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Wells Fargo & Company

wfc · NYSE Financial Services
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Ticker wfc
Exchange NYSE
Sector Financial Services
Industry Banks - Diversified
Employees 10,000+
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FY2020 Annual Report · Wells Fargo & Company
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2020 
Annual Report 

Contents 

 02 

Letter from CEO 

 21

Our Performance 

 22

Operating Committee 

 24

Board of Directors 

 26

COVID-19 and Sustainability 

33 

2020 Financial Report 

243

Stock Performance 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Wells Fargo plays an important role 
in our communities and our country — 
and this has never been more true than 
in 2020.” 

Charles W. Scharf 
CEO  
Wells Fargo & Company 

I cannot help but look back and think how little 
we understood one year ago of what 2020 would 
bring for the world, our country, and our company. 
The devastation caused by COVID-19 on global 
public health is clear, but we are still struggling 
to comprehend the full economic and social impact 
of the virus. Vaccines will hopefully bring to an end 
the health risks, but there is much to do to enable 
a full, fair, and equitable economic and social recovery. 

Supporting Our Employees, 
Communities, and Customers 
I said last year that Wells Fargo plays an important 
role in our communities and our country — and this 
has never been more true than in 2020. We believe 
we have both an obligation to do all we can and 
are in a position to provide meaningful support 
to our employees, communities, and customers. 
That is just what we did throughout this 
unprecedented year. 

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We prioritized employee and customer safety while recognizing that we were an 
essential service and needed to be available to support our customers. We quickly 
enabled over 200,000 employees to work from home, something we would not have 
considered possible just weeks before. We kept at least 70% of our branches open 
while implementing CDC-recommended safety protocols. We expanded digital 
access and deployed new tools — including new limits for mobile deposits and 
wires, new digital mortgage deferment tools, and expanded e-signature support — 
to make access easier and safer for customers. 

We extended significant credit to our clients during the height of the crisis. 
In March alone, our commercial customers utilized over $80 billion of their 
committed loan facilities. In 2020, we also provided significant accommodations, 
including deferring payments and waiving fees for 3.6 million consumer and small 
business customers. We suspended residential property foreclosures, evictions, 
and involuntary auto repossessions. 

We participated in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and funded 194,000 loans 
totaling over $10.5 billion. (We also are actively participating in the next round of PPP 
in 2021.) We were proud to help smaller businesses through this program with 61% 
of our loans being for amounts less than $25,000, 84% of loans going to companies 
that had fewer than 10 employees, and 90% for businesses with less than $2 million 
in annual revenue. In addition, 41% of loans went to companies in low-to-moderate 
income areas or at least 50% minority census tracts. 

In addition, in 2020 we voluntarily committed to donate all of our gross processing 
fees — approximately $420 million — by creating the Open for Business Fund, which 
provides support to struggling small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Of this 
commitment, we deployed $85 million in 2020 and will continue to deploy these 
funds through 2022. 

We continued to pay all employees during the crisis, made a cash award to 
approximately 165,000 employees who make less than $100,000 per year, 
and made an additional special payment to those working on the front lines 
as a way of recognizing their unique contributions. We granted eligible employees 
additional days off so they could arrange for child care and provided financial support 
for those in need. We made a grant to the WE Care employee relief fund, which is 
available to employees affected by COVID-19 and who have limited resources. 

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In addition, we supported our communities beyond these efforts as we directed 
a total of $475 million in charitable giving (including the $85 million deployed 
from our Open for Business Fund noted above) to help address food insecurity, 
small business support, housing stability and other urgent community needs. 

“We extended significant credit to our 
clients during the height of the crisis. 
In March alone, our commercial customers 
utilized over $80 billion of their committed 
loan facilities. In 2020, we also provided 
significant accommodations, including 
deferring payments and waiving fees 
for 3.6 million consumer and small 
business customers.” 

We are just one of many companies that provided necessary support — and we 
will continue to do so as the impact of the pandemic continues. The economic and 
operational impact of the pandemic on Wells Fargo has been significant and has 
certainly added to the complexity of our work, but I am proud of what we have 
done to continue to deliver for our customers, communities, and employees. 

Company Assessment 
When writing this letter last year, I had been at the company for four months and 
shared my initial assessment of our challenges and opportunities, both of which 
were significant. I described my early thoughts on the changes that were necessary 
for Wells Fargo to put the past behind us and capture the significant potential of 
this great franchise. 

One year later, I continue to believe our franchises are world class, are in the sweet 
spot of providing necessary financial services to consumers and companies of all 
sizes, and when working together, are even more valuable. But, as I’ve learned more, 
the extent of the change required has become clearer and is more significant than 
I initially assessed. 

We are addressing this head-on and moving with an extreme sense of urgency to 
set clear priorities, which include building the proper foundation first and foremost. 
And we are also changing the culture where necessary, making management changes 

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as needed, instituting new disciplines to set strategy and manage the company, and 
refining our business mix so we are positioned to invest appropriately going forward. 

2020 Financial Performance 
Our financial performance this past year was challenged by both the external 
operating environment and the necessary work to put our substantial legacy 
issues behind us. 

In terms of the significant drivers, we built large loan loss reserves to prepare 
for the economic impact caused by the pandemic. Low interest rates negatively 
impacted our net interest income, and we were limited in our ability to offset this 
given our constraints of operating under an asset cap. We recognized restructuring 
charges to accelerate our efficiency initiatives (more on this later), and we continued 
to spend significant amounts to build out our risk and control infrastructure as well 
as to provide remediation for customers to address our historical shortcomings. 
And while it was absolutely the right thing to do, COVID-19 increased our expenses 
and reduced revenue as we took actions to support our customers and protect 
our employees. 

Wells Fargo generated $3.3 billion in net income, or 41 cents per diluted common 
share. Our revenue declined 15% from the previous year, while noninterest expense 
declined 1%, but remained at an elevated level largely due to customer remediation 
accruals and restructuring charges. Provision expense for credit losses increased 
$11.4 billion with large reserve builds in the first half of 2020 reflecting forecasted 
credit deterioration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Loans outstanding declined 8% in 2020, as both commercial and consumer customers 
adopted a more cautious stance and our commercial clients were able to access the 
capital markets. Deposits grew $81.8 billion, or 6%, from a year ago as declines in 
commercial deposits driven by our efforts to remain under the asset cap were more 
than offset by growth in consumer deposits helped by strong fiscal stimulus, 
reduced customer spend, and utilization of deferral programs. 

While we built significantly higher loan loss reserves, actual charge-offs were 
much lower than anticipated, aided by government stimulus programs and deferral 
programs that are helping customers navigate the challenges of the pandemic. 
Our net charge-off rate increased modestly in 2020 — to 0.35% of average loans — 
but the ultimate timing and magnitude of losses will depend on the broader recovery. 

Despite the challenging environment, the strength of our balance sheet was evident 
throughout the year. Our capital and liquidity levels remained well above regulatory 
minimums (Common Equity Tier 1 of 11.6% vs. 9% minimum and Liquidity Coverage 
Ratio of 133% vs. 100% minimum at year-end) and the results of the two Federal 
Reserve stress tests confirmed our strong capital position. Given the economic 
uncertainty and the temporary restrictions imposed by the Federal Reserve Bank, 

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we took appropriate measures to maintain strong capital. We suspended share 
repurchases starting in March, and made the difficult decision to reduce our 
common stock dividend from 51 cents per share to 10 cents per share. That said, 
we have significant excess capital, and as the economic recovery becomes clearer 
and restrictions on capital distributions are lifted, we expect to be able to return 
capital to shareholders through a combination of higher dividends and share 
buybacks. Returning capital to shareholders over time remains a priority. 

Business and Strategic Review 
We have conducted rigorous reviews of our businesses with an eye towards 
assessing their strategic fit to the company, assessing the risk/return profile, 
and creating a roadmap for improved operational and financial performance. 
Our goal is to be the preeminent provider of financial services in the U.S. and 
in doing so seek to reward all stakeholders, including investors, employees, 
customers, and the communities where we do business. 

We believe our model as an integrated U.S. bank with significant scale and breadth 
of capabilities positions us to achieve our goal, and that we are one of only a few that 
have this position — though we do compete with thousands. Our strategy is about 
becoming even crisper about serving our target market and taking actions necessary 
to leverage our strong competitive position. 

“Our goal is to be the preeminent provider of 
financial services in the U.S. and in doing so 
seek to reward all stakeholders, including 
investors, employees, customers, and the 
communities where we do business.” 

We are clear on who we are. We target U.S. consumers and businesses 
of all sizes. We do have capabilities outside of the U.S. but these activities 
are built predominantly to support our core U.S. customers with their global 
needs or are in domains where we have the scale and expertise to compete 
locally. We provide the same services for both consumers and companies of 
all sizes — though the words we use to describe what we do are sometimes 
different. We are a trusted advisor and provide core banking services including 
deposits, capital (private and public access to debt and equity), payments, and 
investments. Our scale and sophistication allows us to have a differentiated 
presence and technology platform few can compete with. 

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I firmly believe we have the right businesses at Wells Fargo today to achieve 
our goal. Our individual businesses are strong and valuable. We have excellent 
individual franchises that compare favorably to competitors large and small. 
We have the products, services, people, and scale to be a leader in each, and each 
business has opportunities to serve customers more broadly and improve its own 
financial profile. I’ll briefly explain why I feel we are well positioned in each of our 
four operating segments. 

Consumer Banking and Lending provides necessary financial products 
to consumers and small businesses, including deposits, loans, payments, 
and investments. The quality and scale of our branches and digital capabilities 
are matched by few. We serve approximately 65 million customers across our 
businesses and believe our bank branch footprint will continue to be a competitive 
advantage. We have bank branches in 25 of the largest 30 markets1 in the U.S. 
and 27 of the 30 fastest growing markets1 in the country.  A Wells Fargo branch 
or ATM is within two miles of over half of the U.S. census households and small 
businesses in our footprint. 

“I firmly believe we have the right 
businesses at Wells Fargo today 
to achieve our goal.” 

Our physical presence will continue to be an important asset but digital capabilities 
will become an ever more important complement in our business model, and our scale 
gives us an efficient platform to spend what is necessary, attract the necessary talent, 
and partner with third parties. Our margins should benefit as more activities migrate 
to our digital platforms. 

We also have meaningful opportunities to improve margins as we rationalize our 
real estate footprint, become more efficient in our branch staffing, and reduce 
our support costs. 

Wealth and Investment Management provides us with unique breadth and scale 
to serve the ever more complicated needs of investors. We have one of the largest 
and most complete platforms in the industry with over 13,500 advisors who serve 
2.8 million customers, all with access to the Wells Fargo Investment Institute’s 
capabilities. We believe that the need for professional investment and planning 
advice will grow in importance as broad-based economic advancement continues 
in this country. 

1. Based on Core-Based Statistical Areas. 

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We expect our margins to increase as we combine three different platforms into 
one supported by a common set of capabilities. We have significant opportunities 
to provide banking solutions, both lending and deposits, to this customer base, 
and our independent broker (FiNet) and registered investment advisor (RIA) 
channels and digital platforms provide meaningful opportunities for growth. 

Commercial Banking serves private, family-owned, and small-midsize public 
companies with core deposit, lending, and payments solutions. We have a leading 
and enviable franchise, and our strong local relationships that have been built 
over decades complement our branch footprint. Our scale is a big advantage. 
Our approximately 5,800 bankers serve nearly 480,000 clients. We serve 46 of 
the largest 50 markets1 in the country. Our local teams benefit greatly from the 
resources and support of our national footprint. 

We also have significant opportunities to expand our leading franchise by 
deepening our client relationships and delivering more of the full enterprise. 
We have the opportunity to offer more integrated treasury management and 
payment services, and to partner more closely with our Corporate and Investment 
Bank to deliver a broader set of solutions, like advice and access to capital markets, 
to our larger middle market customers. Our margins and client experience should 
also benefit meaningfully as we optimize our coverage model and continue investing 
in our digital service offerings. 

“Our local teams benefit greatly from 

the resources and support of our 
national footprint.” 

Corporate and Investment Banking has been a core part of the company for 
many years. The banks that came together to form Wells Fargo served a wide 
range of customers, from consumers and small businesses to mid-market corporates 
and larger local corporates. Our traditional banking products — deposits, loans, and 
payments — formed the basis for most of these relationships. As our corporate 
clients grew, their banking needs expanded and they wanted access not only to bank 
capital but also capital through public markets. Our investment banking and trading 
capabilities are built around satisfying this need and given our status as a trusted 
partner, we have also earned the right to be a strategic advisor. 

We have been disciplined and will remain disciplined in where we compete, but we 
have the opportunity to grow our business — not by changing our risk profile, but by 
leveraging our core relationships and delivering the entire enterprise to these clients. 

1. Based on Core-Based Statistical Areas. 

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Working Together as One Wells Fargo 
While our businesses are strong individually, they are even more powerful when 
working together. Though we talk about separate lines of business, we operate 
as one company in our communities. Our branches serve consumers and small 
businesses as well as commercial banking and corporate clients. Our ability to 
support our local communities is based not only on that breadth locally, but also 
on the support and the resources of Wells Fargo nationally. 

“Though we talk about separate lines 

of business, we operate as one company 
in our communities.” 

At times, our lines of business have served as artificial boundaries for us delivering 
the very best for our customers and clients. We are breaking down those barriers 
to more effectively serve our customers which should add to our profitability and 
returns as well. We have opportunities across our entire franchise — but just a few 
examples include: 

•  Serving different consumer segments with deposit, lending, investment, 

and service capabilities built around their specific needs 

•  Offering integrated payments and treasury services solutions to our clients 

•  Providing investment banking and markets solutions to our large Commercial 

Banking client base 

As part of our strategic review, we identified certain businesses that aren’t core 
to our mission as outlined above. In the past few months, we have announced 
sales of or our intention to exit the student loan business, international wealth 
management, and direct equipment finance in Canada. We are also in the process 
of exploring options for Asset Management, Corporate Trust, and our rail portfolio. 
We are focusing our efforts on our core, scaled businesses, and these other activities, 
which may be good businesses, are not consistent with our go-forward core 
strategic priorities. 

Significant Transformation Is Necessary 
To deliver on the business opportunities, we are changing our operating model 
at its core. Historically, Wells Fargo has been run in what has been described to me 
as the “federated” business model. Business leaders had great latitude to operate 
independently and work together if they saw fit. Some worked together, and some 
did not. The result was an ineffective control infrastructure, and we did not 

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capture the benefit that our breadth and depth of capabilities should provide for 
our customers and clients. Operating as one company is a different mindset that 
describes how we expect our leaders to work today. 

Continuing the Work to Build a Strong and Consistent Foundation 
Our transformation is dependent on several foundational pillars that we are keenly 
focused on. In many ways they are about getting the basics right but are truly critical 
to our success. 

1. Risk and Control Culture (and Our Regulatory Agenda) 
Building and implementing an effective risk and control framework across the 
company is an imperative and a core requirement for the management team. 

Historically we have built a strong culture and operating discipline around 
management of most financial risks including credit, market, liquidity, and capital. 
But we had not done so with the same rigor in our management of non-financial 
risks. Building out this infrastructure is our top priority, and we are doing this work 
completely differently from when I arrived at Wells Fargo. We are moving with a sense 
of extreme urgency to complete the work, though it will take several years to build 
and implement a holistic set of mature processes. Satisfying our regulators should 
be a byproduct of both the cultural change necessary as well as accomplishing 
the specific tasks. 

The Operating Committee, both individually and collectively, is closely managing 
this work now. We now have clarity of responsibility and accountability at multiple 
levels across the organization and individuals with the appropriate subject matter 
expertise in place. We have formal processes throughout the company to manage 
the work that is required, and this all feeds into regular Operating Committee 
reviews. Any issues requiring management attention are reviewed formally multiple 
times weekly at regularly scheduled meetings and we review all work streams at least 
monthly in detail. 

We have clear expectations for management involvement and those expectations are 
now part of how we evaluate performance. We have made it clear that this is a critical 
part of our culture, and we are dedicating all resources necessary to accomplish this 
work, and will continue to do so. 

Relatedly, we’ve also been moving with increased urgency to put our substantial 
legacy issues behind us. This includes working through an expansive set of legal and 
customer remediation matters which are almost entirely tied to our historical issues. 

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In doing this work, we are absolutely committed to treating customers fairly. In 2020, 
we made significant progress and it is absolutely critical that we get this work done so 
we can do what is right for customers and move our organization forward. 

2. Operational Excellence and Strong Management Team 
In the past, we have simply not done what is necessary to put these issues behind 
us and that is unacceptable. We are clear about our priorities and are focused on 
consistent, effective, and efficient execution as a core discipline as never before. 

New Management Team 
We have transformed the management team by elevating strong internal talent 
while bringing in people with the experience and skills necessary for our success. 

Our Operating Committee, the 18-member senior-most group responsible 
for running the company, is a new management team. Of the 17 other members 
(in addition to myself), I have hired nine leaders from outside the company, four 
are in different roles, and four were relatively new (less than two years) to the 
company when I arrived. Each member has expertise and experience in their area 
of responsibility and brings a diverse set of skills, backgrounds, tenures, and 
perspectives to our discussions and decisions. 

“We have transformed the management 
team by elevating strong internal talent
while bringing in people with the experience 
and skills necessary for our success.” 

Our broader group of senior leaders is also a new team. Nearly half of our 
top 150 leaders are new to their role from the start of 2020, including over 
40 who are new to our organization. 

Management Processes 
The way we run the company is entirely different from what we’ve done 
historically. The Operating Committee meets multiple times per week and 
discusses all important issues across the company. We act as one management 
team, with committee members bringing their expertise and backgrounds to all 
discussions. Diversity of views is imperative. I have always believed that with the 
right people and all of the relevant facts, the right decisions will get made. We now 
have that in our Operating Committee. 

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We have introduced monthly business reviews where we review financial and 
operational performance in a regular, disciplined way. In addition to the core financial 
results, these reviews include sections on risk and control deliverables, human capital, 
diversity, strategy, and progress on large projects. We work as a team to ensure we are 
moving forward in a disciplined way, using all of the facts available to us, and taking 
a holistic approach to issues across the entire company. 

Transparent Financial Reporting 
Having the right information to manage the company, and for investors to assess our 
success, is critical. One of my early observations when I joined the company was that 
we were not managing the company at the level of granularity necessary. As a result, 
we made changes to the management structure — most notably having more of our 
businesses report directly to me. 

That change drove us to completely change our internal reporting to provide us with 
more transparency into our performance and underlying business drivers and give us 
the information necessary to create plans to improve our performance. This is now 
how we manage the company, with reporting and reviews conducted at a business 
level at which decisions are made — a big change from what had been the practice. 
This reporting is our dashboard necessary to manage the company. 

We have also completely changed our external reporting — with the goal of giving 
investors a clearer understanding of our results, as well as the ability to compare our 
businesses on a more like-for-like basis to competitors and track our performance 
as we do internally. What we now disclose is what we are reviewing internally and 
our strengths and weaknesses should be clearer than ever, but the potential for 
improvement should also be clear. 

3. Customer Centric Culture and Conduct 
Doing what is right for customers must be at the center of everything we do, 
and unfortunately, we too often fell short of this in the past. We have been taking 
dramatic steps to embed this mindset into all of our decisions, which feeds into 
all the ways in which we touch customers. This extends from product design and 
pricing, to our coverage and service models, to how we approach complaints and 
remediations. And we know it’s all about our actions, not our words. 

To that end, while we have more work to do, we are making significant progress. 
In 2020, we rolled out a new set of company Expectations with “Do What’s Right” 
as one of six core pillars. It sounds simple — but that is the point. These new 

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Expectations are clear and straightforward and guide how we lead ourselves, 
collaborate with colleagues, and make decisions; they apply to everyone at the 
company and are directly linked to how we evaluate performance. 

I mentioned this before but our approach to remediating our legacy issues begins 
and ends with treating customers fairly. Over the past year, with many of our new 
leaders, we have been rigorously working through issue by issue with this mindset. 

“Doing what is right for customers 

must be at the center of everything 
we do, and unfortunately, we too 
often fell short of this in the past.” 

Additionally, we deployed a new customer feedback program (Net Promoter System) 
and Complaints Management Platform to collect and react to customer feedback 
and improve the customer experience. We also built our Sales Practices Management 
and Oversight program, designed to make sales practices monitoring and reporting 
more robust and consistent across the company. And lastly, we just recently 
announced the launch of an Office of Consumer Practices, a consumer-focused 
advisory group that will partner with our businesses on product development, 
policies, procedures, training and other areas. All of these efforts are designed 
to keep the customer front and center and embed that perspective into our 
decision-making. They are also a critical part of strengthening our risk and 
control infrastructure. 

4. Technology and Innovation 
As our foundational work progresses, in parallel we are intensely focused on 
building technology and digital solutions that will power our businesses over the 
longer term. All of our businesses need to build digital solutions to complement 
our physical presence. Ultimately, our goal is to transform our business model from 
one that is reliant on physical presence and interaction, accentuated by technology 
solutions, to one primarily driven by technology platforms and enhanced by physical 
distribution and interaction. 

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The events of 2020 only accelerated and confirmed how critical this ongoing 
migration will be. What consumers expect is shifting quickly, and the competition — 
both incumbent and emerging competitors — is greatly increasing. But given the 
scale of our franchise, the breadth of our products, and the number of ways we 
touch customers, we are well positioned to build robust technology platforms 
and deliver differentiated customer experiences. 

While we are focusing much of our resources to strengthen our core infrastructure, 
we are mindful that our competitors, banks and non-banks, are moving quickly and 
we must as well. 

5. Financial Strength
The safety and security of our financial position should be unquestioned, and to that
point, our capital and liquidity levels have historically been strong and remain strong.
Despite the turmoil of this past year, our capital and liquidity levels remained well in
excess of regulatory minimums.

But as I outlined previously, the impact of COVID-19 on our earnings has been 
substantial. The majority of our business is traditional banking, and when our 
customers and clients suffer, we do as well. The unemployment rate peaked at 
14.8% and still stands at 6.3% as of January 2021. Consumer spend has suffered, 
small businesses have struggled to survive, and many commercial banking and larger 
corporate customers have seen substantially reduced business activity. Commercial 
real estate is suffering from reduced retail store demand, low hotel occupancy, and 
little demand for office space. 

At the same time, the aggressive actions by the Federal Reserve have helped ensure 
capital markets stability, which has helped enable very strong trading and capital 
issuance volumes. While our competitors have benefited more than we have from 
their more significant trading and investment banking businesses, we also recognize 
that they went into this environment better positioned than us. Simply put, our 
margins are narrower than is necessary to support appropriate profitability and 
returns through environments like today, and we need to change this. 

“While we are focusing much of our 
resources to strengthen our core 
infrastructure, we are mindful that 
our competitors, banks and non-banks, 
are moving quickly and we must as well.” 

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We Are Taking Action, but Not All Is in Our Control 
Asset Cap – We remain subject to an asset cap as part of our consent order with 
the Federal Reserve, and we must prioritize balance sheet usage more so than if 
it were not a limitation. This is a significant constraint, especially given the operating 
environment in 2020. While there is still significant work to do, I believe we are 
making progress and we are confident in our ability to complete the work and 
when the cap is lifted, we will have more latitude to grow our business and 
increase our returns. 

Capital Return Restrictions – We are also temporarily limited in our ability 
to return capital to shareholders due to special restrictions placed on the largest 
banks by the Federal Reserve due to the uncertainties around COVID-19. We have 
approximately $31 billion of excess capital above our regulatory minimum of 9%. 
As the path to economic recovery becomes clearer and the Federal Reserve eliminates 
this restriction, we expect to increase our returns by returning that capital through 
a combination of higher dividends and share buybacks. 

COVID Environment and Low Interest Rates – To combat the negative impacts of 
COVID-19 on the economy, the Federal Reserve has been extremely accommodative, 
with monetary policy leading to low interest rates and a relatively flat yield curve. 
For a traditional bank like ours, this has materially affected our net interest income. 
For example, our net interest income declined approximately $2 billion in the fourth 
quarter versus the same quarter last year. As the path to recovery becomes evident, 
we expect interest rates and the slope of the yield curve will increase — both of which 
should benefit us. 

What We Are Doing 
The timing of these headwinds abating is not clear, but when they do, our 
earnings and returns should benefit meaningfully. But we are not waiting 
to take action for things in our control. Our company is filled with inefficiencies 
that don’t just inflate our cost base, they make it more complicated to serve our 
customers and each other. We have a companywide effort to eliminate these 
inefficiencies with an eye toward improving our operating performance — 
and the byproduct should be reduced expenses. 

We have a portfolio of over 250 initiatives currently in flight that should reduce 
expenses by over $8 billion over the next three to four years — excluding additional 
investments we may choose to make in the company. After factoring reinvestments 
and other areas of growth, we are still targeting net expense reductions each year, but 
we may incur additional restructuring charges to accomplish this work. And though 
we are making progress as I outlined earlier, we still have outstanding litigation and 
regulatory issues that can be unpredictable. 

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Importantly, this effort will not impact our risk and control buildout, which 
continues to be our top priority. We have formal checkpoints in place and all 
initiatives are rigorously reviewed to help ensure there is no impact. There is 
still significant work to do and we will continue to spend whatever is necessary 
to get the work done. 

We believe we have a clear path to generating a return on tangible common 
equity of 10% by executing on our efficiency initiatives and optimizing our 
capital. Beyond that, we believe the ability to grow our balance sheet, moderately 
higher interest rates, and executing on additional efficiency and growth initiatives 
present a path to a longer-term return on tangible common equity of around 15%. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
While I have always believed in the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, 
the calls for racial justice in 2020 reinforced the urgency of working to create 
a company culture with broad representation in who we are, how we think, and 
how we make decisions. Having an inclusive environment in which our differences 
and perspectives are respected and valued is both a business imperative and the 
right thing to do. 

“While I have always believed in the 

importance of diversity, equity, and 
inclusion, the calls for racial justice in 
2020 reinforced the urgency of working 
to create a company culture with broad 
representation in who we are, how we 
think, and how we make decisions.” 

