NEW YORK — Wells Fargo is taking full responsibility for secretly opening millions of unauthorized accounts and is refunding $2.6 million in unauthorized fees.
Bank officials said 5,300 employees were fired in the fallout, but Wells Fargo would not say on Friday how many Charlotte employees were let go or how many local customers were victimized.
A consent order from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wells Fargo "employees engaged in improper sales practices to satisfy sales goals and earn financial rewards."
Wells Fargo agreed to pay $185 million in fines.
PDF: U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau consent order
Officials said that most affected customers have already been notified, but advocates said that all consumers should check their Wells Fargo statements to make sure that no unauthorized accounts have been opened in their name.
Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in Charlotte based on deposits and some customers are now considering closing their accounts.
LINK: Letter from Wells Fargo to its customers
"That's just very disappointing. It will definitely make me reconsider where I do my banking. I have multiple accounts with multiple banks," one customer said.
Investigative reporter Paul Boyd also spoke to several customers who are giving Wells Fargo the benefit of the doubt.
"If they're trying to fix it, I don't know if they're anything else I would expect as a customer," Rajan Nanda said.
Wells Fargo spokesman Josh Dunn told Channel 9 today via email:
"I can reinforce with you that our entire culture is centered on doing what is right for our customers. However, at Wells Fargo, when we make mistakes, we are open about it, we take responsibility, and we take action.
We expect our team members to adhere to the highest standards of ethics and business conduct.
With approximately 268,000 team members, Wells Fargo understands there may be some who work around our policies and controls. If they do, we take appropriate action, including notifying our customers and working to assist them. We will continue to take immediate corrective action where appropriate, including termination."
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