number since then.
I still don't know where this is headed but it looks like I could easily be out seven hundred dollars plus whatever late fees I will now incur for missing on time payments.

from April April@
to "WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com"

date Fri, Nov 4, 2011 at 9:52 AM
subject re: Wells Fargo


hide details Nov 4 (2 days ago)


Has anyone spoke to an attorney about this matter. I just had this stuff happened to me and am wondering where wells fargo has this right. Couldn’t this be a class action lawsuit?

April

april@
(619)235-
from @aol.com
to WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

date Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 5:48 AM
subject (no subject)
mailed-byaol.com
signed-bymx.aol.com


hide details Nov 3 (4 days ago)


I am closing my Wells Fargo account as soon as I have access to my money. I have to call them at least every two weeks. My checking account had been hacked and they canceled the account and issued new account numbers and card. The card never came so a local branch gave me a temp. The card is constantly rejected, and it turns out that the new card was reported as lost. When I make deposits the balance is always short $70 to $80. It magically reappears after a few days but it's frustrating trying to figure out where my money is at. I recently had to transfer money out of savings and the online statement showed the transfer went through. I did my shopping and this morning I received an email from the bank saying they charged me for over draft protection because my account was at $0. When I looked at my statement online, the savings transfer had been reversed and the money was put back into my savings account. The banker said the OD was because I transferred money from my checking into savings. I asked why I would do that since I only had $17 left in my checking account. I hate starting my morning off yelling at people. I hate yelling at people. I should not have to yell at anyone. I never had any problems with Wachovia. I want to change banks but am lost as to what bank to choose. I've heard horror stories about other too banks so I think maybe a mason jar in the backyard is my best bet.

Rene
from Shelia shelia@bellsouth.net
to WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

date Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 9:09 PM
subject DEEDS UNSIGNED BY WELLS FARGO

hide details Nov 1 (5 days ago)


Is it truth or Is it PROPAGANDA! You do THE THINKING!
information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.= Propaganda...


We are continuing to hear that the economy is not improving in the home sector, foreclosure is up and sales are down. As an active Real Estate Agent in this Atlanta market, I am convinced that The Banking Institutions are not trying their best, to help this melt down economy improve. I’m just saying…..when you have Cash Buyers who is ready, willing and able to close and take possession of their new home, after they have been under contract for over 90 days which could help build this economy at least by one sale. We can’t close the deal. Why you ask, in this case because Wells Fargo Bank is 90 to 120 days or more behind on signing their own foreclosure deeds on their Foreclosed Inventory. PEOPLE THIS IS REDICULOUS! We must continue Speak up & Ask why or they are going to continue tell us “ the economy is not improving and Sales are down” when they themselves, Wells Fargo and other banking institutions is holding up the process. Some of their inventoried homes have been foreclosed for a year or more and still sitting on the market as unsold inventory when in reality a signature from Wells Fargo can close 100’s of their inventory. Is this not important to them or is this another act to ensure our economy stays bleak? I’m just saying. Please understand this is not totally about my client or me, I know of many more situations just like this one. IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE AT WELLS FARGO BANK FORECLOSURE/DEED DEPARTMENT, PLESE TELL THEM WE NEED THEIR HELP TO GET THEIR INVENTORY OFF THE ACTIVE MARKET. If have a contact at Wells, please forward their information to me. ... We are continuing to hear that the economy is not improving in the home sector, foreclosure is up and sales are down. As an active Real Estate Agent in this Atlanta market, I am convinced that The Banking Institutions are not trying their best, to help this melt down economy improve. I’m just saying…..when you have Cash Buyers who is ready, willing and able to close and take possession of their new home, after they have been under contract for over 90 days which could help build this economy at least by one sale. We can’t close the deal. Why you ask, in this case because Wells Fargo Bank is 90 to 120 days or more behind on signing their own foreclosure deeds on their Foreclosed Inventory. PEOPLE THIS IS REDICULOUS! We must continue Speak up & Ask why or they are going to continue tell us “ the economy is not improving and Sales are down” when they themselves, Wells Fargo and other banking institutions is holding up the process. Some of their inventoried homes have been foreclosed for a year or more and still sitting on the market as unsold inventory when in reality a signature from Wells Fargo can close 100’s of their inventory. Is this not important to them or is this another act to ensure our economy stays bleak? I’m just saying. Please understand this is not totally about my client or me, I know of many more situations just like this one. IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE AT WELLS FARGO BANK FORECLOSURE/DEED DEPARTMENT, PLESE TELL THEM WE NEED THEIR HELP TO GET THEIR INVENTORY OFF THE ACTIVE MARKET. If have a contact at Wells, please forward their information to me.We are continuing to hear that the economy is not improving in the home sector, foreclosure is up and sales are down. As an active Real Estate Agent in this Atlanta market, I am convinced that The Banking Institutions are not trying their best, to help this melt down economy improve. I’m just saying…..when you have Cash Buyers who is ready, willing and able to close and take possession of their new home, after they have been under contract for over 90 days which could help build this economy at least by one sale. We can’t close the deal. Why you ask, in this case because Wells Fargo Bank is 90 to 120 days or more behind on signing their own foreclosure deeds on their Foreclosed Inventory. PEOPLE THIS IS REDICULOUS! We must continue Speak up & Ask why or they are going to continue tell us “ the economy is not improving and Sales are down” when they themselves, Wells Fargo and other banking institutions is holding up the process. Some of their inventoried homes have been foreclosed for a year or more and still sitting on the market as unsold inventory when in reality a signature from Wells Fargo can close 100’s of their inventory. Is this not important to them or is this another act to ensure our economy stays bleak? I’m just saying. Please understand this is not totally about my client or me, I know of many more situations just like this one. IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE AT WELLS FARGO BANK FORECLOSURE/DEED DEPARTMENT, PLESE TELL THEM WE NEED THEIR HELP TO GET THEIR INVENTORY OFF THE ACTIVE MARKET. If have a contact at Wells, please forward their information to me.