In November, we welcomed Kleber Santos as head of Diverse Segments, 
Representation and Inclusion. Kleber reports to me and sits on our Operating 
Committee. In this new role, Kleber is responsible for leading efforts to advance all 
aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion at our company and in the marketplace, 
including partnering with line of business CEOs to deliver products and services 
specifically designed to meet the needs of our diverse customer base. We have 
a lot of work to do to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into every facet 

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of our operations, our processes, and our programs. The addition of Kleber 
and creation of this new group are critical to those efforts. Throughout 2020, 
we also announced our expanded commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
A few highlights are below: 

• We added the concept of equity to our diversity and inclusion efforts in recognition
of the systemic and structural challenges in our society that have contributed to
disparities that exist today.

• We are committed to significantly increasing Black leadership over the next

five years.

• Our Operating Committee members will be evaluated on their progress in

increasing diverse representation at senior levels, and these evaluations will
have a direct impact on year-end compensation decisions.

• In the U.S., we are requiring a diverse slate of candidates — and a diverse
interview team — for most roles with total direct compensation of more
than $100,000 per year.

• We require unconscious bias training for all managers, and are developing

anti-racism training, which also will be mandatory for all managers.

• Wells Fargo made a commitment in March 2020 to invest $50 million in

Black-owned Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs). After spending time
understanding each MDI’s unique needs and growth strategy, Wells Fargo
completed several investments, which we formally announced in the first
quarter of 2021.

While these actions are focused predominantly around race and ethnicity, I want to 
point out that I know we have a broader set of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues 
and we will continue to tackle those as well. This is an important moment at our 
company, and we will not let it go by without substantive changes. Just like with 
solving our risk and regulatory issues, having the conversation is important to raise 
awareness, but we must have a plan with a clear path to success. We must move with 
haste to execute on our plans, and know we will be judged based on our outcomes. 

“This is an important moment at 

our company, and we will not let it 
go by without substantive changes.” 

17 

  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Social Impact and Sustainability 
The events of the past year have demonstrated that societal challenges are part of a 
web of interconnected economic, social, and environmental issues disproportionately 
impacting the most vulnerable. And as I said at the beginning of this note, given the 
breadth of what we do and the customers we touch, Wells Fargo plays a critically 
important role in communities and can meaningfully contribute to the change 
that is necessary. 

In 2020, we launched a new Social Impact and Sustainability strategy designed to 
make a greater impact in communities by more effectively combining our financial 
resources and business expertise. In the communities we serve, the company focuses 
its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting 
housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon 
economy. Through our businesses and the Wells Fargo Foundation, we are using our 
resources, business expertise, ingenuity, and collaborations with public and private 
sector organizations to help solve complex problems. A major near-term focus is 
fostering an inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthening 
communities that have been disproportionately impacted. 

“Through our businesses and the 
Wells Fargo Foundation, we are 
using our resources, business expertise, 
ingenuity, and collaborations with 
public and private sector organizations 
to help solve complex problems.” 

In 2020, we also began an effort to be more transparent and comprehensive 
in non-financial reporting and disclosures. The company moved from a single, 
annual corporate responsibility report to a suite of disclosures that more 
completely addresses our approach to environmental, social, and governance 
(ESG) risks and opportunities, and performance on ESG measures. Wells Fargo’s 
inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance Report details how the company 

18 

2020 Annual Report 

  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
  
is working to create solutions for stronger communities through diversity, equity, 
and inclusion; economic empowerment; and environmental sustainability. We believe 
this enhanced transparency will help inform stakeholders as well as increase progress 
and accountability toward ESG-related goals. 

We believe that collective action is needed to transition to a low-carbon economy 
and minimize the impact on our most vulnerable communities. We have endorsed 
the Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures recommendations because 
we believe it will help us better manage the risks and opportunities associated with 
climate change, and contribute to sector-wide progress on financing a low-carbon 
future. Our goal is to support our customers as they also work to transform their 
businesses for success in a low-carbon economy, and support our communities 
as they work to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. 

I am also proud to share that Wells Fargo received a rating of “Outstanding” in its 
most recent Community Reinvestment Act performance evaluation, which covers 
the years 2012 to 2018. This rating reflects Wells Fargo’s strong performance on 
the exam’s components and the company’s proven commitment to serving low-
to moderate-income communities. 

“Our goal is to support our customers 

as they also work to transform 
their businesses for success in 
a low-carbon economy, and support 
our communities as they work to 
adapt to and mitigate the impacts 
of climate change.” 

19 

  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
Our Future 
I believe we have an enviable position in financial services and that our 
businesses working together form a differentiated platform that should 
benefit all stakeholders — and deliver superior financial performance. 
This vision has not been realized recently but we see the potential and have 
a roadmap to achieve it. We are committed to building the necessary foundation 
for a bank of our size and complexity, we recognize our responsibility to our 
stakeholders, and we are committed to making substantial changes in how we 
operate to fully realize what we believe is great potential. 

2020 was a challenging year for all, but I’m proud of what Wells Fargo and 
my 265,000+ partners have done to support our customers, our country, 
and our communities. We’ve begun a multi-year process of transforming 
Wells Fargo to fulfill our potential. I want to thank everyone at Wells Fargo 
for what they have done through extremely difficult circumstances, and I look 
forward to a better 2021. 

Charles W. Scharf 
CEO 
Wells Fargo & Company 

February 19, 2021 

20 

2020 Annual Report 

 
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
Our Performance 

$ and shares outstanding in millions, except per share amounts 

20 20 

20 19 

%  CH ANGE  

FOR THE YEAR 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Pre-tax pre-provision profit1 
Wells Fargo net income 

Wells Fargo net income applicable to common stock 

Diluted earnings per common share 

Profitability ratios: 

Wells Fargo net income divided by average assets (ROA) 

Wells Fargo net income applicable to common stock divided by average 

common stockholders’ equity (ROE) 

Return on average tangible common equity (ROTCE)2 

Efficiency ratio3 

Dividends declared per common share 

Average common shares outstanding 

Diluted average common shares outstanding 

Average loans 

Average assets 

Average total deposits 

Net interest margin on a taxable-equivalent basis 

AT YEAR-END 

Debt securities 

Loans 

Allowance for loan losses 

Equity securities 

Assets 

Deposits 

Common stockholders’ equity 

Total equity 
Tangible common equity2 

Capital ratios4: 

Total equity to assets 
Risk-based capital5: 

Common Equity Tier 1 

Tier 1 capital 

Total capital 

Tier 1 leverage 

Common shares outstanding 

Book value per common share6 

Tangible book value per common share2, 6 

Headcount 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

72,340 
14,129 
57,630 
14,710 
3,301 
1,710 
0.41 

85,063 
2,687 
58,178 
26,885 
19,549 
17,938 
4.05 

0.17 % 

1.02 

1.0 
1.3 
80 

1.22 
4118.0 
4,134.2 

10.2 
12.2 
68 

1.92 
4,393.1 
4,425.4 

941,788 
1,943,501 
1,376,011 

950,956 
1,913,444 
1,286,261 

2.27 % 

2.73 

501,207 
887,637 
18,516 
62,260 
1,955,163 
1,404,381 
164,778 
185,920 
136,935 

497,125 
962,265 
9,551 
68,241 
1,927,555 
1,322,626 
166,669 
187,984 
138,506 

9.51 % 

9.75 

11.59 
13.25 
16.14 
8.32 

4,144.0 
39.76 
33.04 
268,531 

11.14 
12.76 
15.75 
8.31 

4,134.4 
40.31 
33.50 
271,924 

(15) 
426 
(1) 
(45) 
(83) 
(90) 
(90) 

(83) 

(90) 
(89) 
18 

(36) 
(6) 
(7) 

(1) 
2 
7 

(17) 

1 
(8) 
94 
(9) 
1 
6 
(1) 
(1) 
(1) 

(2) 

4 
4 
2 
– 

– 
(1) 
(1) 
(1) 

1  Pre-tax pre-provision profit (PTPP) is total revenue less noninterest expense. Management believes that PTPP is a useful financial measure because it enables investors and others to assess the Company’s ability to 

generate capital to cover credit losses through a credit cycle. 

2  Tangible common equity is a non-GAAP financial measure and represents total equity less preferred equity, noncontrolling interests, goodwill, certain identifiable intangible assets (other than mortgage 

servicing rights) and goodwill and other intangibles on nonmarketable equity securities, net of applicable deferred taxes. The methodology of determining tangible common equity may differ among companies. 
Management believes that return on average tangible common equity and tangible book value per common share, which utilize tangible common equity, are useful financial measures because they enable 
management, investors, and others to assess the Company’s use of equity. For additional information, including a corresponding reconciliation to GAAP financial measures, see the “Financial Review – 
Capital Management – Tangible Common Equity” section in this Report. 

3  The efficiency ratio is noninterest expense divided by total revenue (net interest income and noninterest income). 

4  See the “Financial Review – Capital Management” section and Note 28 (Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions) to Financial Statements in this Report for additional information. 

5  The risk-based capital ratios were calculated under the lower of the Standardized or Advanced Approach determined pursuant to Basel III. Beginning January 1, 2018, the requirements for calculating 

common equity tier 1 and tier 1 capital, along with risk-weighted assets, became fully phased-in. Accordingly, the information presented refects fully phased-in common equity tier 1 capital, tier 1 capital 
and risk-weighted assets, but reflects total capital still in accordance with Transition Requirements. See the “Financial Review – Capital Management” section and Note 28 (Regulatory Capital Requirements and 
Other Restrictions) to Financial Statements in this Report for additional information. 

6  Book value per common share is common stockholders’ equity divided by common shares outstanding. Tangible book value per common share is tangible common equity divided by common shares outstanding. 

21 

 
 
 
  
  
  
 
Operating Committee 

William M. 
DALEY 
Vice Chairman 
of Public Affairs 

Derek A. 
FLOWERS 
Senior EVP, Head of Strategic 
Execution & Operations 

David C. 
GALLOREESE 
Senior EVP, 
Head of Human Resources 

Mary T. 
MACK 
Senior EVP, CEO of Consumer 
& Small Business Banking 

22 

2020 Annual Report 

Amanda G. 
NORTON 
Senior EVP,  
Chief Risk Officer 

Lester J. 
OWENS 
Senior EVP,  
Head of Operations 

Ellen R. 
PATTERSON 
Senior EVP,  
General Counsel 

Perry G. 
PELOS 
Senior EVP,  
CEO of Commercial Banking 

Scott E. 
POWELL 
Senior EVP,  
Chief Operating Officer 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Michael P. 
SANTOMASSIMO 
Senior EVP, Chief Financial Officer 

Kleber R. 
SANTOS 
Senior EVP, 
Head of Diverse Segments, 
Representation & Inclusion 

Julie L. 
SCAMMAHORN 
Senior EVP, 
Chief Auditor 

Charles W. 
SCHARF 
CEO 

Barry  
SOMMERS 
Senior EVP, CEO of Wealth  
& Investment Management 

Saul 
VAN BEURDEN 
Senior EVP,  
Head of Technology 

Michael S. 
WEINBACH 
Senior EVP,  
CEO of Consumer Lending 

Jonathan G. 
WEISS 
Senior EVP, CEO of Corporate  
& Investment Banking 

Ather  
WILLIAMS III 
Senior EVP, Head of Strategy,  
Digital Platform & Innovation 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Board of Directors 

Steven D. 
BLACK 

4 

Co-CEO, 
Bregal Investments, Inc. 

Mark A. 
CHANCY 

1, 7 

Retired Vice Chairman 
and Co-Chief Operating Officer, 
SunTrust Banks, Inc. 

Celeste A. 
CLARK 

2, 3, 5 

Principal, Abraham Clark Consulting, LLC, 
and Retired Senior Vice President, 
Global Public Policy and External Relations and 
Chief Sustainability Officer, 
Kellogg Company 

24 

2020 Annual Report 

Theodore F. 
CRAVER, JR. 

1, 4 

Retired Chairman,  
President and CEO, 
Edison International 

Wayne M. 
HEWETT 

2, 6, 7 

Senior Advisor,  
Permira, and Chairman,  
DiversiTech Corporation 

Donald M. 
JAMES 

4, 5, 6 

Retired Chairman, 
Vulcan Materials Company 

Maria R. 
MORRIS 

6, 7 

Retired Executive Vice President  
and Head of Global Employee  
Benefits business, MetLife, Inc. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Charles H. 
NOSKI 

1, 5 

Chairman of the Board, 
Wells Fargo & Company 
and Retired Vice Chairman and 
Former Chief Financial Officer, 
Bank of America Corporation 

Richard B. 
PAYNE, JR. 

3 

Retired Vice Chairman, 
Wholesale Banking, 
U.S. Bancorp 

Juan A. 
PUJADAS 

3, 4, 7 

Retired Principal, 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 
and Former Vice Chairman, 
Global Advisory Services, 
PwC International 

Ronald L. 
SARGENT 

1, 5, 6 

Retired Chairman and CEO, 
Staples, Inc. 

Charles W. 
SCHARF 
CEO,  
Wells Fargo & Company 

Suzanne M.
VAUTRINOT 

2, 3, 7

President, Kilovolt Consulting, Inc.  
and Major General and Commander, 
United States Air Force (retired) 

BOARD COMMITTEES 

1. Audit 
2. Corporate Responsibility 
3. Credit 
4. Finance 
5. Governance and Nominating 
6. Human Resources 
7. Risk 

As of February 15, 2021 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COVID-19: 
Supporting employees and customers 

In 2020, Wells Fargo adapted to the challenges brought on by the pandemic with 
a focus on the safety and well-being of our employees, customers, and communities. 

Addressing Employee 
Needs 

Significantly 
expanded work-from-
home capabilities, with 
approximately 

200K 

employees 
now enabled to 
work remotely. 

For certain qualifying 
employees, made up to 

$1.6K 

in combined 
payments: 
• A one-time cash
award to approximately 
165,000 employees. 

• Made additional cash
payments for employees 
whose roles required they 
come into the office 
to serve customers or 
other employees. 

Raised minimum 
hourly pay levels 
in a majority of 
U.S. markets, 
with more than 

25K 

employees
receiving a pay
adjustment. 

More than 

22K 

U.S. employees 
took advantage 
of enhanced child 
care benefits. 

Aided 

23K+ 

employees 
via a $25 million 
grant to the WE Care 
employee relief fund. 

26 

2020 Annual Report 

 
 
 
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
  
  
Assisting Customers 

Funded approximately 

194K 

loans for small 
business customers 
totaling $10.5 billion under 
the Paycheck Protection 
Program. 84% of the loans 
went to businesses with 
fewer than 10 employees, 
with an average loan size 
of $54,000. 

Helped over 

635K 

homeowners with
new, low-rate loans to 
either purchase a home 
or refinance an existing 
mortgage, including 
more than 265,000 
purchases and
nearly 370,000
refinances. 

Continued to assist 
customers facing 
hardships with 
payment assistance. 
Helped 

3.6M 

consumer 
and small 
business 
customers 
by deferring 
payments and 
waiving fees. 

27 

 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COVID-19: 
Helping communities recover 

Wells Fargo is committed to fostering an inclusive, sustainable recovery 

through a focus on opening economic pathways, championing safe, 

affordable homes, empowering small businesses to thrive, and enabling 

a just, low-carbon economy. 

Contributed 

$475M 

in charitable 
contributions 
in 2020. 

Providing Relief to
Minority-owned
Small Businesses 
Julius “Eddie” Lofton, 
owner of JC Lofton 
Tailors in Washington, 
D.C., was able to cover 
rent and utilities during 
the pandemic with the 
help of Wells Fargo’s
Open for Business
Fund and Local 
Initiatives Support
Corporation. 
Founded in 1939 as the 
first African American 
tailor shop and school in 
downtown D.C., JC Lofton 
Tailors is hoping business 
picks up soon. “We’re all 
suffering now,  but I told 
my tailors we just got 
to hold on together,” 
Lofton said. 

28 

2020 Annual Report 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
Helping 

16K 

minority-
owned small 
businesses 
keep 50,000 jobs 
through the Open 
for Business Fund. 

Keeping over 

200K 

individuals 
housed through 
our support of 
rent relief, eviction 
prevention, and 
other housing 
initiatives. 

Renters often bear a high cost 
burden when it comes to having 
a place to call home. The economic 
downturn caused by COVID 
disproportionately impacted 
people of color causing housing 
instability across the U.S. During 
2020, the Wells Fargo
Foundation donated 
nearly $70 million to
support housing efforts, 
including rental assistance relief, 
financial coaching, and free 
or low-cost legal assistance 
to help people avoid eviction. 

29 

  
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
Sustainability: Enabling a just,
low-carbon future for all 

Climate change is one of the most urgent environmental and 

social issues of our time and we believe that collective action 

is needed to transition to a low-carbon economy and minimize 

the impact on our most vulnerable communities. 

Financed 

12% 

of all new 
utility-scale 
wind and solar 
generation in the U.S. 
over the past decade.* 

*(2010 – Oct. 2020) 

Access to 
Affordable 
and Reliable 
Energy for All 
Low-income communities 
spend disproportionately 
more of their income 
toward energy bills and 
bear the burden of 
environmental injustice. 
The GRID Alternatives 
Tribal Solar Accelerator 
Fund, launched with seed 
funding from Wells Fargo, 
supports solar energy 
projects in 27 tribal 
communities. That solar 
capacity translates into over 
$10 million 
in lifetime 
energy savings
and workforce 
development
opportunities for
nearly 200 tribal
members. 

30 

2020 Annual Report 

 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Advancing Clean
Energy Across
Our Operations 
Through 2020, in support 
of our 100% renewable 
energy commitment,* 
Wells Fargo entered into 
nearly 120 long-term 
contracts supporting 
development of over 
750 megawatts of 
net-new renewable 
energy like solar arrays. 
These efforts are advancing 
our operations, the economy 
and job creation in local 
communities. 

*Renewable energy sources 
include on-site solar, long-term 
contracts that fund net-new 
sources of off-site renewable 
energy, and the purchase 
of renewable energy 
and renewable energy 
certificates (RECs). 

Deployed 

~$75B 

in financing to sustainable 
businesses and projects to 
accelerate the transition 
to a low-carbon economy.* 

*(2018 – 2020) 

Ranked for 
the first time 
on Forbes 
Just 100 list, 

#1 

for Environment 
and Communities 
in the financial sector. 

31 

31 

 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
32 

2020 Annual Report 

W E L L S   FA R G O   &   C O M P A N Y   2 0 2 0   F I N A N C I A L   R E P O R T  

34 

38 

57 

59 

60 

88 

94 

97 

101 

102 

104 

119 

119 

119 

120 

121 

122 

123 

124 

126 

127 

141 

142 

Financial Review 

Overview 

Earnings Performance 

Balance Sheet Analysis 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements 

Risk Management 

Capital Management 

Regulatory Matters 

148 

165 

166 

168 

169 

174 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

Loans and Allowance for Credit Losses 

Leasing Activity 

Equity Securities 

Premises, Equipment and Other Assets 

Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities 

Mortgage Banking Activities 

176 

10 

Intangible Assets 

Critical Accounting Policies 

177 

11 

Deposits 

Current Accounting Developments 

178 

12 

Long-Term Debt 

Forward-Looking Statements 

180 

13 

Guarantees and Other Commitments 

Risk Factors 

183 

14 

Pledged Assets and Collateral 

Controls and Procedures 

186 

15 

Legal Actions 

190 

16 

Derivatives 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures 

201 

17 

Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

211 

18 

Preferred Stock 

Management’s Report on Internal Control over 

Financial Reporting 

Report of Independent Registered Public 

Accounting Firm 

214 

19 

Common Stock and Stock Plans 

217 

20 

Revenue from Contracts with Customers 

219 

21 

Employee Benefits and Other Expenses 

Financial Statements 

225 

22 

Restructuring Charges 

Consolidated Statement of Income 

226 

23 

Income Taxes 

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive 

Income 

Consolidated Balance Sheet 

228 

24 

Earnings and Dividends Per Common Share 

229 

25 

Other Comprehensive Income 

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 

231 

26 

Operating Segments 

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 

233 

27 

Parent-Only Financial Statements 

Notes to Financial Statements 

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 

Trading Activities 

Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities 

1 

2 

3 

235 

28 

Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions 

237 

240 

242 

Report of Independent Registered Public

Accounting Firm 

Quarterly Financial Data 

Glossary of Acronyms 

33 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This Annual Report, including the Financial Review and the Financial Statements and related Notes, contains forward-looking statements, 
which may include forecasts of our financial results and condition, expectations for our operations and business, and our assumptions for those 
forecasts and expectations. Do not unduly rely on forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from our forward-looking 
statements due to several factors. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements are 
described in this Report, including in the “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” sections, and in the “Regulation and Supervision” 
section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (2020 Form 10-K). 

When we refer to “Wells Fargo,” “the Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us” in this Report, we mean Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries 
(consolidated). When we refer to the “Parent,” we mean Wells Fargo & Company. See the Glossary of Acronyms for definitions of terms used 
throughout this Report. 

Financial Review 

Overview 

Wells Fargo & Company is a leading financial services company 
that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets and proudly serves 
one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of all middle 
market companies in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of 
banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well 
as consumer and commercial finance, through our four 
reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, 
Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and 
Wealth and Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 30 
on Fortune’s 2020 rankings of America’s largest corporations. We 
ranked fourth in both assets and in the market value of our 
common stock among all U.S. banks at December 31, 2020. 

Wells Fargo’s top priority remains meeting its regulatory 
requirements to build the right foundation for all that lies ahead. 
To do that, the Company is committing the resources necessary 
to ensure that we operate with the strongest business practices 
and controls, maintain the highest level of integrity, and have an 
appropriate culture in place. 

Federal Reserve Board Consent Order Regarding 
Governance Oversight and Compliance and Operational 
Risk Management 
On February 2, 2018, the Company entered into a consent order 
with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 
(FRB). As required by the consent order, the Company’s Board of 
Directors (Board) submitted to the FRB a plan to further enhance 
the Board’s governance and oversight of the Company, and the 
Company submitted to the FRB a plan to further improve the 
Company’s compliance and operational risk management 
program. The Company continues to engage with the FRB as the 
Company works to address the consent order provisions. The 
consent order also requires the Company, following the FRB’s 
acceptance and approval of the plans and the Company’s 
adoption and implementation of the plans, to complete an initial 
third-party review of the enhancements and improvements 
provided for in the plans. Until this third-party review is complete 
and the plans are approved and implemented to the satisfaction 
of the FRB, the Company’s total consolidated assets as defined 
under the consent order will be limited to the level as of 
December 31, 2017. Compliance with this asset cap is measured 
on a two-quarter daily average basis to allow for management of 
temporary fluctuations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on 
April 8, 2020, the FRB amended the consent order to allow the 
Company to exclude from the asset cap any on-balance sheet 
exposure resulting from loans made by the Company in 
connection with the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck 
Protection Program and the FRB’s Main Street Lending Program. 
As required under the amendment to the consent order, to the 

34 

extent the Company chooses to exclude these exposures from 
the asset cap, certain fees and other economic benefits received 
by the Company from loans made in connection with these 
programs shall be transferred to the U.S. Treasury or to non-
profit organizations approved by the FRB that support small 
businesses. After removal of the asset cap, a second third-party 
review must also be conducted to assess the efficacy and 
sustainability of the enhancements and improvements. 

Consent Orders with the Consumer Financial Protection 
Bureau and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency 
Regarding Compliance Risk Management Program, 
Automobile Collateral Protection Insurance Policies, and 
Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Extensions 
On April 20, 2018, the Company entered into consent orders 
with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the 
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to pay an 
aggregate of $1 billion in civil money penalties to resolve matters 
regarding the Company’s compliance risk management program 
and past practices involving certain automobile collateral 
protection insurance (CPI) policies and certain mortgage interest 
rate lock extensions. As required by the consent orders, the 
Company submitted to the CFPB and OCC an enterprise-wide 
compliance risk management plan and a plan to enhance the 
Company’s internal audit program with respect to federal 
consumer financial law and the terms of the consent orders. In 
addition, as required by the consent orders, the Company 
submitted for non-objection plans to remediate customers 
affected by the automobile collateral protection insurance and 
mortgage interest rate lock matters, as well as a plan for the 
management of remediation activities conducted by the 
Company. 

Retail Sales Practices Matters 
In September 2016, we announced settlements with the CFPB, 
the OCC, and the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, and 
entered into related consent orders with the CFPB and the OCC, 
in connection with allegations that some of our retail customers 
received products and services they did not request. As a result, it 
remains a top priority to rebuild trust through a comprehensive 
action plan that includes making things right for our customers, 
employees, and other stakeholders, and building a better 
Company for the future. Our priority of rebuilding trust has 
included numerous actions focused on identifying potential 
financial harm to customers resulting from these matters and 
providing remediation. 

For additional information regarding retail sales practices 
matters, including related legal matters, see the “Risk Factors” 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
section and Note 15 (Legal Actions) to Financial Statements in 
this Report. 

Other Customer Remediation Activities 
Our priority of rebuilding trust has also included an effort to 
identify other areas or instances where customers may have 
experienced financial harm, provide remediation as appropriate, 
and implement additional operational and control procedures. 
We are working with our regulatory agencies in this effort. We 
have previously disclosed key areas of focus as part of our 
rebuilding trust efforts and are in the process of providing 
remediation for those matters. We have accrued for the 
reasonably estimable remediation costs related to our rebuilding 
trust efforts, which amounts may change based on additional 
facts and information, as well as ongoing reviews and 
communications with our regulators. 

As our ongoing reviews continue, it is possible that in the 
future we may identify additional items or areas of potential 
concern. To the extent issues are identified, we will continue to 
assess any customer harm and provide remediation as 
appropriate. For additional information, including related legal 
and regulatory risk, see the “Risk Factors” section and Note 15 
(Legal Actions) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Recent Developments 
CECL Adoption 
On January 1, 2020, we adopted Accounting Standards Update 
(ASU) 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 
326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments 
(CECL), which requires estimating an allowance for expected life-
time credit losses for loans and debt securities. For additional 
information, see the “Risk Management – Credit Risk 
Management – Allowance for Credit Losses” section and Note 1 
(Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial 
Statements in this Report. 

