An article this week in The Wall Street Journal (“Federal Prosecutors Investigating Wells Fargo Over Sales Tactics”) stated that federal prosecutors are in the early stages of an investigation into sales practices at Wells Fargo & Co. – the same sales practices that led to Wells Fargo being slammed with a $185 million fine last week in an enforcement action that was filed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Los Angeles City Attorney.
The investigation, which is reportedly being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of New York and the Northern District of California, could potentially lead to civil or criminal charges being filed against Wells Fargo and/or its executives.
At the center of this new federal investigation are the same allegations that led to last week’s enforcement action which asserted that Wells Fargo had engaged in “widespread illegal” activity which included employees having falsified documents in connection with as many as 2 million accounts having been opened without customers’ knowledge, consent or permission.
If you are an individual or institutional investor who has any concerns about your accounts and/or investments with Wells Fargo, please contact us for a no-cost and no-obligation evaluation of your specific facts and circumstances. You may have a viable claim for recovery of your investment losses by filing an individual securities arbitration claim with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).