from Corry @gmail.com
to WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

date Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 9:18 PM
subject Wells Fargo
mailed-bygmail.com
signed-bygmail.com


hide details Oct 26 (1 day ago)


Hi my name is corry I have been with wells Fargo for about 8 months and it has been nothing but trouble. I recently got a letter from the irs about an outstanding debt, I faxed them all the information they needed but somehow a mistake was made and they placed a levy on my account for $5.45... Hells Fargo did the "legal order fee" of $100. I contacted the irs and they acknowledged the mistake and sent a release of levy fax to legal services. Same story, no money in my account and no chance of getting that 100 back that they charged to hold my 5 dollars for the 2 hours it had been between the hold and the fax to release the hold... Any advice?

Reply


fromWellsFargoWarning Admin wellsfargowarning @gmail.com
toCorry @gmail.com>

dateFri, Oct 28, 2011 at 7:59 AM
subjectRe: Wells Fargo
mailed-bygmail.com

hide details 7:59 AM (0 minutes ago)


Hello Cory, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately the only advice I can give you is to keep after them and advise all your family and friends to close their accounts with them. I am in the same situation as you. While eventually my $2k were refunded, they refused to refund that $100 fee they stole. I wish I had an answer for you but since I was not successful myself, I would just suggest to be a pain in their butt till they learn to stop stealing from us.

Good luck and keep me posted!!

from: Bob @comcast.net
toWellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

dateFri, Sep 16, 2011 at 7:48 AM
subjectIf I only knew!!!
mailed-bycomcast.net
Important mainly because of the words in the message.

hide details Sep 16 (2 days ago)


Wow! If I only knew how bad WF was, I would have jumped before the merger. I can see now, that it’s not going to get any better so I’m looking for a different bank who cares about me.

1. E-Bills not available for Dominion Virginia Power.
a. Each of the dozen or so calls were fruitless. I got different stories each time. One customer rep said “they’re working on it” and couldn’t give an estimated date when it would be resolved. Each internal message on my online BP told me it was DOM’s fault and I needed to take it up with them. After two weeks and 8 messages, it’s finally fixed. What a hassle!
b. Don’t believe their promise they’ll get back to you in 24 hours. All they do is send an e-mail that “they’re working on it”. No one ever called me personally.

2. Online payments to any bank are taking 5 days (paper check issued).
a. Caused me to be late on a loan payment to my credit union.
b. When they say 5 days, they really mean 8 – 12 days. If you issue an online bill pay on Monday, it doesn’t record until Tuesday. It’s 5 days from Tuesday, but they add in the weekend. If there’s a Monday or Friday holiday, add one more day. My credit union takes 2 days to process a paper check. What used to happen in two days at Wachovia is now taking Wells Fargo up to 12 days. Why?
c. Funds are withdrawn on the day you issue the bill pay event. Why? The check isn’t cashed for up to two weeks. Sounds like a tactic to scoop up interest at my expense!
d. I was told by a customer rep to wait the 5 days for last month and then this month, WF would automatically change it to electronic bill pay. Hah! That didn’t happen.
e. I was told by a customer rep that any bill pay to a bank is an automatic check and could never be an electronic check. I asked to talk to the executive offices. I spoke with Doreen. She could care less. She said that my credit union would need to pay a fee for each electronic transfer. Wachovia never mentioned this. I told her that things had not improved over the past two months and I was pulling out. She said “well – you gotta do what you gotta do” and could have cared less about me.

OK – I’m looking for a new bank. During all of this, I was reminded about a commercial on TV when the dad comes downstairs in the morning for breakfast to find a new family. He asked where his old family was and his wife said they’re his new family! How true this turned out to be!!!

Let me know how I can help your campaign against Hell’s Fargo.