Efficiency Initiatives 
We are pursuing various initiatives to reduce expenses and create 
a more efficient and streamlined organization. Actions from 
these initiatives may include (i) reorganizing and simplifying 
business processes and structures to improve internal operations 
and the customer experience, (ii) reducing headcount, (iii) 
optimizing third-party spending, including for our technology 
infrastructure, and (iv) rationalizing our branch and 
administrative locations, which may include consolidations and 
closures. We have established teams in each of our lines of 
business and enterprise functions to focus on an organized and 
structured approach for implementing these initiatives. The 
evaluation of potential actions will continue in future periods. In 
2020, we recognized $1.5 billion of restructuring charges, 
predominantly personnel costs, within noninterest expense in 
our consolidated statement of income as a result of these 
initiatives. For additional information, see Note 22 
(Restructuring Charges) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

COVID-19 Pandemic 
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working 
diligently to protect employee safety while continuing to carry 
out Wells Fargo’s role as a provider of essential services to the 
public. We have taken comprehensive steps to help customers, 
employees and communities. 

We have strong levels of capital and liquidity, and we remain 
focused on delivering for our customers and communities to get 
through these unprecedented times. 

PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM  The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, 
and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) created funding for the 
Small Business Administration’s (SBA) loan program providing 
forgiveness of up to the full principal amount of qualifying loans 
guaranteed under a new program called the Paycheck Protection 
Program (PPP). The intent of the PPP is to provide loans to small 
businesses to keep their employees on the payroll and make 
certain other eligible payments. Loans granted under the PPP are 
guaranteed by the SBA and are fully forgivable if used for 
qualifying expenses such as payroll, mortgage interest, rent and 
utilities. If the loans are not forgiven, they must be repaid over a 
term not to exceed five years. Under the PPP, through 
December 31, 2020, we funded $10.5 billion in loans to 
approximately 194,000 borrowers and deferred approximately 
$420 million of SBA processing fees that will be recognized as 
interest income over the term of the loans. As of December 31, 
2020, $10.1 billion of principal remained outstanding on these 
PPP loans. We voluntarily committed to donate all of the gross 
processing fees received in 2020 from funding PPP loans. 
Through December 31, 2020, we donated approximately 
$85 million of these processing fees to non-profit organizations 
that support small businesses. We expect to donate the 
remaining amount of these fees through 2022. In January 2021, 
the SBA reopened the PPP for new and certain existing PPP 
borrowers, and we have begun to fund loans under this latest 
round of the PPP. 

SBA SIX-MONTH PAYMENT ASSISTANCE  Under the CARES Act, the 
SBA will make principal and interest payments on behalf of 
certain borrowers for six months. During 2020, over 20,000 of 
our lending customers were eligible for SBA payment assistance, 
and we received $402 million in payments from the SBA. 

CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT  On December 27, 2020, 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) was signed 
into law. The CAA provides additional COVID-19 focused relief 
and extends or amends certain provisions of the CARES Act, 
including those related to the PPP and troubled debt 
restructurings (TDRs). 

Brexit 
With the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union 
(Brexit), our primary goal is to continue to serve our existing 
clients in the United Kingdom and the European Union, as well as 
to continue to meet the needs of our domestic clients as they do 
business in those locations. We are leveraging our authorized 
bank in Ireland, our asset management entity in Luxembourg, 
and our broker-dealer in France to help serve clients in the 
European Union. For additional information on risks associated 
with Brexit, see the “Risk Factors” section in this Report. 

LIBOR Transition 
The London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is a widely-
referenced benchmark rate, which is published in five currencies 
and a range of tenors, and seeks to estimate the cost at which 
banks can borrow on an unsecured basis from other banks. The 
administrator of LIBOR, ICE Benchmark Administration, 
published a consultation in December 2020 regarding its 
intention to cease the publication of LIBOR after December 31, 
2021, with the exception of certain tenors of U.S. dollar (USD) 
LIBOR that it proposed would remain available for use in legacy 
contracts or as otherwise enumerated by financial regulators 
until June 30, 2023. We have a significant number of assets and 
liabilities referenced to LIBOR, such as commercial loans, 
adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) loans, derivatives, debt 

35 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overview (continued) 

securities, and long-term debt. As of December 31, 2020, we had 
approximately $475 billion of assets, consisting mostly of 
commercial loans, approximately $25 billion of liabilities, and 
approximately $350 billion of off-balance sheet commitments 
linked to LIBOR. These amounts exclude derivative assets and 
liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 
2020, the notional amount of our LIBOR-linked interest rate 
derivative contracts was approximately $7 trillion, of which 
approximately $5 trillion related to contracts with central 
counterparty clearinghouses. Each of the LIBOR-linked amounts 
referenced above will vary in future periods as current contracts 
expire with potential replacement contracts using an alternative 
reference rate. As of December 31, 2020, USD LIBOR 
represented substantially all of the LIBOR-linked amounts 
referenced above. 

In an effort to mitigate the risks associated with a transition 

away from LIBOR, our LIBOR Transition Office (LTO) has 
undertaken initiatives to: (i) develop more robust fallback 
language and disclosures related to the LIBOR transition, (ii) 
develop a plan to seek to amend legacy contracts to reference 
such fallback language or alternative reference rates, (iii) launch 
and enhance systems to support new products, including 
mortgages, commercial loans, securities and derivatives linked to 
the Secured Overnight Financing Rate and other alternative 
reference rates, (iv) develop and evaluate internal guidance, 
policies and procedures focused on the transition away from 
LIBOR to alternative reference rate products, and (v) prepare and 
disseminate internal and external communications regarding the 
LIBOR transition. 

In addition, our LTO is actively working with financial 
regulators, industry working groups (such as the Alternative 
Reference Rate Committee) and trade associations that are 
developing guidance to facilitate an orderly transition away from 
the use of LIBOR. We continue to assess the risks and related 
impacts associated with a transition away from LIBOR. See the 
“Risk Factors” section in this Report for additional information 
regarding the potential impact of LIBOR or any other referenced 
financial metric being significantly changed, replaced, or 
discontinued. 

On March 12, 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards 
Board (FASB) issued ASU 2020-04 – Facilitation of the Effects of 
Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting (Update) that 
provides temporary relief from existing generally accepted 
accounting principles (GAAP) accounting requirements for 
contract modifications and hedge accounting relationships 
impacted by reference rate reform activities. For additional 
information on the Update, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Capital Actions and Restrictions 
On December 18, 2020, the Board of Governors of the Federal 
Reserve System (FRB) announced that it was extending, with 
certain adjustments, measures it announced on June 25, 2020, 
limiting capital distributions by large bank holding companies 
(BHCs), including Wells Fargo, subject to certain exceptions. For 
first quarter 2021, the FRB generally authorized, among other 
things, BHCs to pay common stock dividends and make share 
repurchases that, in the aggregate, do not exceed an amount 
equal to the average of the BHC’s net income for the four 
preceding calendar quarters, so long as the BHC does not 
increase the amount of its common stock dividend from the level 
paid in second quarter 2020. For additional information about 
capital planning, including the FRB’s recent prohibition on capital 
distributions, see the “Capital Management – Capital Planning 
and Stress Testing” section in this Report. 

36 

In January 2021, the Board approved an increase in the 

Company’s authority to repurchase common stock by an 
additional 500 million shares. 

In January 2021, we issued $3.5 billion of our Preferred 
Stock, Series BB, and in February 2021, we issued $1.05 billion of 
our Preferred Stock, Series CC. Additionally, in February 2021, we 
announced the redemption of our Preferred Stock, Series I, 
Series P and Series W, and a partial redemption of our Preferred 
Stock, Series N, for an aggregate cost of $4.5 billion. The 
redemptions are scheduled to occur on March 15, 2021. 

Announced Business Divestiture 
On February 23, 2021, we announced an agreement to sell 
Wells Fargo Asset Management for a purchase price of 
$2.1 billion. As part of the transaction, we will own a 9.9% equity 
interest in the ongoing entity and continue to serve as a client 
and distribution partner. The transaction is expected to close in 
the second half of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. 

Financial Performance 
In 2020, we generated $3.3 billion of net income and diluted 
earnings per common share (EPS) of $0.41, compared with 
$19.5 billion of net income and EPS of $4.05 in 2019. Financial 
performance for 2020, compared with 2019, was impacted by an 
increase of $11.4 billion to our provision for credit losses 
reflecting the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and 
$1.5 billion of restructuring charges as a result of our efficiency 
initiatives. Also, in 2020 compared with 2019: 
• 

total revenue decreased due to lower net interest income, 
lower other noninterest income related to gains on the sales 
of purchased credit-impaired (PCI) loans, our Institutional 
Retirement and Trust (IRT) business and Eastdil Secured 
(Eastdil) in 2019, and lower net gains from equity securities; 
noninterest expense decreased due to lower operating 
losses, advertising and promotion expense, other expense, 
and personnel expense, partially offset by higher 
restructuring charges; 
average loans decreased due to paydowns exceeding 
originations in the residential mortgage – junior lien 
portfolio and the reclassification of student loans, included 
in other consumer loans, to loans held for sale (LHFS) after 
the announced sale of the portfolio in fourth quarter 2020; 
and 
average deposits increased on growth in interest-bearing 
and noninterest-bearing deposits driven by Consumer 
Banking and Lending and Wealth and Investment 
Management. 

• 

• 

• 

Capital and Liquidity 
We maintained a strong capital position in 2020, with total 
equity of $185.9 billion at December 31, 2020, compared with 
$188.0 billion at December 31, 2019. Our liquidity and regulatory 
capital ratios remained strong at December 31, 2020, including: 
• 

our liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) was 133%, which 
continued to exceed the regulatory minimum of 100%; 
our Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio was 11.59%, which 
continued to exceed both the regulatory requirement of 9% 
and our current internal target of 10%; and 
our eligible external total loss absorbing capacity (TLAC) as a 
percentage of total risk-weighted assets was 25.74%, 
compared with the regulatory requirement of 22.0%. 

• 

• 

See the “Capital Management” and the “Risk Management – 
Asset/Liability Management – Liquidity and Funding” sections in 
this Report for additional information regarding our capital and 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
liquidity, including the calculation of our regulatory capital and 
liquidity amounts. 

Credit Quality 
Credit quality was affected by the economic impact of the 
COVID-19 pandemic on our customer base. 
• 

The allowance for credit losses (ACL) for loans of 
$19.7 billion at December 31, 2020, increased $9.3 billion 
from December 31, 2019. The change in the ACL for loans 
during 2020 was comprised of a $10.6 billion increase in the 
ACL for loans during 2020, partially offset by a $1.3 billion 
decrease as a result of our adoption of CECL on January 1, 
2020. 

•  Our provision for credit losses for loans was $14.0 billion in 
2020, up from $2.7 billion in 2019. The increase in the ACL 
for loans and the provision for credit losses in 2020 reflected 
current and forecasted economic conditions due to the 
COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on borrower 
performance. 
The allowance coverage for total loans was 2.22% at 
December 31, 2020, compared with 1.09% at December 31, 
2019. 
Commercial portfolio net loan charge-offs were $1.6 billion, 
or 31 basis points of average commercial loans, in 2020, 

• 

• 

Table 1:  Summary of Selected Financial Data 

(in millions, except per share amounts) 

2020 

2019 

Income statement 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Net income before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income from noncontrolling interests 

Wells Fargo net income 

Earnings per common share 

Diluted earnings per common share 

Dividends declared per common share 

Balance sheet (at year end) 

Debt securities 

Loans 

Allowance for loan losses 

Equity securities 

Assets 

Deposits 

Long-term debt 

Common stockholders’ equity 

Wells Fargo stockholders’ equity 

Total equity 

$ 

39,835 

32,505 

72,340 

14,129 

57,630 

3,586 

285 

3,301 

0.42 

0.41 

1.22 

47,231 

37,832 

85,063 

2,687 

58,178 

20,041 

492 

19,549 

4.08 

4.05 

1.92 

501,207 

887,637 

18,516 

62,260 

497,125 

962,265 

9,551 

68,241 

1,955,163 

1,927,555 

1,404,381 

1,322,626 

212,950 

164,778 

184,887 

185,920 

228,191 

166,669 

187,146 

187,984 

• 

compared with net loan charge-offs of $652 million, or 
13 basis points, in 2019, predominantly driven by increased 
losses in our commercial and industrial portfolio primarily 
within the oil, gas and pipelines portfolio, and in our 
commercial real estate mortgage loan portfolio. 
Consumer portfolio net loan charge-offs were $1.7 billion, or 
39 basis points of average consumer loans, in 2020, 
compared with net loan charge-offs of $2.1 billion, or 
48 basis points, in 2019, predominantly driven by lower 
losses in our credit card, auto and other consumer loan 
portfolios as a result of payment deferral activities 
instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

•  Nonperforming assets (NPAs) of $8.9 billion at 

December 31, 2020, increased $3.2 billion, or 57%, from 
December 31, 2019, predominantly driven by increases in 
commercial and industrial, commercial real estate mortgage, 
and residential mortgage – first lien nonaccrual loans, 
reflecting the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
NPAs represented 1.00% of total loans at December 31, 
2020. 

Table 1 presents a three-year summary of selected financial 

data and Table 2 presents selected ratios and per common 
share data. 

$ Change  % Change 
2020/ 
2019 

2020/ 
2019 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change  % Change 
2019/ 
2018 

2019/ 
2018 

2018 

(7,396) 

(5,327) 

(12,723) 

11,442 

(548) 

(16,455) 

(207) 

(16,248) 

(3.66) 

(3.64) 

(0.70) 

4,082 

(74,628) 

8,965 

(5,981) 

27,608 

81,755 

(15,241) 

(1,891) 

(2,259) 

(2,064) 

(16) % 

$ 

49,995 

(14) 

(15) 

426 

(1) 

(82) 

(42) 

(83) 

(90) 

(90) 

(36) 

1 

(8) 

94 

(9) 

1 

6 

(7) 

(1) 

(1) 

(1) 

36,413 

86,408 

1,744 

56,126 

22,876 

483 

22,393 

4.31 

4.28 

1.64 

484,689 

953,110 

9,775 

55,148 

1,895,883 

1,286,170 

229,044 

174,359 

196,166 

197,066 

(2,764) 

1,419 

(1,345) 

943 

2,052 

(2,835) 

9 

(2,844) 

(0.23) 

(0.23) 

0.28 

12,436 

9,155 

(224) 

13,093 

31,672 

36,456 

(853) 

(7,690) 

(9,020) 

(9,082) 

(6) % 

4 

(2) 

54 

4 

(12) 

2 

(13) 

(5) 

(5) 

17 

3 

1 

(2) 

24 

2 

3 

— 

(4) 

(5) 

(5) 

37 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overview (continued) 

Table 2:  Ratios and Per Common Share Data 

Profitability ratios 

Return on average assets (ROA) (1) 

Return on average equity (ROE) (2) 

Return on average tangible common equity (ROTCE) (3) 

Efficiency ratio (4) 

Capital ratios (5) 

At year end: 

Wells Fargo common stockholders’ equity to assets 

Total equity to assets 

Risk-based capital (6): 

Common Equity Tier 1 

Tier 1 capital 

Total capital 

Tier 1 leverage 

Average balances: 

Average Wells Fargo common stockholders’ equity to average assets 

Average total equity to average assets 

Per common share data 

Dividend payout ratio (7) 

Book value (8) 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

0.17  % 

1.04 

1.25 

79.7 

8.43 

9.51 

11.59 

13.25 

16.14 

8.32 

8.45 

9.53 

297.6 

39.76 

$ 

1.02 

10.23 

12.20 

68.4 

8.65 

9.75 

11.14 

12.76 

15.75 

8.31 

9.16 

10.33 

47.4 

40.31 

1.19 

11.53 

13.73 

65.0 

9.20 

10.39 

11.74 

13.46 

16.60 

9.07 

9.50 

10.77 

38.3 

38.06 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

(4) 
(5) 
(6) 

(7) 
(8) 

Represents Wells Fargo net income (loss) divided by average assets. 
Represents Wells Fargo net income (loss) applicable to common stock divided by average common stockholders’ equity. 
Tangible common equity is a non-GAAP financial measure and represents total equity less preferred equity, noncontrolling interests, goodwill, certain identifiable intangible assets (other than 
mortgage servicing rights) and goodwill and other intangibles on nonmarketable equity securities, net of applicable deferred taxes. The methodology of determining tangible common equity may 
differ among companies. Management believes that return on average tangible common equity, which utilizes tangible common equity, is a useful financial measure because it enables investors and 
others to assess the Company’s use of equity. For additional information, including a corresponding reconciliation to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) financial measures, see the 
“Capital Management – Tangible Common Equity” section in this Report. 
The efficiency ratio is noninterest expense divided by total revenue (net interest income and noninterest income). 
See the “Capital Management” section and Note 28 (Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions) to Financial Statements in this Report for additional information. 
The risk-based capital ratios were calculated under the lower of the Standardized or Advanced Approach determined pursuant to Basel III. Beginning January 1, 2018, the requirements for calculating 
common equity tier 1 and tier 1 capital, along with risk-weighted assets, became fully phased-in. Accordingly, the information presented reflects fully phased-in common equity tier 1 capital, tier 1 
capital and risk-weighted assets, but reflects total capital still in accordance with Transition Requirements. See the “Capital Management” section and Note 28 (Regulatory Capital Requirements and 
Other Restrictions) to Financial Statements in this Report for additional information. 
Dividend payout ratio is dividends declared per common share as a percentage of diluted earnings per common share. 
Book value per common share is common stockholders’ equity divided by common shares outstanding. 

Earnings Performance 

Wells Fargo net income for 2020 was $3.3 billion ($0.41 diluted 
EPS), compared with $19.5 billion ($4.05 diluted EPS) for 2019. 
Net income decreased in 2020, compared with 2019, 
predominantly due to a $11.4 billion increase in provision for 
credit losses, a $7.4 billion decrease in net interest income, and a 
$5.3 billion decrease in noninterest income, partially offset by a 
$7.2 billion decrease in income tax expense. 

For a discussion of our 2019 financial results, compared with 

2018, see the “Earnings Performance” section of our Annual 
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. 

Net Interest Income 
Net interest income is the interest earned on debt securities, 
loans (including yield-related loan fees) and other interest-
earning assets minus the interest paid on deposits, short-term 
borrowings and long-term debt. The net interest margin is the 
average yield on earning assets minus the average interest rate 
paid for deposits and our other sources of funding. 

Net interest income and the net interest margin in any one 

period can be significantly affected by a variety of factors 
including the mix and overall size of our earning assets portfolio 
and the cost of funding those assets. In addition, variable sources 
of interest income, such as loan fees, periodic dividends, and 
collection of interest on nonaccrual loans, can fluctuate from 
period to period. 

Net interest income and net interest margin decreased in 
2020, compared with 2019, driven by unfavorable impacts of 
repricing due to the lower interest rate environment and higher 
mortgage-backed securities (MBS) premium amortization. 

Table 3 presents the individual components of net interest 
income and the net interest margin. Net interest income and the
net interest margin are presented on a taxable-equivalent basis
in Table 3 to consistently reflect income from taxable and tax-
exempt loans and debt and equity securities based on a 21%
federal statutory tax rate for the periods ended December 31, 
2020, 2019 and 2018. 

38 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2020 

Average 
balance 

Interest 
income/ 
expense 

Interest 
rates 

Average 
balance 

Interest 
income/ 
expense 

2019 

Interest 
rates 

Year ended December 31, 

Average 
balance 

Interest 
income/ 
expense 

2018 

Interest 
rates 

0.29  % 

$  135,741 

2.12  % 

$  156,366 

2,854 

1,431 

1.82  % 

1.82 

Table 3:  Average Balances and Interest Rates (Taxable-Equivalent Basis) (1) 

(in millions) 

Assets 

Interest-earning deposits with banks 

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale agreements 

Debt securities: 

Trading debt securities 

Available-for-sale debt securities 

Held-to-maturity debt securities 

Total debt securities 

Loans held for sale (2)(3) 

Loans: 

Commercial loans: 

Commercial and industrial – U.S. 

Commercial and industrial – Non-U.S. 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial loans 

Consumer loans: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer loans 

Total loans (3) 

Equity securities 

Other 

$  186,386 

82,798 

94,731 

229,077 

173,505 

547 

393 

2,544 

5,248 

3,841 

497,313 

11,633 

27,493 

947 

281,080 

66,915 

122,482 

21,608 

17,801 

7,912 

1,673 

3,842 

760 

736 

509,886 

14,923 

0.47 

2.69 

2.29 

2.21 

2.34 

3.45 

2.82 

2.50 

3.14 

3.52 

4.13 

2.93 

3.35 

4.44 

288,105 

26,700 

37,093 

48,362 

31,642 

431,902 

941,788 

28,950 

7,505 

9,661 

1,185 

4,315 

11.63 

2,379 

1,719 

19,259 

34,182 

557 

14 

4.92 

5.43 

4.46 

3.63 

1.92 

0.18 

99,286 

93,655 

262,694 

149,105 

2,875 

2,164 

3,149 

8,493 

3,814 

505,454 

15,456 

21,516 

892 

284,888 

12,107 

64,274 

121,813 

21,183 

19,302 

2,385 

5,356 

1,095 

873 

511,460 

21,816 

288,059 

10,974 

2.18 

3.36 

3.23 

2.56 

3.06 

4.14 

4.25 

3.71 

4.40 

5.17 

4.52 

4.27 

3.81 

5.63 

78,547 

83,526 

265,198 

145,565 

2,856 

8,604 

3,487 

494,289 

14,947 

20,920 

917 

275,656 

11,465 

60,718 

122,947 

23,609 

19,392 

2,143 

5,279 

1,167 

919 

502,322 

20,973 

284,178 

11,481 

3.42 

3.24 

2.40 

3.02 

4.38 

4.16 

3.53 

4.29 

4.94 

4.74 

4.18 

4.04 

5.38 

31,989 

38,865 

45,901 

34,682 

439,496 

950,956 

35,930 

5,579 

1,800 

4,889 

12.58 

2,362 

2,412 

22,437 

44,253 

966 

90 

5.15 

6.95 

5.11 

4.65 

2.69 

1.62 

36,687 

36,780 

48,115 

37,115 

442,875 

945,197 

38,092 

5,071 

1,975 

4,678 

12.72 

2,491 

2,488 

23,113 

44,086 

999 

74 

5.18 

6.70 

5.22 

4.66 

2.62 

1.46 

Total interest-earning assets 

$  1,772,233 

48,273 

2.72  % 

$  1,754,462 

66,696 

3.80  % 

$  1,738,482 

65,308 

3.76  % 

Cash and due from banks 

Goodwill 

Other 

Liabilities 

Deposits: 

Total noninterest-earning assets 

Total assets 

Demand deposits 

Savings deposits 

Time deposits 

Deposits in non-U.S. offices 

Total interest-bearing deposits 

Short-term borrowings 

Long-term debt 

Other liabilities 

Total interest-bearing liabilities 

Noninterest-bearing demand deposits 

Other noninterest-bearing liabilities 

Total noninterest-bearing liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Total equity 

Total liabilities and equity 

21,676 

26,387 

123,205 

$  171,268 

— 

— 

— 

— 

19,558 

26,409 

113,015 

158,982 

— 

— 

— 

— 

18,777 

26,453 

105,180 

150,410 

— 

— 

— 

— 

$ 

1,943,501 

48,273 

1,913,444 

66,696 

1,888,892 

65,308 

$ 

98,182 

184 

0.19  % 

$ 

59,121 

789 

1.33  % 

$ 

63,243 

606 

0.96  % 

744,226 

1,492 

81,674 

39,260 

963,342 

70,206 

224,587 

28,435 

892 

236 

2,804 

251 

4,471 

438 

0.20 

1.09 

0.60 

0.29 

0.36 

1.99 

1.54 

705,957 

123,634 

53,438 

942,150 

115,337 

232,491 

25,771 

4,132 

2,776 

938 

8,635 

2,317 

7,350 

551 

0.59 

2.25 

1.75 

0.92 

2.01 

3.16 

2.13 

684,882 

105,475 

63,945 

917,545 

104,267 

224,268 

27,648 

2,157 

2,024 

835 

5,622 

1,719 

6,703 

610 

0.31 

1.92 

1.30 

0.61 

1.65 

2.99 

2.21 

$  1,286,570 

7,964 

0.62  % 

$  1,315,749 

18,853 

1.43  % 

$  1,273,728 

14,654 

1.15  % 

412,669 

59,048 

$  471,717 

— 

— 

— 

$  1,758,287 

7,964 

185,214 

— 

$ 

1,943,501 

7,964 

344,111 

55,963 

400,074 

— 

— 

— 

1,715,823 

18,853 

197,621 

— 

1,913,444 

18,853 

358,312 

53,496 

411,808 

— 

— 

— 

1,685,536 

14,654 

203,356 

— 

1,888,892 

14,654 

Interest rate spread on a taxable-equivalent basis (4) 

2.10 

2.37 

2.61 

Net interest margin and net interest income on a taxable-equivalent 

basis (4) 

$  40,309 

2.27  % 

$  47,843 

2.73  % 

$  50,654 

2.91  % 

(1) 

(2) 

The average balance amounts represent amortized costs. The interest rates are based on interest income or expense amounts for the period. Interest rates and amounts include the effects of hedge 
and risk management activities associated with the respective asset and liability categories. 
In fourth quarter 2020, loans held for sale and mortgage loans held for sale were combined into a single line item. Prior period balances have been revised to conform with the current period 
presentation. 

(3)  Nonaccrual loans and any related income are included in their respective loan categories. 
(4) 

Includes taxable-equivalent adjustments of $475 million, $611 million and $659 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, predominantly related to tax-exempt 
income on certain loans and securities. 

39 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings Performance (continued) 

Table 4 allocates the changes in net interest income on a 
taxable-equivalent basis to changes in either average balances or 
average rates for both interest-earning assets and interest-
bearing liabilities. Because of the numerous simultaneous volume 
and rate changes during any period, it is not possible to precisely 

allocate such changes between volume and rate. For this table, 
changes that are not solely due to either volume or rate are 
allocated to these categories on a pro-rata basis based on the 
absolute value of the change due to average volume and average 
rate. 

