Compliance
Wells Fargo Settles With US Regulators

The banking group has settled regulatory claims around its risk management systems and certain issues, paying a total of $1.0 billion.
(This story updates the earlier version today with confirmation from the bank about the settlement.)
Wells Fargo today confirmed media speculation it was settling claims with US federal regulators over its risk management, paying a fine of $1 billion.
The San Francisco-headquartered lender said today it had entered into consent orders with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to address risk management and issues relating some of its interest rate-lock extensions on home mortgages and collateral protection insurance placed on certain auto loans.
“For more than a year and a half, we have made progress on strengthening operational processes, internal controls, compliance and oversight, and delivering on our promise to review all of our practices and make things right for our customers,” Timothy J. Sloan, president and chief executive,said.
The orders require Wells Fargo to pay $1 billion in total civil money penalties. As a result, the company will adjust its first-quarter 2018 preliminary financial results by an additional accrual of $800 million, which is not tax deductible. The accrual reduces reported first quarter 2018 net income by $800 million, or $0.16 cents per diluted common share, to $4.7 billion, or 96 cents per diluted common share.
The bank has been hit with a number of regulatory woes. US
authorities, including several attorney’s offices, federal and
state regulators, have been probing Wells Fargo since late 2016
when the bank disclosed widespread issues surrounding sales
practices. Employees had opened as many as 3.5 million accounts
without clients’ knowledge.
The company in recent months hired a consultant to try to revamp
its procedures and revisited structural changes made in response
to the sales-practices scandal. Wells Fargo’s chief risk officer
Mike Loughlin is to retire and be replaced.
Wells Fargo is parent of Abbot Downing, which focuses on serving
ultra-high net worth clients; no claims of wrongdoing have arisen
from this part of the group. Recent financial results for Wells
Fargo’s wealth units have been positive. As reported earlier in
April, Wells Fargo’s wealth and investment management arm logged
net income of $714 million in the first three months of this
year, rising 6 per cent from the fourth quarter of last year 2017
and up from $665 million a year ago. WIM revenue of $4.2 billion
decreased $91 million, or 2 percent, from the prior quarter,
primarily due to lower gains on deferred compensation plan
investments (offset in employee benefits expense), lower net
interest income, and lower transaction revenue, partially offset
by higher asset-based fees.
For the banking group as a whole, it logged preliminary net
income of $5.9 billion, compared with $5.6 billion in first
quarter 2017; diluted earnings per share rose to $1.12 from
$1.03. Wells Fargo said its results may be revised because of
ongoing compliance resolution issues involving US authorities.