Bob
from: @aol.com
toWellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

dateWed, Sep 7, 2011 at 11:34 PM
subjectWells Fargo Horror Story
mailed-byaol.com
Important mainly because of the words in the message.

hide details 11:34 PM (21 hours ago)


My Name is Anna. I cant believe how all the stories I read are so similar to mine. It all started with a VA Tax payment that was sent to the bank in error. My husband and I had already settled this matter back in May of 2011 when Wells Fargo was Wachovia. Wachovia took care of the problem with no hesitation. August of 2011 the same lien was sent back to the bank. We called the Department of Taxation on a Monday and they faxed over the paperwork to release the lien due to their error which was stated on the paperwork.One rep replied that one wouldn't be honored due to the fact the lien was processed on Tuesday not Monday. On that Friday there is a hold on the account so we call the lien department to inform them they should have the proper paperwork why is there a hold on the account in the amount of 968.76 which we didn't owe to the department of taxation. They just needed a copy of our taxes that we had already provided them with. We spoke to 5 different customer service reps one in particular named Keyah was extremely rude. 3 others just hung up the phone on us after waiting to speak to someone for 45 minutes at a time. The VA department of Taxation even called the lien department and still was not able to get any assistance for us. I have never come in contact with such rude unprofessional people. Of course we closed the account once everything got settled. We have been banking with Wachovia for 15 years. Bad move for Wells Fargo to take over.
from:84119@yahoo.com
to"WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com"

dateTue, Sep 6, 2011 at 3:07 PM
subject$100 Legal Department Fee
mailed-byyahoo.com
signed-byyahoo.com
Important mainly because of the words in the message.

hide details Sep 6 (2 days ago)


A creditor recently attempted to garnish my WF checking account. I had about $80 in the account at the time. Since there were limited funds available WF just charged me a $100 legal fee and put me negative $20....I don't dare deposit any money into my account! Where will it go? I AM NOT A FAN OF WELLS FARGO!!
from: doug@ministries.org
toWellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

dateFri, Sep 2, 2011 at 9:41 AM
subjectcrooks

hide details 9:41 AM (10 hours ago)


Once again Wells Fargo takes advantage of their big bully status compliments of my bank account. Here's what happen:

On 8/31/2011 I went to the drive through to cash a check. While I have no problem with the local bank or people, advantage of living in a small town, the teller looked a bit confused. She told me she did not understand why she couldn't cash the check and if I mind coming inside to talk to a banker. No problem. The young lady was very helpful but only able to tell me a lien that said VA TAX LIEN was placed on my account and that was it. She then called 215-973-4005 and held for 50 minutes (mind you this is Wells Fargo bank employee). I was not able to stay so she told me when she has some answers she would call me. On the way home I called the Main Bank number I had, 800-869-3557 and after a long discussion was told to call the 215-973-4005 which is some legal office department for Wells Fargo.... After a 45 minute hold I spoke to one of the most unprofessional person I have ever heard. At one point in the call I ask her "Let me make sure I have the right department, is this the Virginia Department of Taxation (finally found out the great Communist-Wealth of Virginia was trying to get some back taxes from 2007 that I had absolutely no knowledge of since we had moved in 2009, will come back to this) or Wells Fargo, MY bank where put MY money and trust WELLS FARGO to protect my interest. Needless to say that did nothing to help me but I was infuriated for the following reason. 1. Wells Fargo sent NO notice or phone call letting me know about this action. 2. I a a disabled Veteran who has disability deposited along with the rest of my retirement and Federal and Alabama state law PROHIBITS these funds from garnishment. After informing this lady, I did not get her name, about these funds she proceeded to tell m that ANY funds in that account are liable for lien. Again I informed her that per the Attorney Generals Office of the State of Alabama DISABILITY FUNDS ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL AND STATE LAW..... And I needed this money ASAP. Here were her next words.... "HAVE A NICE DAY" CLICK.... She hung up?
What could I do? Banks have closed and I had to wait until the 1st to call Virginia Tax Department. So on 9/1/2011 I was able to get clarification from Virginia Department of Taxation and told them if I owed any taxes I would be happy to pay as I had the previous 20 something years in the State of Taxes.... No problem she said. Have the bank fax over last 2 months of bank statements and she would release the lien. I also spoke to her about my DISABILITY funds and she was aware of those funds being protected and told me to have bank also send a fax stated the amount of funds which where associated with disability and those funds would be released ASAP. I was fortunate to have enough money in my account to cover the amount owed, $870 along with extra so I really was just upset with WELLS FARGO after that because they just froze my funds without my acknowledgment. THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT LAW CONCERNING DISABILITY (the lady in the above mentioned call told me she sees the funds and knew they were VA COMPENSATION FUNDS).
Conclusion:
Just got off the phone with Virginia and was told by Mrs. Barnes I would be set-up on a payment plan (I am on the phone as I type with WELLS FARGO LEGAL PROCESSING AREA speaking with Karen... Once again trying to explain to her about my DISABILITY funds being released FULLY ASAP. Back on hold as she tries to find some answers. I did get a address: Legal Department Processing Area MAC Y1372-113 P.O. Box 7600 Philadelphia P 19106. She told me EVERY STATE IS DIFFERENT WHEN IT COMES TO DISABILITY FUNDS???? I am looking for a Lawyer) Was told by Karen she is having that issue researched and will call me back?
OK back to conclusion. As of this writing, 9/2/2011 @ 11:33 Central time zone my account is FREE!!!! However WELLS FARGO HAS WITHDRAWN THE ENTIRE AMOUNT OF TAXES OWED OUT OF MY ACCOUNT.... THIS INCLUDES MY DISABILITY... Karen told me they have 24-48 hours to return the funds to my account once they receive email from Virginia Department of Taxation. BTW there is a $20.00 processing fee along with everything else. All I can say is GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE WELLS FARGO.... When they bought out Wachovia I should have left then...
Thanks for listening (reading).
G. Douglas Dowdey
from: Kevin @gmail.com
toWellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

dateFri, Aug 19, 2011 at 9:40 PM
subjectWells Fargo Account Close Day
mailed-bygmail.com
signed-bygmail.com


hide details 9:40 PM (11 hours ago)


Please pass this along and lets all hit Wells Fargo where it hurts. I
want to organize a mass exodus and get at least 1000 people to close
their accounts on the same day. I am working on getting some sort of
news coverage but its been tough.