Table 4:  Analysis of Changes in Net Interest Income 

(in millions) 

Increase (decrease) in interest income: 
Interest-earning deposits with banks 

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale agreements 

$ 

Debt securities: 

Trading debt securities 

Available-for-sale debt securities: 

Held-to-maturity debt securities: 

Total debt securities 

Loans held for sale 

Commercial loans: 

Commercial and industrial – U.S. 

Commercial and industrial – Non-U.S. 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial loans 

Consumer loans: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer loans 

Total loans 

Equity securities 

Other 

Total increase (decrease) in interest income 

Increase (decrease) in interest expense: 
Deposits: 

Demand deposits 

Savings deposits 

Time deposits 

Deposits in non-U.S. offices 

Total interest-bearing deposits 

Short-term borrowings 

Long-term debt 

Other liabilities 

2020 vs. 2019 

Year ended December 31, 

2019 vs. 2018 

Volume 

Rate 

Total 

Volume 

Rate 

Total 

797 

(309) 

35 

(991) 

584 

(372) 

219 

(160) 

94 

29 

22 

(65) 

(80) 

2 

(270) 

(216) 

125 

(198) 

(557) 

(637) 

(165) 

23 

(444) 

324 

217 

(748) 

(202) 

(409) 

(667) 

(242) 

52 

(3,125) 

(1,462) 

(640) 

(2,254) 

(557) 

(3,451) 

(164) 

(4,035) 

(806) 

(1,543) 

(357) 

(72) 

(6,813) 

(2,328) 

(1,771) 

(605) 

(3,245) 

27 

(3,823) 

55 

(4,195) 

(712) 

(1,514) 

(335) 

(137) 

(6,893) 

(1,315) 

(1,313) 

(345) 

(358) 

(108) 

(495) 

(2,621) 

(9,434) 

(244) 

(99) 

(615) 

(574) 

17 

(693) 

(3,178) 

(10,071) 

(409) 

(76) 

(17,979) 

(18,423) 

(929) 

(2,857) 

(1,136) 

(500) 

(5,422) 

(1,399) 

(2,637) 

(165) 

(9,623) 

(8,356) 

(605) 

(2,640) 

(1,884) 

(702) 

(5,831) 

(2,066) 

(2,879) 

(113) 

(10,889) 

(7,534) 

(407) 

419 

343 

(83) 

87 

347 

26 

390 

130 

(51) 

(124) 

(4) 

341 

155 

(263) 

262 

(115) 

(167) 

(128) 

213 

(59) 

7 

546 

(42) 

65 

377 

(152) 

248 

196 

254 

(38) 

660 

(114) 

428 

314 

(50) 

(28) 

240 

162 

(51) 

252 

112 

128 

52 

(42) 

502 

(662) 

88 

(51) 

(14) 

91 

(548) 

(46) 

26 

9 

842 

225 

1,910 

375 

255 

2,765 

402 

393 

(21) 

3,539 

(2,697) 

21 

733 

293 

(111) 

327 

509 

(25) 

642 

242 

77 

(72) 

(46) 

843 

(507) 

(175) 

211 

(129) 

(76) 

(676) 

167 

(33) 

16 

1,388 

183 

1,975 

752 

103 

3,013 

598 

647 

(59) 

4,199 

(2,811) 

Total increase (decrease) in interest expense 

Increase (decrease) in net interest income on a taxable-equivalent basis 

(1,266) 

$ 

822 

40 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Noninterest Income 

Table 5:  Noninterest Income 

(in millions) 

Deposit-related fees 

Lending-related fees 

Brokerage fees 

Trust and investment management fees 

Investment banking fees 

Card fees 

Servicing income, net 

Net gains on mortgage loan originations/sales 

Mortgage banking 

Net gains from trading activities 

Net gains on debt securities 

Net gains from equity securities 

Lease income 

Other 

Total 

NM – Not meaningful 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

$ 

2020 

5,221 

1,381 

9,375 

2,872 

1,865 

3,544 

(139) 

3,632 

3,493

1,172 

873 

665 

1,245 

799 

2019 

5,819 

1,474 

9,237 

3,038 

1,797 

4,016 

522 

2,193 

2,715

993 

140 

2,843 

1,614 

4,146 

$ 

32,505 

37,832 

Deposit-related fees decreased driven by: 
• 

lower customer transaction volumes and higher average 
consumer deposit account balances due to the economic 
slowdown associated with the COVID-19 pandemic; and 
higher fee waivers and reversals as part of our actions to 
support customers during the COVID-19 pandemic; 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher treasury management fees on commercial accounts 
driven by a lower earnings credit rate due to the lower 
interest rate environment. 

Lending-related fees decreased driven by an increase in fee 
waivers and reversals as part of our actions to support customers 
during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Brokerage fees increased reflecting higher asset-based fees, 
partially offset by lower transactional revenue. Asset-based fees 
include fees from advisory accounts that are based on a 
percentage of the market value of the assets as of the beginning 
of the quarter. 

Trust and investment management fees decreased driven by 
lower trust fees due to the sale of our Institutional Retirement 
and Trust (IRT) business in 2019. 

Our assets under management (AUM), excluding IRT client 
assets, totaled $786.6 billion at December 31, 2020, compared 
with $684.4 billion at December 31, 2019. Substantially all of our 
AUM is managed by our Wealth and Investment Management 
(WIM) operating segment. Our assets under administration 
(AUA), excluding IRT client assets, totaled $942.4 billion at 
December 31, 2020, and $898.0 billion at December 31, 2019. 
Our AUA is managed by our WIM operating segment and our 
Corporate and Investment Banking operating segment. 
Management believes that AUM and AUA are useful metrics 
because they allow investors and others to assess how changes in 
asset amounts may impact the generation of certain asset-based 
fees. 

$ Change  % Change 
2020/ 
2019 

2020/ 
2019 

(10) % 

$ 

(598) 

(93) 

138 

(166) 

68 

(472) 

(661) 

1,439 

778 

179 

733 

(2,178) 

(369) 

(3,347) 

(5,327) 

(6) 

1 

(5) 

4 

(12) 

NM 

66 

29 

18 

524 

(77) 

(23) 

(81) 

(14) 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change  % Change 
2019/ 
2018 

2019/ 
2018 

78 

(154) 

(199) 

(278) 

40 

109 

(851) 

549 

(302) 

391 

32 

1,328 

(143) 

517 

1,419 

 1 % 

(9) 

(2) 

(8) 

2 

3 

(62) 

33 

(10) 

65 

30 

88 

(8) 

14 

4 

2018 

5,741 

1,628 

9,436 

3,316 

1,757 

3,907 

1,373 

1,644 

3,017 

602 

108 

1,515 

1,757 

3,629 

$ 

36,413 

Card fees decreased reflecting: 
• 

lower interchange fees, net of rewards costs, driven by 
decreased credit card purchase volumes and debit card 
transaction volumes due to the impact of the COVID-19 
pandemic; and 
higher fee waivers as part of our actions to support 
customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• 

Servicing income, net decreased reflecting: 
• 

lower servicing fees due to a lower balance of loans serviced 
for others and the impacts of customer accommodations 
instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and 
higher unreimbursed servicing costs associated with the 
COVID-19 pandemic; 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

lower mortgage servicing right (MSR) valuation losses, net 
of hedge results, as gains from favorable hedge results more 
than offset valuation adjustments for higher expected 
servicing costs and prepayment estimates due to changes in 
economic and market conditions. 

Net gains on mortgage loan originations/sales increased 
driven by: 
• 

higher residential real estate held for sale (HFS) origination 
volumes; and 
higher margins in both our retail and correspondent 
production channels, as well as a shift to more retail 
origination volume, which has a higher margin. 

• 

For additional information on servicing income and net gains 

on mortgage loan originations/sales, see Note 9 (Mortgage 
Banking Activities) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Net gains from trading activities increased reflecting: 
• 

higher volumes in interest rate products due to lower 
interest rates; 
higher volumes and customer activity for equities trading 
due to volatility in the equity markets; and 

• 

41 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
by higher unrealized gains on securities accounted for under 
the measurement alternative, both of which included the 
impact of a change in the accounting measurement model 
for certain nonmarketable equity securities from our 
affiliated venture capital partnerships. 

Lease income decreased due to a reduction in the size of the 
operating lease asset portfolio. 

Other income decreased due to gains in 2019 of: 
• 
• 
• 

$1.6 billion on the sales of PCI loans; 
$1.1 billion on the sale of our IRT business; and 
$362 million on the sale of Eastdil, which also resulted in a 
decline in commercial real estate brokerage commissions in 
2020; 

partially offset by: 
• 

gains on the sales of residential mortgage loans reclassified 
to held for sale in 2019 and sold in 2020. 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/ 
2018 

2018 

(317) 

(177) 

318 

(798) 

(39) 

(133) 

(476) 

1,499 

(425) 

(548) 

(1) % 

$ 

33,085 

(5) 

11 

(18) 

(1) 

(12) 

(44) 

NM 

(12) 

(1) 

2,903 

2,888 

3,124 

6,588 

1,334 

857 

— 

5,347 

$ 

56,126 

2,043 

373 

57 

1,197 

157 

(179) 

219 

— 

(1,815) 

2,052 

 6 % 

13 

2 

38 

2 

(13) 

26 

NM 

(34) 

4 

Table 6a presents results for our deferred compensation 
plan and related hedges. In second quarter 2020, we entered 
into arrangements to transition our economic hedges of the 
deferred compensation plan liabilities from equity securities to 
derivative instruments. As a result of this transition, changes in 
fair value of derivatives used to economically hedge the deferred 
compensation plan are reported in personnel expense rather 
than in net gains (losses) from equity securities within 
noninterest income. For additional information on the 
derivatives used in the economic hedges, see Note 16 
(Derivatives) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Earnings Performance (continued) 

• 

higher volumes for credit trading due to additional market 
liquidity from government actions in response to the 
COVID-19 pandemic; 

partially offset by: 
• 

losses due to higher prepayment speeds on agency MBS 
pools, net of hedge gains, and wider credit spreads for non-
agency and certain asset-backed securities. 

Net gains on debt securities increased due to higher gains from 
the sales of agency MBS as a result of portfolio re-balancing and 
actions taken to manage under the asset cap. 

Net gains from equity securities decreased driven by: 
• 

lower unrealized gains on deferred compensation plan 
investments (largely offset in personnel expense). Refer to 
Table 6a for the results for our deferred compensation plan 
and related investments; 
lower realized gains on nonmarketable equity securities; and 
impairment on equity securities of $1.7 billion due to the 
market impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset 

• 
• 

Noninterest Expense 

Table 6:  Noninterest Expense 

(in millions) 

Personnel 

Technology, telecommunications and equipment 

Occupancy 

Operating losses 

Professional and outside services 

Leases (1) 

Advertising and promotion 

Restructuring charges 

Other 

Total 

2020 

$ 

34,811 

3,099 

3,263 

3,523 

6,706 

1,022 

600 

1,499 

3,107 

$ 

57,630 

2019 

35,128 

3,276 

2,945 

4,321 

6,745 

1,155 

1,076 

— 

3,532 

58,178 

NM – Not meaningful 
(1) 

Represents expenses for assets we lease to customers. 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

lower deferred compensation expense; and 
lower incentive compensation expense; 

Personnel expense decreased driven by: 
• 
• 
partially offset by: 
• 

higher salaries expense driven by annual salary increases and 
higher salary rates driven by risk management and 
technology hires; and 
increases in employee benefits related to the COVID-19 
pandemic, including additional payments for certain 
customer-facing and support employees and back-up 
childcare services. 

• 

42 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 6a:  Deferred Compensation and Related Hedges 

(in millions) 

Net interest income 

Net gains (losses) from equity securities 

Total revenue (losses) from deferred compensation plan investments 

Increase in deferred compensation plan liabilities 

Net derivative gains from economic hedges of deferred compensation 

Decrease (increase) in personnel expense 

Loss before income tax expense 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

15 

(273) 

(258) 

(582) 

778 

196 

(62) 

$ 

$ 

2019 

70 

664 

734 

(739) 

— 

(739) 

(5) 

software impairments in 2019; and 
a software licensing liability accrual reversal in 2020; 

Technology, telecommunications and equipment expense 
decreased due to: 
• 
• 
partially offset by: 
• 
• 

higher technology contracts expense; and 
higher telecommunications expense related to the 
COVID-19 pandemic. 

Occupancy expense increased due to additional cleaning fees, 
supplies, and equipment expenses related to the COVID-19 
pandemic. 

• 

Other expenses decreased driven by: 
• 

a reduction in business travel and company events due to 
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and 
lower foreclosed assets expense due to the suspension of 
certain mortgage foreclosure activities in response to the 
COVID-19 pandemic; 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 
• 

higher pension plan settlement expenses; 
higher charitable donations expense driven by the donation 
of PPP processing fees; and 
higher Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) 
deposit assessment expense driven by both a higher 
assessment rate and a higher deposit assessment base. 

lower expense for litigation accruals; 

Operating losses decreased driven by: 
• 
partially offset by: 
• 

higher expense for customer remediation accruals primarily 
reflecting expansions of the population of affected 
customers, remediation payments, and/or remediation time 
frames for a variety of matters. 

Advertising and promotion expense decreased driven by 
reduced marketing and brand campaign volumes due to the 
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Restructuring charges increased driven predominantly by 
personnel costs, as well as facility closure costs, related to our 
efficiency initiatives that commenced in third quarter 2020. For 
additional information on restructuring charges, see Note 22 
(Restructuring Charges) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Income Tax Expense 
Income tax benefit was $3.0 billion in 2020, compared with 
income tax expense of $4.2 billion in 2019, driven by lower pre-
tax income. The effective income tax rate was (1,016)% for 2020, 
compared with 17.5% for 2019. The effective income tax rate for 
2020 reflected the impact of income tax benefits (including tax 
credits) on lower pre-tax income and included income tax 
benefits related to the resolution and reevaluation of prior period 
matters with U.S. federal and state tax authorities. The effective 
income tax rate for 2019 included the impact of certain litigation 
accruals that were not deductible for U.S. federal income tax 
purposes. For additional information on income taxes, see 
Note 23 (Income Taxes) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

43 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings Performance (continued) 

Operating Segment Results 
We reorganized our management reporting into four reportable 
operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; 
Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and 
Wealth and Investment Management. All other business 
activities that are not included in the reportable operating 
segments have been included in Corporate. For additional 
information, see Table 7. We define our reportable operating 
segments by type of product and customer segment, and their 
results are based on our management reporting process. The 
management reporting process measures the performance of 
the reportable operating segments based on the Company’s 
management structure, and the results are regularly reviewed by 
our Chief Executive Officer and Operating Committee. The 
management reporting process is based on U.S. GAAP and 
includes specific adjustments, such as funds transfer pricing for 
asset/liability management, shared revenues and expenses, and 
taxable-equivalent adjustments to consistently reflect income 
from taxable and tax-exempt sources, which allows management 
to assess performance consistently across the operating 
segments. 

Prior period reportable operating segment results have been 

revised to reflect the reorganization of our management 
reporting structure. The reorganization did not impact the 
previously reported consolidated financial results of the 
Company. As a result of the reorganization, we have included a 
discussion of our 2019 financial results, compared with 2018, for 
each of our reportable operating segments and for Corporate. 

Funds Transfer Pricing  Corporate treasury manages a funds 
transfer pricing methodology that considers interest rate risk, 
liquidity risk, and other product characteristics. Operating 
segments pay a funding charge for their assets and receive a 
funding credit for their deposits, both of which are included in 
net interest income. The net impact of the funding charges or 
credits is recognized in corporate treasury. 

Table 7:  Management Reporting Structure 

Revenue and Expense Sharing  When lines of business jointly 
serve customers, the line of business that is responsible for 
providing the product or service recognizes revenue or expense 
with a referral fee paid or an allocation of cost to the other line of 
business based on established internal revenue-sharing 
agreements. 

When a line of business uses a service provided by another 
line of business or enterprise function (included in Corporate), 
expense is generally allocated based on the cost and use of the 
service provided. 

Taxable-Equivalent Adjustments  Taxable-equivalent 
adjustments related to tax-exempt income on certain loans and 
debt securities are included in net interest income, while taxable-
equivalent adjustments related to income tax credits for low-
income housing and renewable energy investments are included 
in noninterest income, in each case with corresponding impacts 
to income tax expense (benefit). Adjustments are included in 
Corporate, Commercial Banking, and Corporate and Investment 
Banking and are eliminated to reconcile to the Company’s 
consolidated financial results. 

Allocated Capital  Reportable operating segments are allocated 
capital under a risk-sensitive framework that is primarily based 
on aspects of our regulatory capital requirements, and the 
assumptions and methodologies used to allocate capital are 
periodically assessed and revised. Management believes that 
return on allocated capital is a useful financial measure because it 
enables management, investors, and others to assess a 
reportable operating segment’s use of capital. 

Selected Metrics  We present certain financial and nonfinancial 
metrics that management uses when evaluating reportable 
operating segment results. Management believes that these 
metrics are useful to investors and others to assess the 
performance, customer growth, and trends of reportable 
operating segments or lines of business. 

Wells Fargo & Company 

Commercial 
Banking 

Corporate and
Investment 
Banking 

Wealth and 
Investment 
Management 

• Middle Market 
Banking 

• Asset-Based 
Lending and Leasing 

• Banking 

• Commercial Real 
Estate 

• Markets 

• Wealth 
Management 

• Asset 
Management 

Consumer 
Banking and
Lending 

• Consumer and 
Small Business 
Banking 

• Home Lending 

• Credit Card 

• Auto 

• Personal Lending 

Corporate 

• Corporate 
Treasury 

• Enterprise 
Functions 

• Investment 
Portfolio 

• Affiliated venture 
capital and private 
equity partnerships 

• Non-strategic 
businesses 

44 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Table 8 and the following discussion present our results by 
reportable operating segment. For additional information, see 
Note 26 (Operating Segments) to Financial Statements in this 
Report. 

Table 8:  Operating Segment Results – Highlights 

Consumer 
Banking and 
Lending 

Commercial 
Banking 

Corporate and 
Investment 

Wealth and 
Investment 
Banking  Management 

Corporate (1) 

Reconciling 
Items (2) 

Consolidated 
Company 

Year ended December 31, 

(in millions) 

2020 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense 

(benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Net income (loss) before noncontrolling

interests 

Less: Net income (loss) from noncontrolling

interests 

Net income (loss) 

2019 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Net income before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income (loss) from noncontrolling 

interests 

Net income 

2018 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Net income before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income (loss) from noncontrolling 

interests 

$ 

23,378 

10,638 

34,016

5,662 

26,976 

1,378 

302 

1,076 

— 

1,076 

25,786 

12,105 

37,891

2,184 

26,998 

8,709 

2,814 

5,895 

— 

5,895 

26,985 

12,930 

39,915

1,931 

26,162 

11,822 

2,915 

8,907 

— 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

6,191 

3,547 

9,738

3,744 

6,908 

(914) 

(238) 

(676) 

5 

(681) 

8,184 

4,154 

7,501 

6,319 

13,820

4,946 

7,703 

1,171 

330 

841 

(1) 

842 

8,005 

6,223 

12,338

14,228

190 

7,068 

5,080 

1,266 

3,814 

6 

3,808 

8,748 

4,332 

173 

7,432 

6,623 

1,658 

4,965

(1) 

4,966 

8,345 

5,726 

13,080

14,071

(79) 

7,368 

5,791 

1,456 

4,335 

27 

4,308 

13 

7,471 

6,587 

1,663 

4,924

(7) 

4,931 

2,993 

11,519 

14,512

249 

12,051 

2,212 

552 

1,660 

4 

1,656 

3,917 

11,815 

15,732

2 

13,363 

2,367 

590 

1,777 

9 

1,768 

4,317 

11,552 

15,869

(9) 

12,551 

3,327 

831 

2,496

1 

2,495 

247 

3,216 

3,463

(472) 

3,992 

(57) 

(742) 

685 

277 

408 

1,950 

5,859 

7,809

138 

3,317 

4,354 

764 

3,590 

478 

3,112 

2,259 

4,013 

6,272

(112) 

2,574 

3,810 

1,596 

2,214

462 

1,752 

(475) 

(2,734) 

(3,209)

— 

— 

(3,209) 

(3,209) 

— 

— 

— 

(611) 

(2,324) 

(2,935)

— 

— 

(2,935) 

(2,935) 

— 

— 

— 

(659) 

(2,140) 

(2,799)

— 

— 

(2,799) 

(2,799) 

— 

— 

— 

39,835 

32,505 

72,340

14,129 

57,630 

581 

(3,005) 

3,586 

285 

3,301 

47,231 

37,832 

85,063

2,687 

58,178 

24,198 

4,157 

20,041 

492 

19,549 

49,995 

36,413 

86,408

1,744 

56,126 

28,538 

5,662 

22,876

483 

22,393 

Net income 

$ 

8,907 

(1) 

(2) 

All other business activities that are not included in the reportable operating segments have been included in Corporate. Corporate includes corporate treasury and enterprise functions, net of 
allocations (including funds transfer pricing, capital, liquidity and certain expenses), in support of the reportable operating segments, as well as our investment portfolio and affiliated venture capital 
and private equity partnerships. Corporate also includes certain lines of business that management has determined are no longer consistent with the long-term strategic goals of the Company, 
including our student loan and rail car leasing businesses, as well as previously divested businesses. 
Taxable-equivalent adjustments related to tax-exempt income on certain loans and debt securities are included in net interest income, while taxable-equivalent adjustments related to income tax 
credits for low-income housing and renewable energy investments are included in noninterest income, in each case with corresponding impacts to income tax expense (benefit). Adjustments are 
included in Corporate, Commercial Banking, and Corporate and Investment Banking and are eliminated to reconcile to the Company’s consolidated financial results. 

45 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
Earnings Performance (continued) 

Consumer Banking and Lending offers diversified financial 
products and services for consumers and small businesses with 
annual sales generally up to $5 million. These financial products 
and services include checking and savings accounts, credit and 

debit cards, as well as home, auto, personal, and small business 
lending. Table 8a and Table 8b provide additional information for 
Consumer Banking and Lending. 

Table 8a:  Consumer Banking and Lending – Income Statement and Selected Metrics 

($ in millions, unless otherwise noted) 

2020 

2019

$ Change  % Change 
2020/ 
2019 

2020/ 
2019 

2018 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change  % Change 
2019/ 
2018 

2019/ 
2018 

Income Statement 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income: 

Deposit-related fees 

Card fees 

Mortgage banking 

Other 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income before income tax expense 

Income tax expense 

Net income 

Revenue by Line of Business 

$  23,378 

25,786 

(2,408) 

(9) % 

$  26,985 

(1,199) 

(4) % 

2,904 

3,318 

3,224 

1,192 

10,638

34,016

5,662 

26,976 

1,378 

302 

$ 

1,076 

3,582 

3,672 

2,314 

2,537 

12,105

37,891

2,184 

26,998 

8,709 

2,814 

5,895 

(678) 

(354) 

910 

(1,345) 

(1,467) 

(3,875) 

(19) 

(10) 

39 

(53) 

(12) 

(10) 

3,478 

159 

(22) 

(7,331) 

(2,512) 

(4,819) 

— 

(84) 

(89) 

(82) 

3,431 

3,551 

2,666 

3,282 

12,930 

39,915 

1,931 

26,162 

11,822 

2,915 

$ 

8,907 

151 

121 

(352) 

(745) 

(825) 

(2,024) 

253 

836 

(3,113) 

(101) 

(3,012) 

4 

3 

(13) 

(23)

(6) 

(5) 

13 

3

(26) 

(3) 

(34) 

Consumer and Small Business Banking 

$  18,684 

21,148 

(2,464) 

(12) 

$  21,127 

21 

— 

Consumer Lending: 

Home Lending 

Credit Card 

Auto 

Personal Lending 

Total revenue 

Selected Metrics 
Consumer Banking and Lending: 
Return on allocated capital (1) 

Efficiency ratio (2) 

Headcount (#) 

Retail bank branches (#) 

Digital active customers (# in millions) (3) 

Mobile active customers (# in millions) (3) 

Consumer and Small Business Banking: 

Deposit spread (4) 

Debit card purchase volume ($ in billions) (5) 

Debit card purchase transactions (# in millions) (5) 

(continued on following page) 

7,875 

5,288 

1,575 

594 

8,817 

5,707 

1,567 

652 

(942) 

(419) 

8 

(58) 

(11) 

(7) 

1 

(9) 

10,595 

5,653 

1,820 

720 

$  34,016 

37,891 

(3,875) 

(10) 

$ 

39,915 

(1,778) 

54 

(253) 

(68) 

(2,024) 

(17) 

1 

(14) 

(9) 

(5) 

1.6  % 

79 

12.1 

71 

125,034 

134,881 

5,032 

32.0 

26.0 

1.8  % 

$ 

391.9 

8,792 

5,352 

30.3 

24.4 

2.4 

367.6 

9,189 

(7) 

(6) 

6 

7 

7 

(4) 

24.3 

(397) 

17.7  % 

66 

140,795 

5,518 

29.1 

22.8 

2.5  % 

$ 

346.7 

8,777 

(4) 

(3) 

4 

7 

6 

5 

20.9 

412 

46 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(continued from previous page) 

($ in millions, unless otherwise noted) 
Home Lending: 

Mortgage banking fees: 

Net servicing income 

Net gains on mortgage loan originations/sales 

Total mortgage banking fees 

Originations ($ in billions): 

Retail 

Correspondent 

Total originations 

% of originations held for sale (HFS) 

Third-party mortgage loans serviced (period-end) 

($ in billions) (6) 

Mortgage servicing rights (MSR) carrying value 

(period-end) 

Ratio of MSR carrying value (period-end) to third-
party mortgage loans serviced (period-end) (6) 

Home lending loans 30+ days or more delinquency 

rate (7)(8) 

Credit Card: 

Point of sale (POS) volume ($ in billions) 

New accounts (# in thousands) (9) 

$ 

81.6 

1,022 

2020 

2019 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

(160) 

3,384 

3,224 

$ 

118.7 

104.0 

222.7 

73.9  % 

454 

1,860 

2,314 

96.4 

107.6 

204.0 

66.1 

(614) 

1,524 

910 

22.3 

(3.6) 

18.7 

NM 

82  % 

39 

23 

(3) 

9 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/
2018 

(832) 

480 

(352) 

23.2 

4.2 

27.4 

(65) % 

35 

(13) 

32 

4 

16 

2018 

1,286 

1,380 

2,666 

$ 

73.2 

103.4 

176.6 

74.6  % 

$ 

856.7 

1,063.4 

(206.7) 

(19) 

$  1,163.9 

(100.5) 

(9) 

6,125 

11,517 

(5,392) 

(47) 

14,649 

(3,132) 

(21) 

0.71  % 

0.64 

1.08 

0.64 

88.2 

1,840 

1.26  % 

1.03 

(6.6) 

(7) 

(44) 

$ 

84.1 

1,808 

4.1 

5 

2 

Credit card loans 30+ days or more delinquency 

rate (8) 

2.17  % 

2.63 

2.61  % 

Auto: 

Auto originations ($ in billions) 

Auto loans 30+ days or more delinquency rate (8) 

$ 

22.8 
1.77  % 

25.4 

2.56 

(2.6) 

(10) 

$ 

18.3 

7.1 

39 

3.22  % 

Personal Lending: 

New funded balances 

$ 

1,599 

2,829 

(1,230) 

(43) 

$ 

2,583 

246 

10 

NM – Not meaningful 
(1) 

Return on allocated capital is segment net income (loss) applicable to common stock divided by segment average allocated capital. Segment net income (loss) applicable to common stock is segment 
net income (loss) less allocated preferred stock dividends. 
Efficiency ratio is segment noninterest expense divided by segment total revenue (net interest income and noninterest income). 
Digital and mobile active customers is the number of consumer and small business customers who have logged on via a digital or mobile device, respectively, in the prior 90 days. Digital active 
customers includes both online and mobile customers. 
Deposit spread is (i) the internal funds transfer pricing credit on segment deposits minus interest paid to customers for segment deposits, divided by (ii) average segment deposits. 
Debit card purchase volume and transactions reflect combined activity for both consumer and business debit card purchases. 
Excludes residential mortgage loans subserviced for others. 
Excludes residential mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and loans held for sale. 
Beginning in second quarter 2020, customer payment deferral activities instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic may have delayed the recognition of delinquencies for those customers 
who would have otherwise moved into past due status. 
Excludes certain private label new account openings. 

