Wells Fargo to pay US$2.1 billion for role in housing bubble

Wells Fargo agreed Wednesday to pay a US$2.1-billion fine to settle allegations it misrepresented the types of mortgages it sold to investors during the housing bubble and subsequent financial crisis. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.)

The amount is relatively smaller than the fines paid by Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and other big banks in the years following the financial crisis to settle similar allegations. Wells Fargo is one of the last remaining big banks to settle charges related to its role in the subprime mortgage crisis.

The fine is unrelated to the more recent scandals that have plagued Wells, such as the opening of millions of fake accounts for customers without their authorizations in order to meet unrealistic sales quotas.

The government accused Wells and many other big banks of understating the risk and quality of the mortgages they sold to investors at the height of the housing bubble, between 2005 and 2007. These investors bought up tens of billions of dollars in mortgages from Wells and other banks, and experienced massive losses when borrowers failed to repay and housing prices collapsed nationwide.

Bank of America paid a $5-billion fine to authorities in 2014 for similar allegations, and Citigroup paid a $4-billion fine.

Wells Fargo said in a statement it was “pleased to put behind us these legacy issues” and said it had previously set aside the money to cover the settlement with the Justice Department.

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Ken Sweet, The Associated Press

Ken Sweet is a reporter with The Associated Press,  an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City and founded in 1846.