Here is my facebook group. Please pass this along and encourage
anyone to join that wants to close their accounts. Perhaps we could
incorporate it into your website.

Thank you for your help and great website!!

http://www.facebook.com/groups/246398062060202/
from: Rebecca @yahoo.com>

to"WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com"

dateFri, Aug 19, 2011 at 12:51 PM
subjectWF horor story
mailed-byyahoo.com
signed-byyahoo.com
Important mainly because of the words in the message.

hide details 12:51 PM (20 hours ago)


I've been trying to deal with these jerks for the past month and I am fed up!

July 12, 2011 - went to use my debit card to purchase a coffee before work and the card was declined. How embarrassing. I tried to cover up my embarrassment by pretending I had used the wrong card. Luckily I had another card with me that worked. Got out to my car, logged into my acct on my smartphone and sure enough, available balance says $0. I'd had well over $1400.00 in there the day before.
-I call Wells Fargo and they say a hold has been placed on my account for over $5,000. She says the hold was placed because someone tried to fraudently charge that amount to my account and they suspended it for my safety. She gives me a number to call for the fraud dept but says I have to wait until 8 am pacific time (I'm on central). I call that number after 10, sit on hold for 20 minutes only to be told I need to contact some other department. I call that number and am told that it looks like a judgment was levied against my account but I have to call their legal order processing department. I try call that number and find I have to wait another hour because they don't open until 9 am pacific time. Started calling after 9 am PT - was on hold for 20 minutes, someone said hello then promptly hung up. Waited on hold another 20 minutes and had to give up because my manager needed to talk to me. Waited on hold another 20 minutes, finally got in touch with a very impatient guy who explained that yes, it is a levy from a judgment by a creditor. He tells me that I have to deal with the attorney for that judgment for any more info or help. Fine - I understand.
-Call the attorney on the judgment who was actually really polite and helpful which for a worker in the collections industry is about as common as an honest politician.
-Called my attorney and prepared an exempt form to help me get back some of the money. They had to give me back $817.63 of it because of it being child support and they can only take a certain portion of my last payroll deposit.
-the other attorney was notified by mine that I have a pending bankruptcy which will be complete in about 45 days. This is important because bankrtupcy rules state that any such payments made within 90 days preceding the filing are to be returned to the bankrupt individual to avoid any creditors saying it was unfair that others received some reimbursement when they did not.

July 13, 2011 online bank account now reflects that they removed a total of $1,473.71 from my account to submit to the garnishment recipient. They did not take into account that I had about $33 in pending transactions for items I purchased prior to the time WF received the summons. So guess what? Big surprise - they charge me insufficient funds fees of $70.00 even though I did not overdraw my account - they did by not taking the pending transactions into account before they issued the check to the garnisher.

July 22, 2011 - called the other attorney to check the status of releasing the exempt monies. I asked him if, that since they are going to have to return the other $656.08 anyway, could he just go ahead and release it now rather than waiting for the bankruptcy to complete. He said he'd check into it.

July 26, - $817.63 was released back into my account. I received a notice from WF a few days later advising me that this was done.

August 5, 2011 - while checking my account online, I see that $656.08 was credited back to my account. So I figured the garnisher granted my request to release the remaining money. As before, I received a notice from WF advising me of the release of these funds.

August 15, 2011 - again, I was using my debit card and it was declined. I had about $175 in my checking and $50 in my savings account the day before. Logged into my online account and lo & behold, they have taken out the $656.08 again. Again I had pending transations at the time, so they socked me with another $35.00 of insufficient funds fees.
11:00 am - called legal order processing department again, sat on hold for 25 minutes but had to finally hang up because I was heading into heavy traffic in my car.
12:00 pm - called again, on hold for over 35 minutes & gave up
1:00 pm - called again, on hold for over 45 minutes
2:00 pm and beyond - tried to call again another 3 times averaging about 25 minutes of holding each time