(2) 
(3) 

(4) 
(5) 
(6) 
(7) 
(8) 

(9) 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

Revenue decreased driven by: 
• 

lower net interest income reflecting the lower interest rate 
environment; 
lower deposit-related fees driven by higher average 
consumer deposit account balances due to the economic 
slowdown associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well 
as fee waivers and reversals as part of our actions to support 
customers during the COVID-19 pandemic; 
lower card fees driven by lower credit card purchase volumes 
and lower debit card transaction volumes; and 
lower other income driven by higher gains in 2019 related to 
sales of PCI loans; 

• 

• 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher mortgage banking revenue driven by increased net 
gains on mortgage loan originations/sales reflecting higher 
real estate HFS origination volumes and higher margins. 

• 

• 

Provision for credit losses increased driven by weakened 
economic conditions due to the impact of the COVID-19 
pandemic. 

Noninterest expense was largely unchanged reflecting: 
• 

a decline in personnel expense due to lower headcount and 
lower incentive compensation expense; 
lower operating losses due to lower expense for litigation 
and customer remediation accruals; and 
lower advertising and promotion expense; 

• 

• 
offset by: 
• 

an increase in employee benefits expense related to the 
COVID-19 pandemic, including additional payments to 
certain customer-facing and support employees and for 
back-up childcare services; 
higher occupancy expense due to additional cleaning fees, 
supplies, and equipment expense related to the COVID-19 
pandemic; and 
higher charitable donations expense due to the donation of 
PPP processing fees. 

47 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings Performance (continued) 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

Revenue decreased driven by: 
• 

lower net interest income reflecting the lower interest rate 
environment; 
lower noninterest income reflecting a decrease in mortgage 
banking fees driven by lower net servicing fees due to higher 
prepayments and sales of mortgage servicing rights; and 
lower other income driven by higher gains in 2018 related to 
sales of PCI loans; 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher deposit-related fees driven by higher customer 
transaction volumes; and 
higher card fees driven by higher credit card purchase 
volumes and higher debit card transaction volumes. 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 
• 

Noninterest expense increased due to: 
• 

higher operating losses due to higher expense for litigation 
and customer remediation accruals; 
higher incentive compensation expense; 
higher advertising and promotion expense; and 
higher expenses allocated from enterprise functions, 
reflecting additional risk management and technology 
support; 
partially offset by: 
• 

lower core deposit intangibles expense reflecting the end of 
the 10-year amortization period on Wachovia intangibles in 
2018; and 
lower FDIC deposit assessment expense due to the 
termination of the FDIC temporary assessment effective 
October 1, 2018. 

• 

Provision for credit losses increased due to a lower level of 
credit quality improvement, partially offset by lower net charge-
offs in the auto portfolio. 

Table 8b:  Consumer Banking and Lending – Balance Sheet 

(in millions) 

2020 

2019 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (average) 

Loans by Line of Business: 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/ 
2018 

2018 

Home Lending 

Auto 

Credit Card 

Small Business 

Personal Lending 

Total loans 

Total deposits 

Allocated capital 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (period-end) 

Loans by Line of Business: 

Home Lending 

Auto 

Credit Card 

Small Business 

Personal Lending 

Total loans 

Total deposits 

$  268,586 

276,962 

49,460 

37,093 

15,173 

6,151 

$  376,463 

722,085 

48,000 

47,117 

38,865 

9,951 

6,871 

379,766 

629,110 

46,000 

(8,376) 

2,343 

(1,772) 

5,222 

(720) 

(3,303) 

92,975 

2,000 

$  253,942 

278,325 

(24,383) 

49,072 

36,664 

17,743 

5,375 

$  362,796 

784,565 

49,124 

41,013 

9,695 

6,845 

385,002 

647,152 

(52) 

(4,349) 

8,048 

(1,470) 

(22,206) 

137,413 

(3) % 

$  279,850 

5 

(5) 

52 

(10) 

(1) 

15 

4 

(9) 

— 

(11) 

83 

(21) 

(6) 

21 

48,783 

36,780 

10,526 

7,377 

$ 

383,316 

608,186 

48,000 

$  277,579 

46,260 

39,025 

10,245 

7,083 

$ 

380,192 

604,078 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

(2,888) 

(1,666) 

2,085 

(575) 

(506) 

(3,550) 

20,924 

(2,000) 

746 

2,864 

1,988 

(550) 

(238) 

4,810 

43,074 

(1) % 

(3) 

6 

(5) 

(7) 

(1) 

3 

(4) 

— 

6 

5 

(5) 

(3) 

1 

7 

Total loans (period-end) decreased as growth in small business 
loans driven by loans funded under the PPP was more than offset 
by paydowns exceeding originations in the home lending, credit 
card and personal lending portfolios. 

Total deposits (average and period-end) increased driven by 
government stimulus programs and lower consumer spending 
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Total deposits (period-end) increased driven by growth in 
consumer and small business banking deposits and higher 
mortgage escrow deposits reflecting an inflow of higher 
mortgage payoffs to be remitted to investors in accordance with 
servicing contracts. 

48 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial Banking provides financial solutions to private, 
family owned and certain public companies. Products and 
services include banking and credit products across multiple 

industry sectors and municipalities, secured lending and lease 
products, and treasury management. Table 8c and Table 8d 
provide additional information for Commercial Banking. 

Table 8c:  Commercial Banking – Income Statement and Selected Metrics 

2020 

2019 

$ Change  % Change 
2020/ 
2019 

2020/ 
2019 

2018 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change  % Change 
2019/ 
2018 

2019/ 
2018 

$ 

6,191 

8,184 

(1,993) 

(24) % 

$ 

8,748 

(564) 

(6) % 

1,219 

531 

646 

1,151 

3,547

9,738

3,744 

6,908 

(914) 

(238) 

5 

$ 

(681) 

$ 

5,067 

3,862 

809 

1,175 

524 

931 

1,524 

4,154

12,338

190 

7,068 

5,080 

1,266 

6 

3,808 

6,691 

4,814 

833 

$ 

9,738 

12,338 

$ 

5,297 

3,398 

1,043 

5,904 

4,698 

1,736 

$ 

9,738 

12,338 

(4.5) % 

71 

17.5 

57 

22,410 

23,871 

44 

7 

(285) 

(373) 

(607) 

(2,600) 

3,554 

(160) 

(5,994) 

(1,504) 

(1) 

(4,489) 

(1,624) 

(952) 

(24) 

(2,600) 

(607) 

(1,300) 

(693) 

(2,600) 

4 

1 

(31) 

(24) 

(15) 

(21) 

NM 

(2) 

NM 

NM 

(17) 

NM 

(24) 

(20) 

(3) 

(21) 

(10) 

(28) 

(40) 

(21) 

1,219 

604 

1,025 

1,484 

4,332 

13,080 

(79) 

7,368 

5,791 

1,456 

27 

$ 

4,308 

$ 

7,240 

5,046 

794 

$  13,080 

$ 

6,520 

4,873 

1,687 

$ 

13,080 

19.4  % 

56 

(6) 

23,737

(44) 

(80) 

(94) 

40 

(178) 

(742) 

269 

(300) 

(711) 

(190) 

(21) 

(500) 

(549) 

(232) 

39 

(742) 

(616) 

(175) 

49 

(742) 

(4) 

(13) 

(9) 

3 

(4) 

(6) 

341 

(4) 

(12) 

(13) 

(78) 

(12) 

(8) 

(5) 

5 

(6) 

(9) 

(4) 

3 

(6) 

 1 

($ in millions) 

Income Statement 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income: 

Deposit-related fees 

Lending-related fees 

Lease income 

Other 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Less: Net income from noncontrolling interests 

Net income (loss) 

Revenue by Line of Business 

Middle Market Banking 

Asset-Based Lending and Leasing 

Other 

Total revenue 

Revenue by Product 

Lending and leasing 

Treasury management and payments 

Other 

Total revenue 

Selected Metrics 

Return on allocated capital 

Efficiency ratio 

Headcount (#) 

NM – Not meaningful 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

Revenue decreased driven by: 
• 

• 

• 

lower net interest income reflecting the lower interest rate 
environment and lower average loan balances; 
lower lease income reflecting a reduction in the size of the 
operating lease asset portfolio; and 
lower net gains on equity securities due to impairments 
taken in 2020; 
partially offset by: 
• 

higher renewable energy tax credit income due to strong 
new investment activity. 

Provision for credit losses increased reflecting economic 
uncertainty due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our 
commercial loan portfolios. 

• 

• 

• 

lower leases expense reflecting a reduction in the size of the 
operating lease asset portfolio; 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher expenses allocated from enterprise functions 
reflecting additional risk management support. 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

Revenue decreased driven by: 
• 

lower net interest income reflecting lower spreads on loans 
and lower average loan balances, as well as the impact of 
migration from noninterest-bearing to interest-bearing 
deposits; 
lower lending-related fees reflecting lower customer 
activity; and 
lower lease income reflecting a reduction in the size of the 
operating lease asset portfolio. 

Noninterest expense decreased driven by: 
• 

lower professional and outside services expense reflecting 
decreased project-related expense; and 

Provision for credit losses increased driven by lower recoveries 
and higher loan losses. 

49 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings Performance (continued) 

Noninterest expense decreased driven by: 
• 

lower professional and outside services expense reflecting 
decreased project-related expense; 
lower core deposit intangibles expense reflecting the end of 
the 10-year amortization period on Wachovia intangibles in 
2018; 
lower FDIC deposit assessment expense due to the 
termination of the FDIC temporary assessment effective 
October 1, 2018; and 

• 

• 

• 

lower leases expense reflecting a reduction in the size of the 
operating lease asset portfolio; 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher expenses allocated from enterprise functions 
reflecting additional risk management and technology 
support. 

Table 8d:  Commercial Banking – Balance Sheet 

(in millions) 

2020 

2019 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (average) 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/ 
2018

2018 

Loans: 

Commercial and industrial 

Commercial real estate 

Lease financing and other 

Total loans 

Loans by Line of Business: 

Middle Market Banking 

Asset-Based Lending and Leasing 

Other 

Total loans 

Total deposits 

Allocated capital 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (period-end) 

Loans: 

Commercial and industrial 

Commercial real estate 

Lease financing and other 

Total loans 

Loans by Line of Business: 

Middle Market Banking 

Asset-Based Lending and Leasing 

Other 

Total loans 

Total deposits 

$  143,263 

157,829 

(14,566) 

(9) % 

$  159,565 

52,220 

15,953 

54,416 

17,109 

$  211,436 

229,354 

$  112,848 

97,482 

1,106 

119,717 

108,422 

1,215 

$

211,436

229,354

$  200,381 

19,500 

186,942 

20,500 

$  124,253 

153,601 

49,903 

14,821 

53,526 

17,654 

$  188,977 

224,781 

$  101,193 

86,811 

973 

115,187 

108,470 

1,124 

$  188,977 

224,781 

208,284 

194,469 

(2,196) 

(1,156) 

(17,918) 

(6,869) 

(10,940) 

(109) 

(17,918) 

13,439 

(1,000) 

(29,348) 

(3,623) 

(2,833) 

(35,804) 

(13,994) 

(21,659) 

(151) 

(35,804) 

13,815 

(4) 

(7) 

(8) 

(6) 

(10) 

(9) 

(8) 

7 

(5) 

(19) 

(7) 

(16) 

(16) 

(12) 

(20) 

(13) 

(16) 

7 

56,286 

17,053 

$  232,904 

$  125,584 

105,927 

1,393 

$ 

232,904

$  194,610 

21,000 

$  159,971 

55,150 

17,487 

$  232,608 

$  123,016 

108,311 

1,281 

$ 

232,608

193,250 

(1,736) 

(1,870) 

56 

(3,550) 

(5,867) 

2,495 

(1) % 

(3) 

— 

(2) 

(5) 

2 

(178) 

(13) 

(3,550) 

(7,668) 

(500) 

(6,370) 

(1,624) 

167 

(7,827) 

(7,829) 

159 

(157) 

(7,827) 

1,219 

(2) 

(4) 

(2) 

(4) 

(3) 

1 

(3) 

(6) 

— 

(12) 

(3) 

1 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

Total loans (average and period-end) decreased driven by lower 
loan demand, including lower line utilization, and higher 
paydowns reflecting continued client liquidity and strength in the 
capital markets. 

Total deposits (average and period-end) increased due to 
customers’ preferences for liquidity given the economic 
uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, 
government stimulus programs, and lower investment spending. 

Total deposits (average) decreased driven by market pricing 
changes for commercial deposits. 

50 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) delivers a suite of 
capital markets, banking, and financial products and services to 
corporate, commercial real estate, government and institutional 
clients globally. Products and services include corporate banking, 

investment banking, treasury management, commercial real 
estate lending and servicing, equity and fixed income solutions, 
as well as sales, trading, and research capabilities. Table 8e and 
Table 8f provide additional information for CIB. 

Table 8e:  Corporate and Investment Banking – Income Statement and Selected Metrics 

2020 

2019 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

2018 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/ 
2018 

($ in millions) 

Income Statement 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income: 

Deposit-related fees 

Lending-related fees 

Investment banking fees 

Net gains on trading activities 

Other 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense 

Less: Net loss from noncontrolling interests 

Net income 

Revenue by Line of Business 

Banking: 

Lending 

Treasury Management and Payments 

Investment Banking 

Total Banking 

Commercial Real Estate 

Markets: 

Fixed Income, Currencies, and Commodities (FICC) 

Equities 

Credit Adjustment (CVA/DVA) and Other 

Total Markets 

Other 

Total revenue 

Selected Metrics 

Return on allocated capital 

Efficiency ratio 

Headcount (#) 

NM – Not meaningful 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

$ 

7,501 

1,062 

684 

1,952 

1,190 

1,431 

6,319 

8,005 

1,029 

710 

1,804 

1,022 

1,658 

6,223 

13,820 

14,228 

4,946 

7,703 

1,171 

330 

(1) 

$ 

842 

$ 

1,767 

1,680 

1,448 

4,895 

3,499 

4,314 

1,204 

26 

5,544 

(118) 

173 

7,432 

6,623 

1,658 

(1) 

4,966 

1,811 

2,290 

1,370 

5,471 

4,038 

3,760 

1,078 

(6) 

4,832 

(113) 

$ 

13,820 

14,228 

1.4  % 

56 

8,178 

14.7 

52 

7,918 

Revenue decreased driven by: 
• 

• 

lower net interest income reflecting the lower interest rate 
environment and lower deposit balances; and 
lower commercial mortgage banking fees and related hedge 
income; 
partially offset by: 
• 

higher net gains from trading activities driven by higher 
interest rate product trading volumes due to lower interest 
rates, higher equities trading volumes and customer activity 
due to volatility in the equity markets, and higher credit 
trading volumes due to additional market liquidity from 
government actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 
partially offset by losses due to higher prepayments on 
agency MBS pools, net of hedge gains, and wider credit 
spreads for non-agency and certain asset-backed securities; 
and 
higher investment banking fees due to increased debt and 
equities originations within our Investment Banking 
business, partially offset by lower advisory fees. 

• 

(504) 

(6) % 

$ 

8,345 

(340) 

(4) % 

33 

(26) 

148 

168 

(227) 

96 

(408) 

4,773 

271 

(5,452) 

(1,328) 

— 

(4,124) 

(44) 

(610) 

78 

(576) 

(539) 

554 

126 

32 

712 

(5) 

(408) 

3 

(4) 

8 

16 

(14) 

2 

(3) 

NM 

4 

(82) 

(80) 

— 

(83) 

(2) 

(27) 

6 

(11) 

(13) 

15 

12 

533 

15 

(4) 

(3) 

3 

1,057 

742 

1,730 

561 

1,636 

5,726 

14,071 

13 

7,471 

6,587 

1,663 

(7) 

4,931 

1,749 

2,460 

1,295 

5,504 

4,265 

3,313 

992 

(22) 

4,283 

19 

14,071 

13.8  % 

53 

8,245 

(28) 

(32) 

74 

461 

22 

497 

157 

160 

(39) 

36 

(5) 

6 

35 

62 

(170) 

75 

(33) 

(227) 

447 

86 

16 

549 

(132) 

157 

(3) 

(4) 

4 

82 

1 

9 

1 

NM 

(1) 

1 

— 

86 

1 

4 

(7) 

6 

(1) 

(5) 

13 

9 

73 

13 

NM 

1 

(4) 

Provision for credit losses increased reflecting economic 
uncertainty due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our 
Commercial Real Estate business and oil and gas portfolio. 

Noninterest expense increased driven by: 
• 

higher operating losses due to higher expense for litigation 
and customer remediation accruals; 
higher occupancy expense due to additional cleaning fees, 
supplies, and equipment expenses related to the COVID-19 
pandemic; and 
higher expenses allocated from enterprise functions 
reflecting risk management support, as well as investments 
in our operations and treasury management product 
services infrastructure; 

• 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

a reduction in business travel and company events due to 
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

51 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings Performance (continued) 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

Revenue increased driven by: 
• 

higher trading volumes for rates and commodities, credit 
and residential mortgage-backed securities, partially offset 
by lower equity and foreign exchange trading income; and 
higher investment banking fees due to increased debt 
originations and higher advisory fees, partially offset by 
lower asset-backed finance securitization fees; 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

lower net interest income due to lower spreads on trading 
debt securities, loans, and deposits. 

Provision for credit losses increased reflecting lower recoveries 
and higher loan losses in our oil and gas portfolio. 

Table 8f:  Corporate and Investment Banking – Balance Sheet 

Noninterest expense decreased driven by: 
• 

lower operating losses due to lower expense for litigation 
and customer remediation accruals; and 
lower FDIC deposit assessment expense due to the 
termination of the FDIC temporary assessment effective 
October 1, 2018; 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher expenses allocated from enterprise functions 
reflecting risk management support, as well as investments 
in technology, operations, and treasury management 
product services infrastructure. 

(in millions) 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (average) 
Loans: 

Commercial and industrial 

Commercial real estate 

Total loans 

Loans by Line of Business: 

Banking 

Commercial Real Estate 

Markets 

Total loans 

Trading-related assets: 

Trading account securities 

Reverse repurchase agreements/securities borrowed 

Derivative assets 

Total trading-related assets 

Total assets 

Total deposits 

Allocated capital 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (period-end) 
Loans: 

Commercial and industrial 

Commercial real estate 

Total loans 

Loans by Line of Business: 

Banking 

Commercial Real Estate 

Markets 

Total loans 

Trading-related assets: 

Trading account securities 

Reverse repurchase agreements/securities borrowed 

Derivative assets 

Total trading-related assets 

Total assets 

Total deposits 

2020 

2019 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

2018 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/ 
2018 

$ 

172,492 

82,832 

$ 

255,324 

$ 

93,501 

$ 

$ 

108,279 

53,544 

255,324 

109,803 

71,485 

21,986 

$ 

203,274 

521,861 

234,332 

34,000 

$ 

160,000 

84,456 

$ 

244,456 

$ 

84,640 

$ 

$ 

107,207 

52,609 

244,456 

109,311 

57,248 

25,916 

$ 

192,475 

508,793 

203,004 

168,506 

79,804 

248,310 

90,749 

104,261 

53,300 

248,310 

115,937 

89,190 

12,762 

217,889 

520,973 

238,651 

31,500 

173,985 

79,451 

253,436 

93,117 

103,938 

56,381 

253,436 

124,808 

90,077 

14,382 

229,267 

538,383 

261,134 

3,986 

3,028 

7,014 

2,752 

4,018 

244 

7,014 

(6,134) 

(17,705) 

9,224 

(14,615) 

888 

(4,319) 

2,500 

(13,985) 

5,005 

(8,980) 

(8,477) 

3,269 

(3,772) 

(8,980) 

(15,497) 

(32,829) 

11,534 

(36,792) 

(29,590) 

(58,130) 

 2 % 

4 

3 

3 

4 

— 

3 

(5) 

(20) 

72 

(7) 

— 

(2) 

8 

(8) 

6 

(4) 

(9) 

3 

(7) 

(4) 

(12) 

(36) 

80 

(16) 

(5) 

(22) 

$ 

157,251 

81,343 

$ 

238,594 

$ 

81,591 

$ 

$ 

106,231 

50,772 

238,594 

108,127 

73,793 

11,587 

$ 

193,507 

485,173 

229,739 

33,000 

$ 

170,480 

79,525 

$ 

250,005 

$ 

91,685 

$ 

$ 

104,828 

53,492 

250,005 

112,858 

74,615 

10,798 

$ 

198,271 

498,212 

236,706 

11,255 

(1,539) 

9,716 

9,158 

(1,970) 

2,528 

9,716 

7,810 

15,397 

1,175 

24,382 

35,800 

8,912 

(1,500) 

3,505 

(74) 

3,431 

1,432 

(890) 

2,889 

3,431 

11,950 

15,462 

3,584 

30,996 

40,171 

24,428 

 7 % 

(2) 

4 

11 

(2) 

5 

4 

7 

21 

10 

13 

7 

4 

(5) 

2 

— 

1 

2 

(1) 

5 

1 

11 

21 

33 

16 

8 

10 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

Total assets (period-end) decreased predominantly due to a 
decline in loan balances driven by lower loan demand and higher 
paydowns reflecting continued client liquidity and strength in the 
capital markets, as well as a decline in trading-related assets 
reflecting continued actions to manage under the asset cap. 

Total deposits (period-end) decreased reflecting continued 
actions to manage under the asset cap. 

52  

Total assets (average and period-end) increased driven by 
growth in commercial and industrial loans and trading-related 
assets reflecting increased customer activity. 

Total deposits (period-end) increased driven by growth in 
Commercial Real Estate and Markets. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wealth and Investment Management provides personalized 
wealth management, investment and retirement products and 
services to clients across U.S.-based businesses including 
Wells Fargo Advisors, The Private Bank, Abbot Downing, and 
Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM). We serve clients’ 
brokerage needs, and deliver financial planning, private banking, 

credit, and fiduciary services to high-net worth and ultra-high-
net worth individuals and families. We also provide investment 
management capabilities delivered to global investment 
institutional clients through separate accounts and the 
Wells Fargo Funds. Table 8g, Table 8h, and Table 8i provide 
additional information for Wealth and Investment Management. 

