Business

Wells Fargo expanding settlement related to sales practices scandal

Wells Fargo & Co. said it would expand its class action settlement related to the lender's retail sales practices to include customer accounts as early as May 2002.

Lender adding $32 million US to the previous agreement for a total settlement of $142 million US

Wells Fargo says it is expanding a class-action settlement related to high pressure sales practices at the bank that got out of control and resulted in millions of accounts being opened fraudulently. (Paul Sakuma/Associated Press)

Wells Fargo & Co. said it would expand its class action settlement related to the lender's retail sales practices to include customer accounts as early as May 2002.

The lender said it would add $32 million US to the previous agreement for a total settlement of $142 million US.

"The expansion of this agreement is another important step to make things right for our customers," said Tim Sloan, Wells Fargo's chief executive officer.

Wells Fargo has been working to win back customer confidence following a sales scandal at its retail banking business and has paid a $185 million US fine to the U.S. government.

The settlement, announced in September, hammered the bank's share price and led to the resignation of then-chief executive John Stumpf.

The San Francisco-based lender has since then launched internal probes, fired more than 5,000 employees, apologized to customers, changed compensation plans and scrapped sales targets to win back customer confidence.