August 16, 2011 - another 6 calls and over 3 hours of holding

August 17, 2011 - 3 calls, 1 hour total

August 18, 2011 - 5 calls, 1 1/2 hours

August 19, 2011 - 2 calls, 45 minutes
12:49 pm - after about 34 minutes on hold someone FINALLY answers the phone - A REAL LIVE PERSON WHO SPEAKS ENGLISH AND EVERYTHING!!! I actually couldn't speak for about 30 seconds because I was so shocked. "Matthew" answers and I explain to him the whole situation. He puts me on hold for another 3-5 minutes and comes back. He explains that the release of the 2nd amount of 656.08 was in error. He explains that although I had already spent some of it, they were legally obligated to submit the full amount of 656.08 to the creditor. Although I'm not too happy with this news, I get it and I can live with that. I explain to him though, that I should not be obligated to pay these insufficient funds fees. I did not overdraw my account. He proceeds to tell me again that it was an error, but then tells me "you knew that this was an error and should not have spent the money". I said NO WAY. I did not know it was an error and was expecting to have the money returned to me. Furthermore, they were the ones who sent me a letter stated the funds were released and available for me to use. I told him that I did not "see this as a free payday, jump for joy and say Cool - they messed up and I can spend this money and they will be none-the-wiser". If I had done that, I wouldn'tve called them at all and would've accepted the fact that I owed all of that money including the fees. I did absolutely nothing wrong, I did not take advantage of an error and most certainly did not try to get away with something. I did NOT overdraw my account - WF did. I should not be responsible for those fees. He says there's nothing he can do. I told him that I will not be paying those fees and that they should do the right thing and credit them back. He says there's nothing he can do and transfers me to a supervisor. I left her a voice mail

How much do you want to bet that a) she never calls me back; b) will never answer her phone if I try to call in the future and c) most certainly will not give me credit for those fees.

I'm sure that WF sees that I am poor person who generates very little revenue for them, so they really don't give a flying duck if I'm happy with them or not. What they don't know though is that within the next 5-10 years, I am due to come into a very substantial inheritance. If Wells Fargo had given me good if not adequate service at the very least, I would've brought that money to their bank. I can guarantee you now that won't happen now. I will also make sure that I let as many people know about how much they suck as I possibly can. They don't deserve my business and they certainly don't deserve the business of my friends & family.

I found this group on facebook that just started today. Spread the word - let's get the Wells Fargo Account Close day going! http://www.facebook.com/groups/246398062060202/

Sorry for the long rant. Thanks!
from: Betty...@yahoo.com
toWellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

dateSat, Jun 25, 2011 at 7:12 PM
subjectFlorida Nightmare
mailed-byyahoo.com
signed-byyahoo.com

hide details 7:12 PM (15 hours ago)


I have been a Wachovia customer for at least 20 years, but after this nightmare with Wells Fargo I will be changing banks. My husband and I live comfortably on our retirement benefits and Social Security benefits. After I was diagnosed with kidney cancer I added my adult daughter's name to our account so she could take care of things. What I've learned since is that I should have added her as a survivor only. On June 2, I went through the drive through to cash a $50 check only to be told I had a zero balance. After talking to a banker, I was told there was a legal hold on my account for $866.76, but she couldn't tell me anything more. So the next day I was at the bank again to be informed there was an IRS levy in my daughter's name and because her SS# was on my account, they levied the charges to me. The IRS wouldn't discuss the matter with me (even though they took my money) because I'm not the liable person. After 2 1/2 hours at the bank with the branch manager, I was assured we had done everything needed to recoup this money. In fact, he gave me a copy of the release of levy. The IRS requests this money, but the bank holds it in limbo for 21 days. So, on the 21st I visited Wells Fargo (they converted on June 13), finally got in touch with the legal order department (215) 973-4005. The person in legal told my banker the levy release was never sent to them and it had to be there before the 22nd in order to release the money to me. The fax was sent along with specific instructions to credit this to my account, do not send a check to my daughter. According to the first person I spoke to in legal, she couldn't tell me why the credit had not been issued, just call back tomorrow. Finally, on the 24th I spoke to Michelle who told me the check was mailed to my daughter on the 23rd! Their only explanation for sending the check was "that's our procedure" Well, it's the 25th and still no check. So, I will let you know if I ever get this money returned... If you are filing a class action suit I would like to be included.
from: Aqua@aol.com
toWellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

dateWed, Jun 8, 2011 at 2:52 PM
subjectWells Fargo is a TRIP!!!!
mailed-byaol.com

hide details Jun 8 (3 days ago)


Your story is crazy! My family is going through something similar will report on it later.
All I can say is this, I was with Wachovia whom I loved... when they switched over to Wells Fargo, it's like the Nazis have taken over! The most infuriating thing to-date is when i went to the store to get some water to prepare for the 100 plus temperature, I swiped my card and it kept saying wrong code, 3x's. Embarrassed I got out of line put all my fruit, water and goodies to the side. Called them on the store phone, they asked some questions about my account, one was what was the amount of the last time you used the debit card. Well guess what, it had been over a month and I didn't know. So they couldn't tell me anything!!!!
I sped angrily to the bank and sat down with a banker. She told me that Wells Fargo will cancel your debit card if you dont use it within 21 days!!!!! I couldn't believe it. i called today to see if that was true and the woman said yes, we dont' want a card floating around out there not being used!
I told her, well normally we call you and let you know if it is lost or stolen, Well, obviously not good enough for Wells Fargo!'
Wow! I'm Changing banks Very soon!
LV
from:(SEE BELOW)@uelglaw.com
toWellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

dateMon, Apr 25, 2011 at 10:55 AM

hide details Apr 25 (8 days ago)


Have you worked in California for Wells Fargo any time after August 20, 2008 as a “telephone banker” or in a similar position at a Wells Fargo call center?

Our investigation reveals that call center personnel described as Telephone Bankers were not fully paid for work performed on their shifts.