Table 8g:  Wealth and Investment Management 

($ in millions, unless otherwise noted) 

2020 

2019 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

2018 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/ 
2018 

$ 

2,993 

3,917 

(924) 

(24) % 

$ 

4,317 

(400) 

(9) % 

Income Statement 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income: 

Brokerage fees 

Trust and investment management fees 

Other 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income before income tax expense 

Income tax expense 

Less: Net income from noncontrolling interests 

9,070 

2,383 

66 

11,519 

14,512 

249 

12,051 

2,212 

552 

4 

8,947 

2,407 

461 

11,815 

15,732 

2 

13,363 

2,367 

590 

9 

Net income 

$ 

1,656 

$ 

1,768 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (average) 
Total loans 

Total deposits 

Allocated capital 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (period-end) 
Total loans 

Total deposits 

Selected Metrics 
Return on allocated capital 

Efficiency ratio 

Headcount (#) 

Advisory assets ($ in billions) 

Total client assets ($ in billions) 

Annualized revenue per advisor ($ in thousands) (1) 

Total financial and wealth advisors (#) 

Wells Fargo Asset Management assets under 

management ($ in billions) 

$ 

78,775 

162,521 

9,000 

$ 

80,785 

175,515 

17.8  % 

83 

29,515 

$ 

853 

2,005 

942 

13,513 

$ 

603 

74,986 

139,151 

9,000 

77,140 

143,873 

19.0 

85 

30,818 

778 

1,886 

985 

14,414 

509 

123 

(24) 

(395) 

(296) 

(1,220) 

247 

(1,312) 

(155) 

(38) 

(5) 

(112) 

3,789 

23,370 

— 

3,645 

31,642 

75 

119 

(43) 

94 

1 

(1) 

(86) 

(3) 

(8) 

NM 

(10) 

(7) 

(6) 

(56) 

(6) 

5 

17 

— 

5 

22 

(4) 

10 

6 

(4) 

(6) 

18 

9,163 

2,509 

(120) 

11,552 

15,869 

(9) 

12,551 

3,327 

831 

1 

$ 

2,495 

$ 

73,976 

157,223 

9,500 

$ 

74,132 

155,384 

25.5  % 

79 

31,898 

$ 

674 

1,708 

969 

14,885 

$ 

466 

(216) 

(102) 

581 

263 

(137) 

11 

812 

(960) 

(241) 

8 

(727) 

1,010 

(18,072) 

(500) 

3,008 

(11,511) 

104 

178 

16 

43 

(2) 

(4) 

484 

2 

(1) 

122 

6 

(29) 

(29) 

800 

(29) 

1 

(11) 

(5) 

4 

(7) 

(3) 

15 

10 

2 

(3) 

9 

NM – Not meaningful 
(1) 

Represents annualized total revenue (excluding Wells Fargo Asset Management) divided by average total financial and wealth advisors for the period. 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

Revenue decreased driven by: 
• 

lower net interest income reflecting the lower interest rate 
environment, partially offset by higher average deposit 
balances; and 
net losses from equity securities driven by a decline in 
deferred compensation plan investment results (largely 
offset by lower personnel expense); 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher asset-based brokerage fees. 

Provision for credit losses increased due to current and 
forecasted economic conditions due to the impact of the 
COVID-19 pandemic. 

Noninterest expense decreased due to: 
• 

lower operating losses due to lower expense for litigation 
and customer remediation accruals; 
lower technology, telecommunications and equipment 
expense driven by impairments of capitalized software in 

• 

2019 reflecting a reevaluation of software under 
development, and the reversal of an accrual for software 
costs in 2020; and 
lower deferred compensation plan expense and lower 
incentive compensation expense; 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher financial advisor commissions expense due to higher 
brokerage fees. 

Total loans (average and period-end) increased driven by 
growth in residential mortgage loans. 

Total deposits (average and period-end) increased primarily due 
to growth in brokerage clients’ cash balances. 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

Revenue decreased driven by: 
• 

lower net interest income reflecting lower average deposit 
balances; 

53 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings Performance (continued) 

• 

• 

lower brokerage fees driven by lower asset-based fees and 
retail brokerage transactional activity; and 
lower trust and investment fees reflecting the sale of our IRT 
business in 2019; 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher net gains from equity securities driven by an increase 
in deferred compensation plan investment results (largely 
offset by higher personnel expense), as well as an 
impairment in 2018 related to the sale of our ownership 
stake in The Rock Creek Group, LP (RockCreek). 

Noninterest expense increased due to: 
• 

higher personnel expense driven by higher deferred 
compensation plan expense (largely offset by net gains from 
equity securities); 
higher technology, telecommunications and equipment 
expense driven by impairments of capitalized software in 
2019 reflecting a reevaluation of software under 
development; and 
higher operating losses due to higher expense for litigation 
and customer remediation accruals; 

• 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

lower core deposit and other intangibles expense. 

Total deposits (average and period-end) decreased as 
customers allocated more cash into higher yielding liquid 
alternatives. 

Table 8h:  WIM Advisory Assets 

WIM Advisory Assets  In addition to transactional accounts, 
WIM offers advisory account relationships to brokerage 
customers. Fees from advisory accounts are based on a 
percentage of the market value of the assets as of the beginning 
of the quarter, which vary across the account types based on the 
distinct services provided, and are affected by investment 
performance as well as asset inflows and outflows. Advisory 
accounts include assets that are financial advisor-directed and 
separately managed by third-party managers, as well as certain 
client-directed brokerage assets where we earn a fee for advisory 
and other services, but do not have investment discretion. 

WIM also manages personal trust and other assets for high 
net worth clients, with fee income earned based on a percentage 
of the market value of these assets. Table 8h presents advisory 
assets activity by WIM line of business for the years ended 
December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. Management believes that 
advisory assets is a useful metric because it allows management, 
investors, and others to assess how changes in asset amounts 
may impact the generation of certain asset-based fees. 

For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, 

the average fee rate by account type ranged from 50 to 120 
basis points. 

(in billions) 

December 31, 2020 

Client-directed (4) 

Financial advisor-directed (5) 

Separate accounts (6) 

Mutual fund advisory (7) 

Total Retail Brokerage 

Total Private Wealth (8) 

Total WIM advisory assets 

December 31, 2019 

Client directed (4) 

Financial advisor directed (5) 

Separate accounts (6) 

Mutual fund advisory (7) 

Total Retail Brokerage 

Total Private Wealth (8) 

Total WIM advisory assets 

December 31, 2018 

Client directed (4) 

Financial advisor directed (5) 

Separate accounts (6) 

Mutual fund advisory (7) 

Total Retail Brokerage 

Total Private Wealth (8) 

Total WIM advisory assets 

Balance, beginning 
of period 

Inflows (1) 

Outflows (2)  Market impact (3) 

Year ended 

Balance, end of 
period 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

169.4 

176.3 

160.1 

83.7 

589.5 

188.0 

777.5 

151.5 

141.9 

136.4 

71.3 

501.1 

173.0 

674.1 

170.9 

147.0 

149.1 

75.8 

542.8 

191.8 

734.6 

36.4 

40.6 

24.6 

11.3 

112.9 

34.0 

146.9 

33.5 

33.9 

24.2 

11.8 

103.4 

34.5 

137.9 

33.6 

30.0 

23.8 

12.8 

100.2 

37.0 

137.2 

(38.2) 

(33.6) 

(27.4) 

(13.9) 

(113.1) 

(45.8) 

(158.9) 

(41.8) 

(34.7) 

(29.7) 

(14.1) 

(120.3) 

(43.8) 

(164.1) 

(41.0) 

(32.9) 

(29.1) 

(13.8) 

(116.8) 

(42.9) 

(159.7) 

18.7 

27.7 

17.3 

10.3 

74.0 

13.2 

87.2 

26.2 

35.2 

29.2 

14.7 

105.3 

24.3 

129.6 

(12.0) 

(2.2) 

(7.4) 

(3.5) 

(25.1) 

(12.9) 

(38.0) 

186.3 

211.0 

174.6 

91.4 

663.3 

189.4 

852.7 

169.4 

176.3 

160.1 

83.7 

589.5 

188.0 

777.5 

151.5 

141.9 

136.4 

71.3 

501.1 

173.0 

674.1 

Inflows include new advisory account assets, contributions, dividends and interest. 
(1) 
(2)  Outflows include closed advisory account assets, withdrawals and client management fees. 
(3)  Market impact reflects gains and losses on portfolio investments. 
(4) 

Investment advice and other services are provided to client, but decisions are made by the client and the fees earned are based on a percentage of the advisory account assets, not the number and 
size of transactions executed by the client. 
Professionally managed portfolios with fees earned based on respective strategies and as a percentage of certain client assets. 
Professional advisory portfolios managed by Wells Fargo Asset Management or third-party asset managers. Fees are earned based on a percentage of certain client assets. 
Program with portfolios constructed of load-waived, no-load and institutional share class mutual funds. Fees are earned based on a percentage of certain client assets. 
Discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios held in personal trusts, investment agency, or custody accounts with fees earned based on a percentage of client assets. 

(5) 
(6) 
(7) 
(8) 

54 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) Assets Under 
Management  We earn trust and investment management fees 
from managing and administering assets through WFAM, which 
offers Wells Fargo proprietary mutual funds and manages 
institutional separate accounts. Generally, our trust and 
investment management fee income is earned from AUM where 
we have discretionary management authority over the 
investments and generate fees as a percentage of the market 
value of the AUM. WFAM assets under management consist of 

Table 8i:  WFAM Assets Under Management 

equity, alternative, balanced, fixed income, money market, and 
stable value, and include client assets that are managed or sub-
advised on behalf of other Wells Fargo lines of business. Table 8i 
presents WFAM AUM activity for the years ended December 31, 
2020, 2019 and 2018. Management believes that AUM is a 
useful metric because it allows management, investors, and 
others to assess how changes in asset amounts may impact the 
generation of certain asset-based fees. 

(in billions) 

December 31, 2020 

Money market funds (4) 

Other assets managed 

Total WFAM assets under management 

December 31, 2019 

Money market funds (4) 

Other assets managed 

Total WFAM assets under management 

December 31, 2018 

Money market funds (4) 

Other assets managed 

Total WFAM assets under management 

Balance, beginning 
of period 

Inflows (1) 

Outflows (2)  Market impact (3) 

Year ended 

Balance, end of 
period 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

130.6 

378.2 

508.8 

112.4 

353.5 

465.9 

108.2 

395.7 

503.9 

66.8 

101.3 

168.1 

18.2 

75.1 

93.3 

4.2 

85.5 

89.7 

— 

(104.7) 

(104.7) 

— 

(86.1) 

(86.1) 

— 

(120.2) 

(120.2) 

— 

30.8 

30.8 

— 

35.7 

35.7 

— 

(7.5) 

(7.5) 

197.4 

405.6 

603.0 

130.6 

378.2 

508.8 

112.4 

353.5 

465.9 

(1) 
Inflows include new managed account assets, contributions, dividends and interest. 
(2)  Outflows include closed managed account assets, withdrawals and client management fees. 
(3)  Market impact reflects gains and losses on portfolio investments. 
(4)  Money Market funds activity is presented on a net inflow or net outflow basis, because the gross flows are not meaningful nor used by management as an indicator of performance. 

Corporate includes corporate treasury and enterprise functions, 
net of allocations (including funds transfer pricing, capital, 
liquidity and certain expenses), in support of the reportable 
operating segments, as well as our investment portfolio and 
affiliated venture capital and private equity partnerships. In 
addition, Corporate includes all restructuring charges related to 
efficiency initiatives, as well as the headcount for approximately 
2,800 employees who have been notified of displacement and 
were previously included in the reportable operating segments. 

Corporate also includes certain lines of business that 
management has determined are no longer consistent with the 
long-term strategic goals of the Company, including our student 
loan and rail car leasing businesses, as well as previously divested 
businesses. Our rail car leasing business has long-lived operating 
lease assets (as a lessor) that can result in future impairments 
based on changing economic and market conditions affecting 
long-term demand for specific types of rail cars. Table 8j and 
Table 8k provide additional information for Corporate. 

Table 8j:  Corporate – Income Statement and Selected Metrics 

($ in millions) 

Income Statement 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Less: Net income from noncontrolling interests (1) 

Net income 

Headcount (#) 

2020 

2019 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

$ 

$ 

247 

3,216 

3,463 

(472) 

3,992 

(57) 

(742) 

277 

408 

1,950 

5,859 

7,809 

138 

3,317 

4,354 

764 

478 

3,112 

83,394 

74,436 

(1,703) 

(2,643) 

(4,346) 

(610) 

675 

(4,411) 

(1,506) 

(201) 

(2,704) 

(87) % 

$ 

(45) 

(56) 

NM 

20 

NM 

NM 

(42) 

(87) 

12 

$ 

2018 

2,259 

4,013 

6,272 

(112) 

2,574 

3,810 

1,596 

462 

1,752 

67,805 

NM – Not meaningful 
(1) 

Reflects results attributable to noncontrolling interests predominantly associated with the Company’s consolidated venture capital investments. 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/ 
2018 

(309) 

1,846 

1,537 

250 

743 

544 

(832) 

16 

1,360 

(14) % 

46 

25 

223 

29 

14 

(52) 

 3 

78 

10 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

Revenue decreased driven by: 
• 

lower net interest income reflecting the lower interest rate 
environment, higher prepayments on debt securities, and a 

• 

reduction in the investment portfolio due to actions taken to 
manage under the asset cap; 
lower gains reflecting gains in 2019 of $1.1 billion on the 
sale of our IRT business and $362 million on the sale of 
Eastdil, which also resulted in a decline in trust and 

55 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings Performance (continued) 

• 

investment management fees and commercial real estate 
brokerage commissions in 2020; and 
lower net gains on equity securities from our affiliated 
venture capital partnerships, as well as a decline in deferred 
compensation plan investment results (largely offset by 
lower personnel expense); 

partially offset by: 
• 

higher gains on debt securities due to portfolio re-balancing 
and actions taken to manage under the asset cap. 

Provision for credit losses decreased due to a reduction in the 
allowance for credit losses as a result of the reclassification of 
student loans to loans held for sale after the announced sale of 
the portfolio in fourth quarter 2020. 

Noninterest expense increased due to: 
• 

higher restructuring charges driven predominantly by 
personnel costs, as well as facility closure costs, related to 
our efficiency initiatives that commenced in third quarter 
2020. All restructuring charges were included in Corporate. 
For additional information on restructuring charges, see 
Note 22 (Restructuring Charges) to Financial Statements in 
this Report; and 
increased operating losses due to higher expense for 
litigation and customer remediation accruals; 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 
• 

lower deferred compensation expense; and 
lower expenses related to businesses that were divested in 
2019. 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

Revenue increased driven by: 
• 

gains in 2019 of $1.1 billion on the sale of our IRT business 
and $362 million on the sale of Eastdil, partially offset by a 
gain on the sale of Wells Fargo Shareowner Services in 2018; 
and 
higher net gains from equity securities driven by an increase 
in deferred compensation plan investment results (largely 
offset by higher personnel expense); 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

lower net interest income related to businesses that were 
divested in 2018. 

Provision for credit losses increased due to a reduction in the 
allowance for credit losses as a result of the sale of Reliable 
Financial Services, Inc. in 2018. 

Noninterest expense increased due to: 
• 

increased operating losses due to higher expense for 
litigation accruals, partially offset by lower expense for 
customer remediation accruals; and 
higher deferred compensation expense; 

• 
partially offset by: 
• 

lower lease expense in the rail car leasing business due to 
portfolio run-off. 

Corporate includes AUM and AUA for IRT client assets of 
$22 billion and $700 billion, respectively, at December 31, 2020, 
which we continue to administer at the direction of the buyer 
pursuant to a transition services agreement. The transition 
services agreement has been extended and will now terminate no 
later than December 2021. 

Table 8k:  Corporate – Balance Sheet 

(in millions) 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (average) 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 

Available-for-sale debt securities 

Held-to-maturity debt securities 

Equity securities 

Total loans 

Total assets 

Total deposits 

Selected Balance Sheet Data (period-end) 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 

Available-for-sale debt securities 

Held-to-maturity debt securities 

Equity securities 

Total loans 

Total assets 

Total deposits 

2020 

2019 

$ Change 
2020/ 
2019 

% Change 
2020/ 
2019 

2018 

Year ended December 31, 

$ Change 
2019/ 
2018 

% Change 
2019/ 
2018 

$ 

183,393 

221,493 

172,755 

12,123 

19,790 

673,440 

56,692 

$ 

235,239 

208,694 

204,858 

10,006 

10,623 

726,861 

33,013 

130,504 

252,099 

147,303 

12,883 

18,540 

621,316 

92,407 

111,384 

250,801 

153,142 

13,390 

21,906 

608,712 

75,998 

41  % 

$ 

150,181 

(19,677) 

(13) % 

52,889 

(30,606) 

25,452 

(760) 

1,250 

52,124 

(12) 

17 

(6) 

7 

8 

(35,715) 

(39) 

123,855 

(42,107) 

51,716 

(3,384) 

(11,283) 

118,149 

(42,985) 

111 

(17) 

34 

(25) 

(52) 

19 

(57) 

248,883 

143,583 

12,237 

16,407 

621,940 

86,099 

$ 

144,606 

253,652 

144,278 

12,184 

16,173 

620,048 

96,752 

3,216 

3,720 

646 

2,133 

(624) 

6,308 

(33,222) 

(2,851) 

8,864 

1,206 

5,733 

(11,336) 

(20,754) 

1 

3 

5 

13 

— 

7 

(23) 

(1) 

6 

10 

35 

(2) 

(21) 

Full year 2020 vs. full year 2019 

Full year 2019 vs. full year 2018 

Total assets (average and period-end) increased due to an 
increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash managed 
by corporate treasury reflecting significant liquidity as a result of 
an increase in deposits from the reportable operating segments. 

Total deposits (average and period-end) decreased reflecting 
actions taken to manage under the asset cap. 

Total deposits (average) increased reflecting higher brokered 
certificates of deposit (CDs). 

Total deposits (period-end) decreased reflecting actions taken 
to manage under the asset cap. 

56 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance Sheet Analysis 

At December 31, 2020, our assets totaled $1.96 trillion, up 
$27.6 billion from December 31, 2019. 

The following discussion provides additional information 
about the major components of our consolidated balance sheet. 

Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities 

Table 9:  Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities 

($ in millions) 

Available-for-sale (2) 

Held-to-maturity (3) 

Amortized
cost, net (1) 

215,533 

205,720 

Total 

$ 

421,253 

Net 
 unrealized 
gain (loss) 

4,859 

6,587 

11,446 

December 31, 2020 
Weighted 
average 
expected 
Fair value  maturity (yrs) 

220,392 

212,307 

432,699 

4.5 

4.5 

n/a 

Amortized cost 

260,060 

153,933 

413,993 

Net 
unrealized 
gain (loss) 

3,399 

2,927 

6,326 

December 31, 2019 

Weighted 
average
expected 
Fair value  maturity (yrs) 

263,459 

156,860 

420,319 

4.7 

4.9 

n/a 

(1) 

(2) 
(3) 

Represents amortized cost of the securities, net of the allowance for credit losses of $28 million related to available-for-sale debt securities and $41 million related to held-to-maturity debt 
securities at December 31, 2020. The allowance for credit losses related to available-for-sale and held-to-maturity debt securities was $0 at December 31, 2019, due to our adoption of CECL on 
January 1, 2020. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report. 
Available-for-sale debt securities are carried on the consolidated balance sheet at fair value. 
Held-to-maturity debt securities are carried on the consolidated balance sheet at amortized cost, net of the allowance for credit losses, subsequent to the adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. 

Table 9 presents a summary of our portfolio of investments in 
available-for-sale (AFS) and held-to-maturity (HTM) debt 
securities. The size and composition of our AFS and HTM debt 
securities is dependent upon the Company’s liquidity and interest 
rate risk management objectives. The AFS debt securities 
portfolio can be used to meet funding needs that arise in the 
normal course of business or due to market stress. Changes in 
our interest rate risk profile may occur due to changes in overall 
economic or market conditions, which could influence loan 
origination demand, prepayment speeds, or deposit balances and 
mix. In response, the AFS debt securities portfolio can be 
rebalanced to meet the Company’s interest rate risk 
management objectives. In addition to meeting liquidity and 
interest rate risk management objectives, the AFS and HTM debt 
securities portfolios may provide yield enhancement over other 
short-term assets. See the “Risk Management – Asset/Liability 
Management” section in this Report for more information on 
liquidity and interest rate risk. 

The AFS debt securities portfolio primarily consists of liquid, 

high-quality U.S. Treasury and federal agency debt, and agency 
mortgage-backed securities (MBS). The portfolio also includes 
securities issued by U.S. states and political subdivisions, non-
U.S. government securities, and highly rated collateralized loan 
obligations (CLOs). The fair value of AFS debt securities 
decreased from December 31, 2019, as purchases were more 
than offset by runoff, sales and transfers to HTM debt securities 
due to actions taken to reposition the overall portfolio for capital 
management purposes. 

The HTM debt securities portfolio predominantly consists of 

liquid, high-quality U.S. Treasury and federal agency debt, and 
agency MBS. The portfolio also includes securities issued by U.S. 
states and political subdivisions and highly rated CLOs. Our 
intent is to hold these securities to maturity and collect the 
contractual cash flows. Debt securities are classified as HTM 

Table 10:  Loan Portfolios 

(in millions) 

Commercial 

Consumer 

Total loans 

Change from prior year 

through purchases or through transfers from the AFS debt 
securities portfolio. The net amortized cost of HTM debt 
securities increased from December 31, 2019, as purchases and 
transfers from AFS debt securities were partially offset by runoff. 

At December 31, 2020, 92% of the combined AFS and HTM 

debt securities portfolio was rated AA- or above. Ratings are 
based on external ratings where available and, where not 
available, based on internal credit grades. 

The total net unrealized gains on AFS and HTM debt 
securities increased from December 31, 2019, driven by lower 
interest rates. See Note 3 (Available-for-Sale and Held-to-
Maturity Debt Securities) to Financial Statements in this Report 
for additional information on AFS and HTM debt securities, 
including a summary of debt securities by security type. 

Loan Portfolios 
Table 10 provides a summary of total outstanding loans by 
portfolio segment. Commercial loans decreased from 
December 31, 2019, driven by: 
• 

lower demand for originations of new loans and lower 
utilization on existing revolving loans in commercial and 
industrial loans; and 
loan paydowns on continued customer liquidity from 
strength in capital markets. 

• 

Consumer loans decreased from December 31, 2019, due to: 
• 

paydowns exceeding originations in first and junior lien 
mortgage loans; and 
lower consumer spending and originations in credit cards; 

• 
partially offset by: 
• 

the repurchase of $30.0 billion of first lien mortgage loans 
from Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) 
loan securitization pools. 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

$ 

$ 

$ 

478,417 

409,220 

887,637 

(74,628) 

515,719 

446,546 

962,265 

9,155 

57 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Balance Sheet Analysis (continued) 

Average loan balances and a comparative detail of average 

loan balances is included in Table 3 under “Earnings Performance 
– Net Interest Income” earlier in this Report. Additional 
information on total loans outstanding by portfolio segment and 
class of financing receivable is included in the “Risk Management 
– Credit Risk Management” section in this Report. Period-end 

balances and other loan related information are in Note 4 (Loans 
and Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to Financial Statements 
in this Report. 

Table 11 shows contractual maturities for selected classes of 

commercial loans and the distribution of loans to changes in 
interest rates. 

Table 11:  Maturities for Selected Commercial Loan Categories 

(in millions) 

Selected loan maturities: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Total selected loans 

Distribution of loans to changes in interest rates: 

Loans at fixed interest rates 

Loans at floating/variable interest rates 

Total selected loans 

Deposits 
Deposits increased from December 31, 2019, reflecting: 
• 

consumer and wealth customers’ preferences for liquidity 
given the economic uncertainty associated with the 
COVID-19 pandemic, loan payment deferrals, government 
stimulus programs, and lower customer spending; and 
an increase in mortgage escrow deposits reflecting an inflow 
of mortgage payoffs to be remitted to investors in 
accordance with servicing contracts; 

• 

partially offset by: 
• 

actions taken to manage under the asset cap resulting in 
declines in time deposits, such as brokered certificates of 
deposit (CDs), and interest-bearing deposits in non-U.S. 
offices. 

Table 12:  Deposits 

($ in millions) 

Noninterest-bearing demand deposits 

Interest-bearing demand deposits 

Savings deposits 

Time deposits 

Interest-bearing deposits in non-U.S. offices 

Total deposits 

Within 
one 
year 

After 
one year 
through 
five years 

$  124,270 

171,314 

29,824 

10,620 

62,477 

10,737 

December 31, 2020 

After 
five 
years 

23,221 

29,419 

448 

Total 

318,805 

121,720 

21,805 

$  164,714 

244,528 

53,088 

462,330 

$ 

22,983 

31,656 

141,731 

212,872 

$  164,714 

244,528 

20,946 

32,142 

53,088 

75,585 

386,745 

462,330 

In fourth quarter 2020, we ceased the reclassification of 

certain transactional demand deposit balances to non-
transactional deposit balances based on a final rule issued by the 
FRB, which amended the FRB reserve requirements of depository 
institutions. As a result, approximately $380 billion of balances 
were classified as interest-bearing demand deposits, which were 
previously classified as savings deposits. 

Table 12 provides additional information regarding 
deposits. Information regarding the impact of deposits on net 
interest income and a comparison of average deposit balances is 
provided in the “Earnings Performance – Net Interest Income” 
section and Table 3 earlier in this Report. 

$ 

Dec 31, 
2020 

467,068 

447,446 

404,935 

49,775 

35,157 

% of 
total 
deposits 

Dec 31, 
2019 

% of 
total 
deposits 

33  %  $ 

344,496 

26  % 

32 

29 

4 

2 

62,814 

751,080 

110,324 

53,912 

5 

57 

8 

4 

$ 

1,404,381 

100  %  $ 

1,322,626 

100  %

% Change 

36 

612 

(46) 

(55) 

(35) 

 6 

Equity 
Total equity was $185.9 billion at December 31, 2020, compared 
with $188.0 billion at December 31, 2019. The decrease was 
driven by: 
• 

common stock repurchases of $3.4 billion (substantially all 
of which occurred in first quarter 2020); and 
dividends of $6.3 billion; 

• 
partially offset by: 
• 
• 

net income of $3.3 billion; and 
issuances of common stock of $2.7 billion predominantly 
related to employee stock ownership plans. 

58 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements 

In the ordinary course of business, we engage in financial 
transactions that are not recorded on the consolidated balance 
sheet, or may be recorded on the consolidated balance sheet in 
amounts that are different from the full contract or notional 
amount of the transaction. Our off-balance sheet arrangements 
include commitments to lend and purchase debt and equity 
securities, transactions with unconsolidated entities, guarantees, 
derivatives, and other commitments. These transactions are 
designed to (1) meet the financial needs of customers, (2) 
manage our credit, market or liquidity risks, and/or (3) diversify 
our funding sources. 

Commitments to Lend 
We enter into commitments to lend to customers, which are 
usually at a stated interest rate, if funded, and for specific 
purposes and time periods. When we enter into commitments, 
we are exposed to credit risk. The maximum credit risk for these 
commitments will generally be lower than the contractual 
amount because a significant portion of these commitments are 
not funded. For additional information, see Note 4 (Loans and 
Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to Financial Statements in 
this Report. 

Transactions with Unconsolidated Entities 
In the normal course of business, we enter into various types of 
on- and off-balance sheet transactions with special purpose 
entities (SPEs), which are corporations, trusts, limited liability 
companies or partnerships that are established for a limited 
purpose. Generally, SPEs are formed in connection with 
securitization transactions and are considered variable interest 
entities (VIEs). For additional information, see Note 8 
(Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities) to Financial 
Statements in this Report. 

Guarantees and Other Arrangements 
Guarantees are contracts that contingently require us to make 
payments to a guaranteed party based on an event or a change in 
an underlying asset, liability, rate or index. Guarantees are 
generally in the form of standby letters of credit, direct pay 
letters of credit, written options, recourse obligations, exchange 
and clearing house guarantees, indemnifications, and other types 
of similar arrangements. For additional information, see Note 13 
(Guarantees and Other Commitments) to Financial Statements 
in this Report. 

Commitments to Purchase Debt and Equity Securities 
We enter into commitments to purchase securities under resale 
agreements. We also may enter into commitments to purchase 
debt and equity securities to provide capital for customers’ 
funding, liquidity or other future needs. For additional 
information, see Note 13 (Guarantees and Other Commitments) 
to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Derivatives 
We use derivatives to manage exposure to market risk, including 
interest rate risk, credit risk and foreign currency risk, and to 
assist customers with their risk management objectives. 
Derivatives are recorded on the consolidated balance sheet at 
fair value, and volume can be measured in terms of the notional 
amount, which is generally not exchanged, but is used only as the 
basis on which interest and other payments are determined. The 
notional amount is not recorded on the consolidated balance 
sheet and is not, when viewed in isolation, a meaningful measure 
of the risk profile of the instruments. For additional information, 
see Note 16 (Derivatives) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

59 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
Risk Management 

Wells Fargo manages a variety of risks that can significantly 
affect our financial performance and our ability to meet the 
expectations of our customers, shareholders, regulators and 
other stakeholders. 

Risk is Part of our Business Model.  The Company measures and 
manages risk as part of our business, including in connection with 
the products and services we offer to our customers. The risks we 
take include financial, such as credit, interest rate, market, 
liquidity and funding risks, and non-financial, such as operational 
including compliance and model risks, strategic and reputation 
risks. 

Risk Profile.  Our risk profile is a holistic view of all risks we hold 
at a point in time, including emerging risks. The Company 
monitors its risk profile, and the Board periodically reviews 
reports and analysis concerning our risk profile. 

Risk Capacity.  Risk capacity refers to the maximum level of risk 
that the Company could assume given its current level of 
resources before triggering regulatory and other constraints on 
its capital and liquidity needs. 

Risk Appetite.  Management defines and the Board approves the 
Company’s risk appetite, which is the amount of risk the 
Company is comfortable taking given its current level of 
resources. Risk appetite defines which risks are acceptable and at 
what level and guides business and risk leaders. Risk appetite 
boundaries are set within the Company’s risk capacity. The 
Company’s risk appetite is articulated in a statement of risk 
appetite, which is approved at least annually by the Board. The 
Company continuously monitors its risk appetite, and the Board 
reviews periodic risk appetite reports and analysis. 

Risk and Strategy.  The Company’s risk profile, risk capacity, risk 
appetite, and risk management effectiveness (i.e., the holistic 
measure of the quality and effectiveness of the Company’s risk 
management activities, including the functional or programmatic 
use of controls and capabilities to manage risks) are considered in 
the strategic planning process, which is closely linked with the 
Company’s capital planning process. The Company’s Independent 
Risk Management (IRM) organization participates in strategic 
planning at several points in the process, providing challenge to 
and independent assessment of the Company’s self-assessment 
of the risks associated with strategic planning initiatives. IRM 
also independently assesses the impact of the strategic plan on 
risk capacity, risk appetite, and risk management effectiveness at 
the principal line of business, enterprise function, and aggregate 
Company level. After review by management, the strategic plan 
is presented to the Board each year for review and approval. 

Everyone Manages Risk.  Every employee creates risk in the 
course of performing business activities and is required to 
manage that risk. Risk is everyone’s responsibility. Every 
employee is required to comply with applicable laws, regulations, 
and Company policies. 

Risk and Culture.  Senior management sets the “tone at the top” 
by supporting a strong culture, defined by the Company’s 
expectations, that guides how employees conduct themselves, 
work with colleagues, and make decisions. The Board holds senior 
management accountable for establishing and maintaining the 

60 

right culture and effectively managing risk. Employees are 
strongly encouraged and expected to speak up when they see 
something that could cause harm to the Company’s customers, 
communities, employees, shareholders, or reputation. Because 
risk management is everyone’s responsibility, all employees are 
expected to challenge risk decisions when appropriate and to 
escalate their concerns when they have not been addressed. 
Employee performance evaluations are tied to, and take into 
account, effective risk management. The Company’s 
performance management and incentive compensation 
programs are designed to establish a balanced framework for risk 
and reward under core principles that employees are expected to 
know and practice. The Board, through its Human Resources 
Committee, plays an important role in overseeing and providing 
credible challenge to the Company’s performance management 
and incentive compensation programs. 

Risk Management Framework.  The Company’s risk 
management framework sets forth the core principles on how 
the Company seeks to manage and govern its risk. Many 
Company policies and documents anchor to the risk 
management framework’s core principles. The Board’s Risk 
Committee annually reviews and approves the risk management 
framework. 

Wells Fargo’s top priority is to strengthen our company by 
building the right risk and control infrastructure. We continue to 
enhance our risk management programs, including our 
operational and compliance risk management as required by the 
FRB’s February 2, 2018, and the CFPB/OCC’s April 20, 2018, 
consent orders. 

Risk Governance 
Role of the Board.  The Board oversees the Company’s business, 
including its risk management. The Board assesses 
management’s performance, provides credible challenge, and 
holds management accountable for maintaining an effective risk 
management program and for adhering to risk management 
expectations. 

Board Committee Structure.  The Board carries out its risk 
oversight responsibilities directly and through its committees. 
The Risk Committee approves the Company’s risk management 
framework and oversees its implementation, including the 
processes established by management to identify, assess, 
measure, monitor, and manage risks. It also monitors the 
Company’s adherence to its risk appetite. In addition, the Risk 
Committee oversees IRM and the performance of the Chief Risk 
Officer (CRO) who reports functionally to the Risk Committee 
and administratively to the CEO. 

Management Committee Structure.  The Company has 
established management committees, including those focused 
on risk, that support management in carrying out its governance 
and risk management responsibilities. One type of management 
committee is a governance committee, which is a decision 
making body that operates for a particular purpose. 

Each management governance committee is expected to 
discuss, document, and make decisions regarding significant risk 
issues, emerging risks, and risk acceptances; review and monitor 
progress related to critical and high-risk issues and remediation 
efforts within its scope, including lessons learned; and report key 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
challenges, decisions, escalations, other actions, and open issues 
as appropriate. 

governance committees reporting to a Board committee, 
including relevant reporting and escalation paths. 

Table 13 presents, as of December 31, 2020, the structure 

of the Company’s Board committees and management 

Table 13:  Board and Management-level Governance Committee Structure 

Wells Fargo & Company 

Audit 
Committee (1) 

Finance 
Committee 

Corporate
Responsibility
Committee 

Risk 
Committee 

Governance & 
Nominating
Committee 

Credit 
Committee (2) 

Human 
Resources 
Committee 

Management Governance Committees 

Allowance for 
Credit Losses 
Approval 
Governance 
Committee 

Incentive 
Compensation 
and 
Performance 
Management 
Committee 

Disclosure 
Committee 

Capital 
Management 
Committee 

Regulatory and 
Risk Reporting 
Oversight 
Committee 

Corporate 
Asset/Liability 
Committee 

Recovery and 
Resolution 
Committee 

Enterprise 
Risk & Control 
Committee 

Risk and Control 
Committees 

Risk Type 
Committees 

Risk Topic 
Committees 

(1) 

(2) 

The Audit Committee additionally oversees the internal audit function; external auditor independence, activities, and performance; and the disclosure framework for financial, regulatory and risk 
reports prepared for the Board, management, and bank regulatory agencies; and assists the Board in its oversight of the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. 
Effective March 1, 2021, the Risk Committee will have primary oversight responsibility for credit risk and the Credit Committee will become a subcommittee of the Risk Committee. 

Management Governance Committees Reporting to the Risk 
Committee of the Board.  The Enterprise Risk & Control 
Committee (ERCC) governs the management of all risk types, 
including financial risks and non-financial risks. The ERCC 
receives information about risk and control events, addresses 
escalated risks and issues, actively oversees risk control, and 
provides regular updates to the Risk Committee regarding 
current and emerging risks and management’s assessment of the 
effectiveness of the Company’s risk management program. 
The ERCC is co-chaired by the CEO and CRO, with 

membership comprised of the CEOs of our five principal lines of 
business (Consumer and Small Business Banking, Consumer 
Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment 
Banking, and Wealth and Investment Management) and certain 
enterprise functions. The Chief Auditor or a designee attends all 
meetings of the ERCC. The ERCC has a direct escalation path to 
the Risk Committee. The ERCC also escalates market risks and 
issues and interest rate risks and issues to the Finance 
Committee and certain human capital risks and issues to the 
Human Resources Committee. In addition, the CRO has the 
authority to escalate risks and issues directly to the Board. Risks 
and issues are escalated to the ERCC in accordance with 
applicable policies and procedures governing escalations. 

Each principal line of business and enterprise function has a 
risk and control committee, which is a management governance 
committee with a mandate that aligns with the ERCC but with its 
scope limited to the relevant principal line of business or 
enterprise function. The focus of these risk and control 
committees is on the risks that each principal line of business or 
enterprise function generates and is responsible for managing, 

and the controls each principal line of business or enterprise 
function is expected to have in place. 

In addition to each risk and control committee, management 

governance committees dedicated to specific risk types and risk 
topics also report to the ERCC to help provide more 
comprehensive governance of risks. 

Risk Operating Model – Roles and Responsibilities 
The Company has three lines of defense: the front line, 
Independent Risk Management, and Internal Audit. Our risk 
operating model creates necessary interaction, 
interdependencies, and ongoing engagement among the lines of 
defense: 
• 

Front Line  The front line, which is composed of our five 
principal lines of business and certain activities of enterprise 
functions, is the first line of defense. In the course of its 
business activities, the front line identifies, measures and 
assesses, manages, controls, monitors, and reports on risk 
associated with its business activities and balances risk and 
reward in decision making while remaining within the 
Company’s risk appetite. 
Independent Risk Management  IRM is the second line of 
defense. It establishes and maintains the Company’s risk 
management program and provides oversight, including 
challenge to and independent assessment of the front line’s 
execution of its risk management responsibilities. 
Internal Audit  Internal Audit is the third line of defense. It is 
responsible for acting as an independent assurance function 
and validates that the risk management program is 
adequately designed and functioning effectively. 

• 

• 

61 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management (continued) 

Risk Type Classifications 
The Company uses common classifications, hierarchies, and 
ratings to enable consistency across risk management programs 
and aggregation of information. Risk type classifications permit 
the Company to identify and prioritize its risk exposures, 
including emerging risk exposures. 

Operational Risk Management 
Operational risk, which in addition to those discussed in this 
section, includes compliance risk and model risk, is the risk 
resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people 
and systems, or from external events. 

The Board’s Risk Committee has primary oversight 
responsibility for all aspects of operational risk, including 
significant supporting programs and/or policies regarding the 
Company’s business resiliency and disaster recovery, data 
management, information security, technology, and third-party 
risk management. As part of its oversight responsibilities, the 
Board’s Risk Committee reviews and approves significant 
operational risk policies and oversees the Company’s operational 
risk management program. 

At the management level, Operational Risk Management, 

which is part of IRM, has oversight responsibility for operational 
risk. Operational Risk Management reports to the CRO and 
provides periodic reports related to operational risk to the 
Board’s Risk Committee. Operational Risk Management’s 
oversight responsibilities include change management risk, 
human capital risk, technology risk, third-party risk, information 
risk management, information security risk, and data 
management risk. 

Information security is a significant operational risk for 
financial institutions such as Wells Fargo, and includes the risk 
arising from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, 
modification, or destruction of information or information 
systems. The Board is actively engaged in the oversight of the 
Company’s information security risk management and cyber 
defense programs. The Board’s Risk Committee has primary 
oversight responsibility for information security risk and 
approves the Company’s information security program, which 
includes the information security policy and the cyber defense 
program. A Technology Subcommittee of the Risk Committee 
assists the Risk Committee in providing oversight of technology, 
information security, and cybersecurity risks as well as data 
management risk. The Technology Subcommittee reviews and 
recommends to the Risk Committee for approval any significant 
programs and/or policies supporting information security risk 
(including cybersecurity risk), technology risk, and data 
management risk. The Technology Subcommittee reports to the 
Risk Committee and both provide updates to the full Board. 

Wells Fargo and other financial institutions continue to be 

the target of various evolving and adaptive cyber attacks, 
including malware, ransomware, phishing, and denial-of-service, 
as part of an effort to disrupt the operations of financial 
institutions, potentially test their cybersecurity capabilities, 
commit fraud, or obtain confidential, proprietary or other 
information. Cyber attacks have also focused on targeting online 
applications and services, such as online banking, as well as cloud-
based and other products and services provided by third parties, 
and have targeted the infrastructure of the internet causing the 
widespread unavailability of websites and degrading website 
performance. Wells Fargo has not experienced any material 
losses relating to these or other types of cyber attacks. 
Cybersecurity risk is a priority for Wells Fargo, and we continue 
to develop and enhance our controls, processes and systems in 
order to protect our networks, computers, software and data 

62 

from attack, damage or unauthorized access. Wells Fargo is also 
proactively involved in industry cybersecurity efforts and working 
with other parties, including our third-party service providers and 
governmental agencies, to continue to enhance defenses and 
improve resiliency to cybersecurity threats. See the “Risk 
Factors” section in this Report for additional information 
regarding the risks associated with a failure or breach of our 
operational or security systems or infrastructure, including as a 
result of cyber attacks. 

Compliance Risk Management 
Compliance risk (a type of operational risk) is the risk resulting 
from the failure to comply with laws (legislation, regulations and 
rules) and regulatory guidance, and the failure to appropriately 
address associated impacts, including to customers. Compliance 
risk encompasses violations of applicable internal policies, 
program requirements, procedures, and standards related to 
ethical principles applicable to the banking industry. 

The Board’s Risk Committee has primary oversight 

responsibility for all aspects of compliance risk, including financial 
crimes risk. As part of its oversight responsibilities, the Board’s 
Risk Committee reviews and approves significant supporting 
compliance risk and financial crimes risk policies and programs 
and oversees the Company’s compliance risk management and 
financial crimes risk management programs. 

Conduct risk, a sub-category of compliance risk, is the risk of 

inappropriate, unethical, or unlawful behavior on the part of 
employees or individuals acting on behalf of the Company, 
caused by deliberate or unintentional actions or business 
practices. In connection with its oversight of conduct risk, the 
Board oversees the alignment of employee conduct to the 
Company’s risk appetite (which the Board approves annually). 
The Board’s Risk Committee has primary oversight responsibility 
for conduct risk and risk management components of the 
Company’s culture, while the responsibilities of the Board’s 
Human Resources Committee include oversight of the 
Company’s culture, Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, human 
capital management (including talent management and 
succession planning), performance management program, and 
incentive compensation risk management program. 

At the management level, the Compliance function, which is 

part of IRM, monitors the implementation of the Company’s 
compliance and conduct risk programs. Financial Crimes Risk 
Management, which is part of the Compliance function, oversees 
and monitors financial crimes risk. The Compliance function 
reports to the CRO and provides periodic reports related to 
compliance risk to the Board’s Risk Committee. 

Model Risk Management 
Model risk (a type of operational risk) is the risk arising from the 
potential for adverse consequences from decisions made based 
on model outputs that may be incorrect or used inappropriately. 

The Board’s Risk Committee has primary oversight 

responsibility for model risk. As part of its oversight 
responsibilities, the Board’s Risk Committee oversees the 
Company’s model risk management policy, model governance, 
model performance, model issue remediation status, and 
adherence to model risk appetite metrics. 

At the management level, the Model Risk function, which is 

part of IRM, has oversight responsibility for model risk and is 
responsible for governance, validation and monitoring of model 
risk across the Company. The Model Risk function reports to the 
CRO and provides periodic reports related to model risk to the 
Board’s Risk Committee. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic Risk Management 
Strategic risk is the risk to earnings, capital, or liquidity arising 
from adverse business decisions, improper implementation of 
strategic initiatives, or inadequate responses to changes in the 
external operating environment. 

The Board has primary oversight responsibility for strategic 

planning and oversees management’s development and 
implementation of and approves the Company’s strategic plan, 
and considers whether it is aligned with the Company’s risk 
appetite and risk management effectiveness. Management 
develops, executes and recommends significant strategic 
corporate transactions and the Board evaluates management’s 
proposals, including their impact on the Company’s risk profile 
and financial position. The Board’s Risk Committee has primary 
oversight responsibility for the Company’s strategic risk and the 
adequacy of the Company’s strategic risk management program, 
including associated risk management practices, processes and 
controls. The Board’s Risk Committee also receives updates from 
management regarding new business initiatives activity and risks 
related to new or changing products, as appropriate. 

At the management level, the Strategic Risk Oversight 

function, which is part of IRM, has oversight responsibility for 
strategic risk. The Strategic Risk Oversight function reports into 
the CRO and supports periodic reports related to strategic risk 
provided to the Board’s Risk Committee. 

Reputation Risk Management 
Reputation risk is the risk arising from the potential that 
negative stakeholder opinion or negative publicity regarding the 
Company’s business practices, whether true or not, will adversely 
impact current or projected financial conditions and resilience, 
cause a decline in the customer base, or result in costly litigation. 
Stakeholders include employees, customers, communities, 
shareholders, regulators, elected officials, advocacy groups, and 
media organizations. 

The Board’s Risk Committee has primary oversight 
responsibility for reputation risk, while each Board committee 
has reputation risk oversight responsibilities related to their 
primary oversight responsibilities. As part of its oversight 
responsibilities, the Board’s Risk Committee receives reports 
from management that help it monitor how effectively the 
Company is managing reputation risk. As part of its oversight 
responsibilities for social and public responsibility matters, the 
Board’s Corporate Responsibility Committee receives reports 
from management relating to stakeholder perceptions of the 
Company. 

At the management level, the Reputation Risk Oversight 
function, which is part of IRM, has oversight responsibility for 
reputation risk. The Reputation Risk Oversight function reports 
into the CRO and supports periodic reports related to reputation 
risk provided to the Board’s Risk Committee. 

Credit Risk Management 
We define credit risk as the risk of loss associated with a 
borrower or counterparty default (failure to meet obligations in 
accordance with agreed upon terms). Credit risk exists with many 
of our assets and exposures such as debt security holdings, 
certain derivatives, and loans. 

Effective March 1, 2021, the Board’s Risk Committee will 

have primary oversight responsibility for credit risk and the 
Credit Committee will become a subcommittee of the Risk 
Committee. At the management level, Credit Risk, which is part 
of IRM, has oversight responsibility for credit risk. Credit Risk 
reports to the CRO and supports periodic reports related to 

credit risk provided to the Board’s Risk Committee or its Credit 
Subcommittee. 

Loan Portfolio 
Our loan portfolios represent the largest component of assets on 
our consolidated balance sheet for which we have credit risk. 
Table 14 presents our total loans outstanding by portfolio 
segment and class of financing receivable. 

Table 14:  Total Loans Outstanding by Portfolio Segment and Class of 
Financing Receivable 

(in millions) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total loans 

Dec 31, 2020 

Dec 31, 2019 

$ 

318,805 

121,720 

21,805 

16,087 

478,417 

354,125 

121,824 

19,939 

19,831 

515,719 

276,674 

293,847 

23,286 

36,664 

48,187 

24,409 

409,220 

$ 

887,637 

29,509 

41,013 

47,873 

34,304 

446,546 

962,265 

We manage our credit risk by establishing what we believe 

are sound credit policies for underwriting new business, while 
monitoring and reviewing the performance of our existing loan 
portfolios. We employ various credit risk management and 
monitoring activities to mitigate risks associated with multiple 
risk factors affecting loans we hold including: 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  Merger and acquisition activities; and 
• 

Loan concentrations and related credit quality; 
Counterparty credit risk; 
Economic and market conditions; 
Legislative or regulatory mandates; 
Changes in interest rates; 

Reputation risk. 

Our credit risk management oversight process is governed 

centrally, but provides for direct management and accountability 
by our lines of business. Our overall credit process includes 
comprehensive credit policies, disciplined credit underwriting, 
frequent and detailed risk measurement and modeling, extensive 
credit training programs, and a continual loan review and audit 
process. 

A key to our credit risk management is adherence to a well-
controlled underwriting process, which we believe is appropriate 
for the needs of our customers as well as investors who purchase 
the loans or securities collateralized by the loans. 

63 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

Credit Quality Overview  Credit quality in 2020 was affected by 
the economic impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on our 
customer base. In particular: 
•  Nonaccrual loans were $8.7 billion at December 31, 2020, up 

from $5.3 billion at December 31, 2019. Commercial 
nonaccrual loans increased to $4.8 billion at December 31, 
2020, compared with $2.3 billion at December 31, 2019, and 
consumer nonaccrual loans increased to $3.9 billion at 
December 31, 2020, compared with $3.1 billion at 
December 31, 2019. Nonaccrual loans represented 0.98% of 
total loans at December 31, 2020, compared with 0.56% at 
December 31, 2019. 

•  Net loan charge-offs as a percentage of our average 

• 

commercial and consumer loan portfolios were 0.31% and 
0.39%, respectively, in 2020, compared with 0.13% and 
0.48% in 2019. 
Loans that are not government insured/guaranteed and 
90 days or more past due and still accruing were $78 million 
and $612 million in our commercial and consumer portfolios, 
respectively, at December 31, 2020, compared with 
$78 million and $855 million at December 31, 2019. 
•  Our provision for credit losses for loans was $14.0 billion in 

• 

2020, compared with $2.7 billion in 2019. 
The ACL for loans increased to $19.7 billion, or 2.22% of 
total loans, at December 31, 2020, compared with 
$10.5 billion, or 1.09%, at December 31, 2019. 

Additional information on our loan portfolios and our credit 

quality trends follows. 

TROUBLED DEBT RESTRUCTURING RELIEF  The CARES Act provides 
banks optional, temporary relief from accounting for certain loan 
modifications as TDRs. The modifications must be related to the 
adverse effects of COVID-19, and certain other criteria are 
required to be met in order to apply the relief. In first quarter 
2020, we elected to apply the TDR relief provided by the CARES 
Act. On December 27, 2020, the CAA was signed into law which 
extended the expiration of the TDR relief to no later than 
January 1, 2022. 

On April 7, 2020, federal banking regulators issued the 
Interagency Statement on Loan Modifications and Reporting for 
Financial Institutions Working with Customers Affected by the 
Coronavirus (Revised) (the Interagency Statement). The 
Interagency Statement provides additional TDR relief as it 
clarifies that it is not necessary to consider the impact of 
COVID-19 on the financial condition of a borrower in connection 
with short-term (e.g., six months or less) loan modifications 
related to COVID-19 provided the borrower is current at the date 
the modification program is implemented. For additional 
information regarding the TDR relief provided by the CARES Act 
and the clarifying TDR accounting guidance from the Interagency 
Statement, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting 
Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

The TDR relief provided under the CARES Act, as well as 
from the Interagency Statement, does not change our processes 
for monitoring the credit quality of our loan portfolios or for 
updating our measurement of the ACL for loans based on 
expected losses. 

Additionally, our election to apply the TDR relief provided by 

the CARES Act and the Interagency Statement impacts our 
regulatory capital ratios as these loan modifications related to 
COVID-19 are not adjusted to a higher risk-weighting normally 
required with TDR classification. 

64 

COVID-Related Lending Accommodations  During 2020, we 
provided accommodations to customers in response to the 
COVID-19 pandemic, including fee reversals for consumer and 
small business banking customers, and payment deferrals, fee 
waivers, covenant waivers, and other expanded assistance for 
mortgage, credit card, auto, small business, personal and 
commercial lending customers. Certain foreclosure, collection 
and credit bureau reporting activities were also suspended. 
Additionally, we deferred rental payments on certain leased 
assets for which we are the lessor. 

Table 15 summarizes the unpaid principal balance (UPB) of 

consumer loans that received accommodations under loan 
modification programs established to assist customers with the 
economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-related 
modifications) and that remained in a deferral period as of 
December 31, 2020. These amounts included accommodations 
made for customers with loans reported on our consolidated 
balance sheet and excluded accommodations made for 
customers with loans that we service for others. COVID-related 
modifications primarily included payment deferrals of principal, 
interest or both, as well as interest and fee waivers. As of 
December 31, 2020, $1.7 billion of unpaid principal balance of 
commercial loans were still in a deferral period, which 
represented less than 1% of our total outstanding commercial 
loans. 

Customer payment deferral activities instituted in response 

to the COVID-19 pandemic could continue to delay the 
recognition of net charge-offs, delinquencies, and nonaccrual 
status for those customers who would have otherwise moved 
into past due or nonaccrual status. As of December 31, 2020, the 
COVID-related modification programs described in Table 15 
expired, except for the programs for residential mortgage loans. 
However, based on the terms of the modifications provided 
under the programs in Table 15, certain balances may remain in a 
deferral period during 2021. Customers requiring assistance 
after receiving payment deferrals under the programs described 
in Table 15 may be eligible to receive modifications consistent 
with those offered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as 
interest rate reductions, term extensions, or principal 
forgiveness. Additional modifications provided to customers 
after their exit from COVID-related modification programs may 
be eligible for the TDR relief provided by the CARES Act and the 
Interagency Statement. 

As of December 31, 2020, substantially all of our consumer 

loans were current after exiting the deferral period. Customer 
loans that are not further modified upon exit from the deferral 
period may be placed on nonaccrual status or charged-off in 
accordance with our policies if customers are unable to resume 
making payments in accordance with the contractual terms of 
their agreement. See Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting 
Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report for additional 
information on our nonaccrual and charge-off policies. 