We believe there are substantial unpaid wages and penalties due to this group of California employees and we would like to speak with you regarding your employment with Wells Fargo in this capacity for any time you may have worked after August 20, 2008.

The class action lawsuit that we are pursuing is entitled Mists Herrick, et al. v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
U.S. District Court, Central District of CA, Case No. CV11-1646 GAF (Ex).

You can help, so please contact us immediately either by phone at (888) 474-7242, email at info@uelglaw.com, or contact us through our website at
www.collectmyovertime.com




----------------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey D. Schaum
Operations Manager
UNITED EMPLOYEES LAW GROUP, PC
65 Pine Ave., #312, Long Beach, CA 90802
Tel: (562) 256-1047 - Fax: (562) 256-1006

For more information about United Employees Law Group and California labor law please visit our blog at www.californiaemployeeadvocate.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CA_labor_law
P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message may contain proprietary, confidential, or privileged information intended solely for the named recipient(s) and protected by the Attorney Work Product Doctrine (Cal. Code Civ. Proc., § 2018.030.), Attorney-Client Privilege (Cal. Evid. Code, § 950 et seq.), or both. Any tax information or written tax advice contained herein (including any attachments) is not intended to be and cannot be used by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. If you are not a named recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of this message or the attachment(s) is prohibited and might result in civil or criminal penalties. If you have received this e-mail message in error, please permanently delete this message, destroy any copies, and immediately notify us by telephone at 562-256-1047.

from:Vaughn Aubuchon
toWellsFargoWarning@gmail.com

dateFri, Apr 1, 2011 at 7:07 PM
subjectWells Fargo Horror

hide details Apr 1 (7 days ago)


Hi Wells Fargo Warning,

I'm not so sure about masking out all my info, since my whole strategy is "fully-open kimono".

Anyway, you may do as you wish with my info -
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/economics/wells-fargo-sucks.htm

Since they refuse to correct their error, I have decided to attack them relentlessly,
until 2 years after I die (web host is paid up). I'm just warming up, right now.

Hate 'em, hate 'em, hate 'em.
I like you though, that's for sure. I gave you a link.

Best Regards.
Vaughn Aubuchon, webmaster for Vaughn's Summaries

from: @live.com>
to: wellsfargowarning@gmail.com

date: Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 8:20 PM
subject: wells fargo sucks
mailed-by: live.com



Hey I saw you standing out in front of the bank the other day. It's good to see that there are people that still stand up for their rights. Wells Fargo screwed me out of $900.00 about a year ago. The money was taken out of my checking and Wells Fargo offered no explanation as to where the money went. To add insult upon injury, they charged me almost $600.00 in overdraft fees in a single weekend because the account was overdrawn due to the $900 that disappeared. I'm talking to an attorney and plan to sue. I want to encourage you to keep up what your doing. Don't let those SOB's get away with it. These guys think they can walk all over the little guy.

Take care,
Darrick

Other Stories:

Wells Fargo Demanded ‘Phone Fun,’ Nude Pics From Customer: Lawsuit

May 19, 2010

Chris Fry, Courthouse News Service

A Wells Fargo Bank customer claims the bank refused to fix an error in her account unless she complied with an employee’s demand for “phone fun” – that she send him nude pictures of herself. She says she was stranded without money on a business trip due to the bank’s mistake, and its worker “clearly implied that he wanted naked photographs in exchange for providing his customer service.”
Plaintiff J.N. sued Wells Fargo and its Financial Leasing and Home Mortgage divisions in Hudson County Superior Court.
J.N. claims that while she was in Chicago, “she discovered that her personal checking account had been depleted of available funds” because “Wells Fargo improperly … had withdrawn money from [her] checking account in order to satisfy her mortgage loan payment.”
J.N. says that when she called the bank to report the problem, she gave her cell phone number to an employee who identified himself only as “Michael.”
Shortly after this, J.N. says, defendant “Michael Doe” contacted her by text message, “advising [her] that he would not reverse the erroneous transaction unless she engaged in ‘phone fun’ with him and provide him with photographs of herself.”
J.N. claims that Michael texted her the question, “Are you near a bathroom?” She claims this “clearly implied that he wanted naked photographs in exchange for providing his customer service.”
J.N. says the bank left her facing the prospect of being stranded without money in Chicago “unless she fulfilled the extreme and outrageous request” of its employee. J.N. says she “did not send pictures,” but had to “spend the entire day attempting to convince him to reverse the transactions.”
J.N. says that Michael “repeatedly asked if she was going to help him.”
She seeks damages for emotional distress, negligent hiring and gender discrimination. She is represented by Robert Rosenwasser with Golden, Rothschild, Spagnola, Lundell, Boylan and Garubo of Bridgewater, N.J.

Read more here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/05/19/27400.htm

Do you have a Wells Fargo Horror Story of your own? If so, I'd like to hear it. Please email your story to WellsFargoWarning@Gmail.com and I will gladly post it to this site. Together we can spread the word and prevent Wells Fargo from cheating others.

Here's what to do:
  1. Send an email to WellsFargoWarning@gmail.com telling me your Wells Fargo Horror Story.
  2. Include your first name only.
  3. If you have any attachments such as letters to or from Wells Fargo and feel they are important, feel free to scan them and attach them to the email. Don't forget to mask your last name, address, account numbers, or any other confidential information that the letters contain. Don't worry, if you forget to mask something, I will catch it and do it for you before posting.
  4. Include any phone numbers that you used to contact Wells Fargo and the names of the person/s you spoke with.
  5. Include any Branch Locations involved and the names of the persons you dealt with there.

How Wells Fargo Cheated Its Customers

via http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrandall/2010/08/11/how-wells-fargo-cheated-its-customers/

David Randall, Forbes Staff


BERKELEY, CA - OCTOBER 03: (FILE PHOTO) Wells ...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

In a harshly worded decision issued late Tuesday afternoon, a federal judge in California ruled that Wells Fargo deliberately manipulated customer transactions in order to trigger overdraft fees. The bank was ordered to pay $230 million in restitution.

The ruling comes amid several federal decisions that have put overdrafts – a huge source of revenue for most banks – into harsh focus. Wells Fargo, like many other banks, routinely processes a customer’s largest purchases first, rather than running each transaction in the order in which it occurred. By doing so, it unfairly created situations in which a customer could be charged up to 10 overdraft fees of $35 for going over the limit by only a few dollars, Judge William Alsup ruled.

Wells Fargo’s revenue from overdraft fees brought in $1.4 billion in California between 2005 and 2007, pushing overdraft revenue into the bank’s second-largest source of income. Overall, the banking industry makes up to $38 billion a year in overdraft fees, according to the Federal Reserve.

In a statement, a spokeswoman from Wells Fargo said that, “We are disappointed with the judge’s ruling” and noted that the bank planned to file an appeal. “We believe that Wells Fargo method of processing transactions has been appropriate and consistent with customer’s interests and the laws and rules of governing regulatory authorities,” she noted. The bank is not planning on changing the way that it processes transactions.

Wells Fargo instituted its policy of processing a customer’s biggest transactions first in April of 2001, which had the immediate effect of boosting its income from overdraft charges. “This was exactly the reason the bank made the switch,” Alsup wrote.

The bank also added a secret line of credit to each customer’s account that it called the “shadow line.” This practice, which was recently banned by the Federal Reserve, extended credit to a customer who did not have money in his account at the time of purchase. Previously, a customer who did not enough funds would have his or her transaction declined. The bank did this because it realized it could make more money from fees associated with the credit line than by simply declining transactions, the judge ruled.

“Internal bank memos and emails leave no doubt that, overdraft revenue being a big profit center, the bank’s dominant, indeed sole, motive was to maximize the number of overdrafts and squeeze as much as possible out of [customers],” Alsup wrote.

Banks have long maintained that customers prefer that their largest payments – such as rent or a car payment – are processed first. That idea is “utterly speculative,” the judge wrote.

Wells Fargo Overdraft Scam Makes Elizabeth Warren More Important Than Ever

comments72 COMMENTS

Wells Fargo Overdraft Scam Makes Elizabeth Warren More Important Than Ever

A landmark court ruling on Wells Fargo’s outrageous overdraft scam has the potential to return hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen funds to consumers all over the country. But like many of the banking scandals from the past decade, there’s more to the story than simple bank predation. When banks devised this new program to swindle their own customers, bank regulators did not merely look the other way, they actively encouraged the behavior by writing a new rule approving a practice that courts now believe to be unfair and deceptive. The Wells Fargo case should be viewed as a clear example of why Elizabeth Warren ought to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The overdraft scam that Judge William Alsup slapped down yesterday is not unique to Wells Fargo– every big bank in the country has been doing it for years, and if it’s never happened to you, it’s probably happened to your friends or family. Banks make a lot of money from overdraft fees– $38 billion last year, compared to a combined industry profit of just $12.5 billion. They don’t make that money by accident. Internal company emails and memos from the Wells Fargo case show bankers spending a lot of time figuring out how to maximize the number of overdraft charges they can hit their checking customers with.

One way is by changing the order in which your transactions are processed. Most people think that their checks and debit card purchases are processed in the order that they make them. But that’s not how banks actually do it. Instead, they wait for you to make several purchases, and then process the most expensive purchases first. This method pushes a customer’s balance to zero faster than the honest way that actually reflects buying habits. And the sooner your balance goes to zero, the more overdraft fees the bank can hit you with.

Say you’ve got $80 in your checking account, and you decide to pay some bills and run some errands. You spend $30 on gas and another $20 on your water bill. Later, you head to the grocery store and spend $81—oops!—on groceries. To reasonable people, it looks like you’re going to get hit with an overdraft fee. That last purchase put you over the line. But instead, the banks reorder your transactions, processing the groceries first. Now you’re below zero, and they can charge additional fees for your gas and water bills. Wells Fargo charged up to $39 per overdraft. This one mistake cost you $117, and nobody even bothered to tell you it was going to happen.

“The bank’s dominant, indeed sole, motive was to maximize the number of overdrafts and ’squeeze as much as possible’ out of customers who spent more than they had in their accounts,” Alsup wrote in his ruling.

In other lines of business, this kind of scheming is known as “backdating,” and it’s considered “fraud.” But Wells Fargo officials are unlikely to be prosecuted for this outright theft, because they were aided and abetted by the top federal bank regulatory agency, the Office of Comptroller of the Currency. In 2004, the OCC issued an interpretive letter granting formal approval to overdraft backdating.

Thanks to yesterday’s ruling, every dime that Wells Fargo took from its customers with this ridiculous backdating scam will have to be repaid. The company will certainly appeal the verdict, and the court case itself is only a part of the overdraft story. It’s not at all obvious that consumers really want overdraft “protection,” and those that do certainly don’t want to be conned into paying out unnecessary fees. An easy way to prevent this kind of abuse is to notify consumers that a purchase will their account, and require an additional step authorizing the charges—the same way you have to approve ATM fees before banks take your money.

All of this shows how important the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is going to be. The CFPB will have much better institutional incentives than the OCC, which is structured to focus on bank profitability first, and consumer protection as an afterthought. The CFPB, by contrast, will have no duties other than keeping the public safe from predatory bankers.

But who runs the agency will be just as important. The OCC has had a weak consumer protection record for years, but its current slate of managers has gone to previously unthinkable lengths to protect banks at the public’s expense. Whoever President Barack Obama appoints to run the CFPB will be setting the tone for an agency for years to come. That’s why Obama must appoint Elizabeth Warren to head the CFPB. She’s spent her entire career protecting consumers from abusive banks, she knows the tricks and traps, but she also understands that families still need credit—they just don’t want to be conned into lousy deals. Nobody else has her level of expertise on these issues, her strong record as a reformer, or her commitment to finding the right solutions to complicated problems.

The CFPB is designed to be a responsible advocate for consumers. Elizabeth Warren has spent her entire career doing just that. If we want to prevent future scams like the one Wells Fargo just got in trouble for, we’ll need Elizabeth Warren at the CFPB.

Zach Carter is AlterNet's economics editor. He is a fellow at Campaign for America's Future, which he represents on the steering committee of Americans for Financial Reform. He writes a blog on campaign finance for The Media Consortium, and is a frequent contributor to The Nation magazine.
source: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/08/12/wells-fargo-overdraft-scam-makes-elizabeth-warren-more-important-than-ever/

Wells Fargo Bank Sued for Fraud, Freezes Woman's Bank Account

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Running over customers

​It's hard to say whether Americans are more disgusted with insurance companies or financial institutions. Wells Fargo Bank is at the center of a class action lawsuit where the lead plaintiff claims the bank froze personal accounts, keeping her from accessing money to pay for rent and food for her family.

The lawsuit, which was filed in San Francisco court on Jan. 31, claims that Brooke Yarbrough filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Jan. 14, 2011, on behalf of 100 people involved in the suit. When she filed for bankruptcy, she petitioned that her personal account at Wells Fargo -- which is based in San Francisco -- remain active so that she could use it for living expenses.

The bank, without giving Yarbrough any notice, wrongfully froze her accounts. She was unemployed with no access to credit cards or other loans, according to the lawsuit.

"Wells Fargo was aware that blocking funds from the plaintiffs would cause severe financial hardship," the lawsuit stated.

Wells Fargo claims that as a part of its national policy, representatives download and review bankruptcy filings on a daily basis, and seize checking and savings accounts accordingly. On Jan. 18, the bank wrote to Yarbrough, saying that all the money in her account now belonged to Wells Fargo, which means "they are no longer available to you," according to the claim.

On Jan. 22, Yarbrough tried to use her debit card to buy gasoline. She was denied and told to contact her bank. Wells Fargo representatives then told her that her money had been seized, and she could owe overdraft charges.

Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly

source: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/02/wells_fargo_bank_sued_for_frau.php

Wells Fargo Bank Sued for Fraud, Freezes Woman's Bank Account

Thumbnail image for wells fargo.jpg
Running over customers
It's hard to say whether Americans are more disgusted with insurance companies or financial institutions. Wells Fargo Bank is at the center of a class action lawsuit where the lead plaintiff claims the bank froze personal accounts, keeping her from accessing money to pay for rent and food for her family.

The lawsuit, which was filed in San Francisco court on Jan. 31, claims that Brooke Yarbrough filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Jan. 14, 2011, on behalf of 100 people involved in the suit. When she filed for bankruptcy, she petitioned that her personal account at Wells Fargo -- which is based in San Francisco -- remain active so that she could use it for living expenses.

The bank, without giving Yarbrough any notice, wrongfully froze her accounts. She was unemployed with no access to credit cards or other loans, according to the lawsuit.

"Wells Fargo was aware that blocking funds from the plaintiffs would cause severe financial hardship," the lawsuit stated.

Wells Fargo claims that as a part of its national policy, representatives download and review bankruptcy filings on a daily basis, and seize checking and savings accounts accordingly. On Jan. 18, the bank wrote to Yarbrough, saying that all the money in her account now belonged to Wells Fargo, which means "they are no longer available to you," according to the claim.

On Jan. 22, Yarbrough tried to use her debit card to buy gasoline. She was denied and told to contact her bank. Wells Fargo representatives then told her that her money had been seized, and she could owe overdraft charges.

Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly

source: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/02/wells_fargo_bank_sued_for_frau.php