Of the total modifications granted during 2020, $6.9 billion 
of unpaid principal balance of consumer loans were classified as 
TDRs as of December 31, 2020, including $4.0 billion that were 
already classified as a TDR when the COVID-related modification 
was granted. 

For information related to loans that are classified as TDRs, 

see Note 4 (Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Table 15:  Consumer Loan Modifications Related to COVID-19 

Unpaid principal 
balance of modified 
loans still in deferral  % of loan 
class (1) 

period at Dec 31, 2020 

% current 
at Dec 31, 
2020 after 
exit from 
deferral 
period (2) 

General program description 

($ in millions) 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – 

first lien 

Residential mortgage – 

junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Subtotal 

Residential mortgage – first 

lien (government 
insured/guaranteed) (3) 

Total consumer 

$ 

$ 

10,544 

 4 % 

1,355 

373 

1,911 

126 

14,309 

15,925 

30,234 

6 

1 

4 

1 

3 

6 

7% 

Initial deferral up to 90 days of scheduled principal and interest, with available 

96  extensions up to a total of 12 months. 

Initial deferral up to 90 days of scheduled principal and interest, with available 

91  extensions up to a total of 12 months. 

Initial 90 day deferral of minimum payment and waiver of interest and fees until June 
2020, then initial or subsequent 60 day deferral of minimum payment and waiver of 
certain fees. Deferrals were limited to an initial period and one subsequent deferral; 

87  these programs are no longer being offered. 

Initial 90 day deferral of scheduled principal and interest, with available extensions of 

91  90 days. This program has expired and deferrals are no longer being offered. 

Revolving lines: Initial 90 day deferral of minimum payment and waiver of interest and 
fees, with available extensions of 60 days. 
Installment loans: Initial 90 day deferral of scheduled principal and interest, with 
available extensions of 90 days. This program has expired and deferrals are no longer 

91  being offered. 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

Based on total loans outstanding at December 31, 2020. 
Represents the UPB of loans that exited the deferral period and had a balance that was less than 30 days past due as of December 31, 2020. 
Represents residential mortgage – first lien loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that were primarily repurchased 
from GNMA loan securitization pools. For additional information on GNMA loan securitization pools, see the “Risk Management – Credit Risk Management – Risks Relating to Servicing Activities” 
section in this Report. FHA/VA loans are entitled to payment deferrals of scheduled principal and interest up to a total of 12 months. 

Significant Loan Portfolio Reviews  Measuring and monitoring 
our credit risk is an ongoing process that tracks delinquencies, 
collateral values, Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) scores, economic 
trends by geographic areas, loan-level risk grading for certain 
portfolios (typically commercial) and other indications of credit 
risk. Our credit risk monitoring process is designed to enable 
early identification of developing risk and to support our 
determination of an appropriate allowance for credit losses. The 
following discussion provides additional characteristics and 
analysis of our significant portfolios. See Note 4 (Loans and 
Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to Financial Statements in 
this Report for more analysis and credit metric information for 
each of the following portfolios. 

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LOANS AND LEASE FINANCING  For 
purposes of portfolio risk management, we aggregate 
commercial and industrial loans and lease financing according 
to market segmentation and standard industry codes. We 
generally subject commercial and industrial loans and lease 
financing to individual risk assessment using our internal 
borrower and collateral quality ratings. Our ratings are aligned to 
regulatory definitions of pass and criticized categories with 
criticized segmented among special mention, substandard, 
doubtful and loss categories. 

We had $19.3 billion of the commercial and industrial loan 
and lease financing portfolio internally classified as criticized in 
accordance with regulatory guidance at December 31, 2020, 
compared with $16.6 billion at December 31, 2019, reflecting 
increases driven by the oil, gas and pipelines, real estate and 
construction, entertainment and recreation, and technology, 
telecom and media categories due to the economic impact of the 
COVID-19 pandemic. 

The majority of our commercial and industrial loans and 
lease financing portfolio is secured by short-term assets, such as 
accounts receivable, inventory and debt securities, as well as 
long-lived assets, such as equipment and other business assets. 
Generally, the primary source of repayment for this portfolio is 
the operating cash flows of customers, with the collateral 
securing this portfolio representing a secondary source of 
repayment. 

The decrease in loan balances in the portfolio at 

December 31, 2020, compared with December 31, 2019, was 
driven by lower loan demand and higher paydowns reflecting 
continued customer liquidity and strength in the capital markets. 
Table 16 provides our commercial and industrial loans and lease 
financing by industry. The industry categories are based on the 
North American Industry Classification System. 

65 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

Table 16:  Commercial and Industrial Loans and Lease Financing by Industry 

(in millions) 

Financials except banks 

Technology, telecom and media 

Real estate and construction 

Retail 

Equipment, machinery and parts manufacturing 

Materials and commodities 

Health care and pharmaceuticals 

Oil, gas and pipelines 

Food and beverage manufacturing 

Auto related 

Commercial services 

Utilities 

Entertainment and recreation 

Transportation services 

Diversified or miscellaneous 

Insurance and fiduciaries 

Banks 

Agribusiness 

Government and education 

Other (2) 

Total 

December 31, 2020 

Nonaccrual 
loans 

Total 
portfolio 

% of 
total 
loans 

Total 
commitments (1) 

Nonaccrual 
loans 

Total 
portfolio 

December 31, 2019 

% of 
total 
loans 

Total 
commitments (1) 

$ 

160 

144 

133 

94 

81 

39 

145 

953 

17 

79 

107 

2 

263 

573 

7 

2 

— 

81 

9 

68 

117,726 

13% 

$ 

206,999 

$ 

112 

117,312 

12%  $ 

200,848 

23,061 

23,113 

17,393 

18,158 

12,071 

15,322 

10,471 

12,401 

11,817 

10,284 

5,031 

9,884 

9,236 

5,437 

3,297 

12,789 

6,314 

5,464 

5,623 

3 

3 

2 

2 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

* 

1 

1 

* 

* 

1 

* 

* 

* 

56,500 

51,526 

41,669 

41,332 

33,879 

32,154 

30,055 

28,908 

25,034 

24,442 

18,564 

17,551 

15,531 

14,717 

14,334 

13,842 

11,642 

11,065 

23,315 

28 

47 

105 

36 

33 

28 

615 

9 

24 

50 

224 

44 

224 

4 

1 

— 

35 

6 

15 

22,447 

22,011 

19,923 

23,457 

16,375 

14,920 

13,562 

14,991 

15,996 

10,455 

5,995 

13,462 

10,957 

4,600 

5,525 

20,070 

7,539 

5,363 

8,996 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

1 

2 

2 

* 

* 

1 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

1% 

53,343 

48,217 

41,938 

42,040 

39,369 

30,168 

35,445 

29,172 

26,310 

22,713 

19,390 

19,854 

17,660 

11,290 

15,596 

20,728 

12,901 

12,267 

21,698 

$ 

2,957 

334,892 

33% 

$ 

713,059 

$ 

1,640 

373,956 

39  % 

$ 

720,947 

Less than 1%. 
* 
(1) 
Total commitments consist of loans outstanding plus unfunded credit commitments, excluding issued letters of credit. 
(2)  No other single industry had total loans in excess of $3.8 billion and $4.7 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 

Loans to financials except banks, our largest industry 

concentration, is predominantly comprised of loans to 
investment firms, financial vehicles, and nonbank creditors. We 
had $80.0 billion and $75.9 billion of loans originated by our 
Asset Backed Finance (ABF) and Financial Institution Group (FIG) 
lines of business at December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, 
respectively. These loans include: (i) loans to customers related 
to their subscription or capital calls, (ii) loans to nonbank lenders 
collateralized by commercial loans, and (iii) loans to originators or 
servicers of financial assets collateralized by residential real 
estate or other consumer loans such as credit cards, auto loans 
and leases, student loans and other financial assets eligible for 
the securitization market. These ABF and FIG loans are limited to 
a percentage of the value of the underlying financial assets 
considering underlying credit risk, asset duration, and ongoing 
performance. These ABF and FIG loans may also have other 
features to manage credit risk such as cross-collateralization, 
credit enhancements, and contractual re-margining of collateral 
supporting the loans. In addition, loans to financials except banks 
included CLOs in loan form, all of which were rated AA or above, 
of $7.9 billion and $7.0 billion at December 31, 2020, and 
December 31, 2019, respectively. 

Oil, gas and pipelines loans included $7.5 billion and 

$9.2 billion of senior secured loans outstanding at December 31, 
2020 and 2019, respectively. Oil, gas and pipelines nonaccrual 
loans increased at December 31, 2020, compared with 
December 31, 2019, due to new downgrades to nonaccrual 
status in 2020. 

We continue to perform escalated credit monitoring for 

certain industries that we consider to be directly and 
most adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Our commercial and industrial loans and lease financing 

portfolio also includes non-U.S. loans of $63.8 billion and 
$71.7 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 

66 

Significant industry concentrations of non-U.S. loans at 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, included: 
• 

$36.2 billion and $31.2 billion in the financials except banks 
category; 
$12.8 billion and $19.9 billion in the banks category; and 
$1.6 billion and $1.5 billion in the oil, gas and pipelines 
category. 

• 
• 

Risk mitigation actions, including the restructuring of 

repayment terms, securing collateral or guarantees, and entering 
into extensions, are based on a re-underwriting of the loan and 
our assessment of the borrower’s ability to perform under the 
agreed-upon terms. Extension terms generally range from six to 
thirty-six months and may require that the borrower provide 
additional economic support in the form of partial repayment, or 
additional collateral or guarantees. In cases where the value of 
collateral or financial condition of the borrower is insufficient to 
repay our loan, we may rely upon the support of an outside 
repayment guarantee in providing the extension. 

Our ability to seek performance under a guarantee is directly 

related to the guarantor’s creditworthiness, capacity and 
willingness to perform, which is evaluated on an annual basis, or 
more frequently as warranted. Our evaluation is based on the 
most current financial information available and is focused on 
various key financial metrics, including net worth, leverage, and 
current and future liquidity. We consider the guarantor’s 
reputation, creditworthiness, and willingness to work with us 
based on our analysis, as well as other lenders’ experience with 
the guarantor. Our assessment of the guarantor’s credit strength 
is reflected in our loan risk ratings for such loans. The loan risk 
rating and accruing status are important factors in our allowance 
for credit losses methodology. 

In considering the accrual status of the loan, we evaluate the 

collateral and future cash flows, as well as the anticipated 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
support of any repayment guarantor. In many cases, the strength 
of the guarantor provides sufficient assurance that full 
repayment of the loan is expected. When full and timely 
collection of the loan becomes uncertain, including the 
performance of the guarantor, we place the loan on nonaccrual 
status. As appropriate, we also charge the loan down in 
accordance with our charge-off policies, generally to the net 
realizable value of the collateral securing the loan, if any. 

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE (CRE)  We generally subject CRE loans 
to individual risk assessment using our internal borrower and 
collateral quality ratings. Our ratings are aligned to regulatory 
definitions of pass and criticized categories with criticized 
segmented among special mention, substandard, doubtful and 
loss categories. We had $12.0 billion of CRE mortgage loans and 
$1.6 billion of CRE construction loans classified as criticized at 
December 31, 2020, compared with $3.8 billion and $187 million, 
respectively, at December 31, 2019. The increase in criticized 
CRE mortgage and CRE construction loans was driven by the 
hotel/motel, shopping center, and retail (excluding shopping 

Table 17:  CRE Loans by State and Property Type 

center) property types and reflected the economic impact of the 
COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the significant uncertainty related 
to the duration and severity of the economic impact of the 
COVID-19 pandemic, the credit quality of certain property types 
within our CRE loan portfolio, such as retail, hotel/motel, office 
buildings, and shopping centers, could continue to be adversely 
affected. 

The total CRE loan portfolio increased $1.8 billion in 2020 
driven by an increase in CRE construction loans predominantly 
related to the apartments property type. The CRE loan portfolio 
included $8.9 billion of non-U.S. CRE loans at December 31, 
2020. The portfolio is diversified both geographically and by 
property type. The largest geographic concentrations of CRE 
loans are in California, New York, Florida and Texas, which 
combined represented 48% of the total CRE portfolio. The 
largest property type concentrations are office buildings at 26% 
and apartments at 19% of the portfolio. Table 17 summarizes 
CRE loans by state and property type with the related nonaccrual 
totals at December 31, 2020. 

December 31, 2020 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Nonaccrual 
loans 

Total 
portfolio 

Nonaccrual 
loans 

Total 
portfolio 

Nonaccrual 
loans 

(in millions) 

By state: 

California 

New York 

Florida 

Texas 

Washington 

North Carolina 

Georgia 

Arizona 

New Jersey 

Colorado 

Other (1) 

Total 

By property: 

Office buildings 

Apartments 

Industrial/warehouse 

Retail (excluding shopping center) 

Hotel/motel 

Shopping center 

Institutional 

Mixed use properties 

Collateral pool 

1-4 family structure 

Other 

Total 

$ 

$ 

$ 

224 

71 

28 

336 

144 

11 

10 

50 

88 

85 

31,356 

12,341 

8,169 

7,823 

3,890 

3,863 

3,989 

3,897 

2,884 

3,120 

727 

40,388 

1,774 

121,720 

272 

30 

86 

283 

267 

588 

72 

98 

— 

— 

78 

34,066 

19,722 

15,666 

13,643 

10,370 

10,479 

4,171 

5,357 

2,691 

8 

5,547 

$ 

1,774 

121,720 

3 

2 

1 

6 

6 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

30 

48 

2 

— 

1 

3 

6 

— 

21 

— 

— 

— 

15 

48 

4,468 

2,030 

1,471 

1,209 

924 

728 

313 

321 

895 

595 

8,851 

21,805 

3,185 

8,187 

1,442 

165 

1,764 

962 

2,521 

835 

279 

1,338 

1,127 

* 
(1) 

Less than 1%. 
Includes 40 states; no state in Other had loans in excess of $3.7 billion. 

Total 

Total 
portfolio 

35,824 

14,371 

9,640 

9,032 

4,814 

4,591 

4,302 

4,218 

3,779 

3,715 

227 

73 

29 

342 

150 

11 

10 

50 

88 

85 

757 

1,822 

49,239 

143,525 

274 

30 

87 

286 

273 

588 

93 

98 

— 

— 

93 

37,251 

27,909 

17,108 

13,808 

12,134 

11,441 

6,692 

6,192 

2,970 

1,346 

6,674 

% of 
total 
loans

 4 % 

2 

1 

1 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

6 

16  % 

 4 % 

3 

2 

2 

1 

1 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

21,805 

1,822 

143,525 

16  % 

67 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

NON-U.S. LOANS  Our classification of non-U.S. loans is based on 
whether the borrower’s primary address is outside of the United 
States. At December 31, 2020, non-U.S. loans totaled 
$72.9 billion, representing approximately 8% of our total 
consolidated loans outstanding, compared with $80.5 billion, or 
approximately 8% of total consolidated loans outstanding, at 
December 31, 2019. Non-U.S. loans were approximately 4% of 
our consolidated total assets at both December 31, 2020 and 
2019. 

COUNTRY RISK EXPOSURE  Our country risk monitoring process 
incorporates centralized monitoring of economic, political, social, 
legal, and transfer risks in countries where we do or plan to do 
business, along with frequent dialogue with our customers, 
counterparties and regulatory agencies. We establish exposure 
limits for each country through a centralized oversight process 
based on customer needs, and through consideration of the 
relevant and distinct risk of each country. We monitor exposures 
closely and adjust our country limits in response to changing 
conditions. We evaluate our individual country risk exposure 
based on our assessment of the borrower’s ability to repay, which 
gives consideration for allowable transfers of risk, such as 
guarantees and collateral, and may be different from the 
reporting based on the borrower’s primary address. 

Table 18:  Select Country Exposures 

Our largest single country exposure outside the U.S., based 
on our assessment of risk at December 31, 2020, was the United 
Kingdom, which totaled $42.1 billion, or approximately 2% of our 
total assets, and included $15.4 billion of sovereign claims. Our 
United Kingdom sovereign claims arise predominantly from 
deposits we have placed with the Bank of England pursuant to 
regulatory requirements in support of our London branch. 

Table 18 provides information regarding our top 20 
exposures by country (excluding the U.S.), based on our 
assessment of risk, which gives consideration to the country of 
any guarantors and/or underlying collateral. With respect to 
Table 18: 
• 

Lending and deposits exposure includes outstanding loans, 
unfunded credit commitments, and deposits with non-U.S. 
banks. These balances are presented prior to the deduction 
of allowance for credit losses or collateral received under the 
terms of the credit agreements, if any. 
Securities exposure represents debt and equity securities of 
non-U.S. issuers. Long and short positions are netted, and 
net short positions are reflected as negative exposure. 
•  Derivatives and other exposure represents foreign exchange 
contracts, derivative contracts, securities resale agreements, 
and securities lending agreements. 

• 

(in millions) 

Top 20 country exposures: 
United Kingdom 

Japan 

Canada 

Ireland (EU) 

Cayman Islands 

Luxembourg (EU) 

Guernsey 

China 

Germany (EU) 

Bermuda 

Netherlands (EU) 

South Korea 

France (EU) 

Switzerland 

Australia 

Brazil 

Singapore 

Norway 

Hong Kong 

United Arab Emirates 

Lending and deposits 

Sovereign 

Non-
sovereign 

$ 

15,366 

20 

3 

1,554 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

23,859 

772 

15,671 

4,652 

6,096 

4,030 

3,753 

2,792 

3,146 

2,927 

2,441 

2,080 

2,098 

1,844 

1,184 

1,387 

603 

1,019 

939 

928 

Securities 

Non-
sovereign 

980 

10 

(120) 

121 

— 

118 

— 

434 

65 

48 

536 

265 

53 

(72) 

319 

2 

370 

13 

(4) 

— 

Sovereign 

— 

16,815 

21 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(10) 

33 

— 

— 

2 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Derivatives and other 

December 31, 2020 

Total exposure 

Sovereign 

Non-
sovereign 

Sovereign 

Non-
sovereign (1) 

8 

— 

2 

— 

— 

— 

— 

115 

4 

— 

— 

— 

115 

— 

— 

1 

— 

— 

3 

— 

1,852 

9 

484 

165 

207 

213 

5 

61 

66 

164 

161 

14 

15 

127 

23 

— 

70 

— 

4 

4 

15,374 

16,835 

26 

1,554 

— 

— 

— 

105 

37 

— 

— 

2 

115 

— 

— 

1 

— 

— 

3 

— 

26,691 

791 

16,035 

4,938 

6,303 

4,361 

3,758 

3,287 

3,277 

3,139 

3,138 

2,359 

2,166 

1,899 

1,526 

1,389 

1,043 

1,032 

939 

932 

Total 

42,065 

17,626 

16,061 

6,492 

6,303 

4,361 

3,758 

3,392 

3,314 

3,139 

3,138 

2,361 

2,281 

1,899 

1,526 

1,390 

1,043 

1,032 

942 

932 

Total top 20 country exposures 

$ 

16,943 

82,221 

16,861 

3,138 

248 

3,644 

34,052 

89,003 

123,055 

(1) 

Total non-sovereign exposure comprised $45.2 billion exposure to financial institutions and $43.8 billion to non-financial corporations at December 31, 2020. 

RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS  Our residential mortgage loan 
portfolio is comprised of 1-4 family first and junior lien mortgage 
loans. Residential mortgage – first lien loans comprised 92% of 
the total residential mortgage loan portfolio at December 31, 
2020, compared with 91% at December 31, 2019. 

The residential mortgage loan portfolio includes some loans 

with adjustable-rate features and some with an interest-only 
feature as part of the loan terms. Interest-only loans were 
approximately 3% of total loans at both December 31, 2020 and 
2019. We believe our origination process appropriately addresses 
our adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) reset risk across our 
residential mortgage loan portfolios and our ACL for loans 
considers this risk. We do not offer option ARM products, nor do 

we offer variable-rate mortgage products with fixed payment 
amounts, commonly referred to within the financial services 
industry as negative amortizing mortgage loans. In connection 
with our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, our residential 
mortgage purchased credit-impaired (PCI) loans, which had a 
carrying value of $568 million, were reclassified as purchased 
credit deteriorated (PCD) loans. PCD loans are generally 
accounted for in the same manner as non-PCD loans. For 
additional information on PCD loans, see Note 1 (Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this 
Report. 

We continue to modify residential mortgage loans to assist 

homeowners and other borrowers experiencing financial 

68 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
difficulties. Loans are generally underwritten at the time of the 
modification in accordance with underwriting guidelines 
established for our loan modification programs. Under these 
programs, we may provide concessions such as interest rate 
reductions, forbearance of principal, and in some cases, principal 
forgiveness. These programs generally include trial payment 
periods of three to four months, and after successful completion 
and compliance with terms during this period, the loan is 
permanently modified. Loans included under these programs are 
accounted for as TDRs at the start of the trial period or at the 
time of permanent modification, if no trial period is used. See the 
“Critical Accounting Policies – Allowance for Credit Losses” 
section in this Report for discussion on how we determine the 
ACL attributable to our modified residential mortgage loan 
portfolios. For additional information on customer 
accommodations, including loan modifications, in response to 
the COVID-19 pandemic, see the “Risk Management – Credit 
Risk Management – COVID-Related Lending Accommodations” 
section in this Report. 

We monitor changes in real estate values and underlying 
economic or market conditions for all geographic areas of our 
residential mortgage portfolios as part of our credit risk 
management process. Our underwriting and periodic review of 
loans and lines secured by residential real estate collateral 
includes original appraisals adjusted for the change in Home Price 
Index (HPI) or estimates from automated valuation models 
(AVMs) to support property values. AVMs are computer-based 
tools used to estimate the market value of homes. AVMs are a 
lower-cost alternative to appraisals and support valuations of 
large numbers of properties in a short period of time using 
market comparables and price trends for local market areas. The 
primary risk associated with the use of AVMs is that the value of 
an individual property may vary significantly from the average for 

Table 19:  Residential Mortgage Loans by State 

($ in millions) 

Residential mortgage loans: 

California (1) 

New York 

New Jersey 

Florida 

Washington 

Texas 

Virginia 

North Carolina 

Colorado 

Other (2) 

Government insured/guaranteed loans (3) 

Total 

the market area. We have processes to periodically validate 
AVMs and specific risk management guidelines addressing the 
circumstances when AVMs may be used. AVMs are not allowed in 
residential mortgage origination underwriting. Broker 
evaluations and enhanced desktop appraisal reports are allowed 
in junior lien originations and some first lien line of credit 
originations up to $250,000. An appraisal is required for all 
residential mortgage commitments greater than $250,000. 
Additional information about appraisals, AVMs, and our policy for 
their use can be found in Note 4 (Loans and Related Allowance 
for Credit Losses) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Part of our credit monitoring includes tracking delinquency, 
current FICO scores and loan/combined loan to collateral values 
(LTV/CLTV) on the entire residential mortgage loan portfolio. 
Excluding government insured/guaranteed loans, these credit 
risk indicators on the residential mortgage portfolio were: 
• 

Loans 30 days or more delinquent at December 31, 2020, 
totaled $4.7 billion, or 2% of total mortgages, compared 
with $3.0 billion, or 1%, at December 31, 2019. Customer 
payment deferral activities instituted in response to the 
COVID-19 pandemic could continue to delay the recognition 
of delinquencies; 
Loans with FICO scores lower than 640 totaled $5.6 billion, 
or 2% of total mortgages at December 31, 2020, compared 
with $7.6 billion, or 2%, at December 31, 2019; and 
•  Mortgages with a LTV/CLTV greater than 100% totaled 

• 

$1.6 billion at December 31, 2020, or 1% of total mortgages, 
compared with $2.5 billion, or 1%, at December 31, 2019. 

Information regarding credit quality indicators can be found 

in Note 4 (Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. Residential mortgage loans 
by state are presented in Table 19. 

Residential 
mortgage – 
first lien 

Residential 
mortgage – 
junior lien 

Total 
residential 
mortgage 

% of 
total 
loans 

December 31, 2020 

$ 

104,260 

31,028 

12,073 

10,623 

9,094 

7,775 

6,811 

4,986 

5,361 

54,423 

30,240 

6,237 

1,271 

2,258 

2,119 

505 

468 

1,355 

1,102 

488 

7,483 

— 

110,497 

12  % 

32,299 

14,331 

12,742 

9,599 

8,243 

8,166 

6,088 

5,849 

61,906 

30,240 

4 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

7 

 3 

34  % 

$ 

276,674 

23,286 

299,960 

(1)  Our residential mortgage loans to borrowers in California are located predominantly within the larger metropolitan areas, with no single California metropolitan area consisting of more than 4% of 

total loans. 
Consists of 41 states; no state in Other had loans in excess of $5.8 billion. 
Represents loans whose repayments are predominantly insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

(2) 
(3) 

Residential Mortgage – First Lien Portfolio  Our total residential 
mortgage – first lien portfolio decreased $17.2 billion in 2020, 
driven by loan paydowns as a result of the low interest rate 
environment, partially offset by mortgage loan originations of 
$57.6 billion and our repurchase of $30.0 billion of loans from 
GNMA loan securitization pools. 

Table 20 shows certain delinquency and loss information for 

the residential mortgage – first lien portfolio and lists the top 
five states by outstanding balance. 

69 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

Table 20:  Residential Mortgage – First Lien Portfolio Performance 

($ in millions) 

California 

New York 

New Jersey 

Florida 

Washington 

Other 

Total 

Government insured/guaranteed loans 

PCI (1) 

Outstanding balance 

December 31, 

2020 

2019 

$ 

104,260 

118,256 

31,028 

12,073 

10,623 

9,094 

79,356 

246,434 

30,240 

N/A 

31,336 

14,113 

11,804 

10,863 

95,750 

282,122 

11,170 

555 

% of loans 30 days 
or more past due 

Loss (recovery) rate 

December 31, 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

1.00  % 

1.40 

1.92 

2.56 

0.66 

1.60 

1.34 

2019 

0.48 

0.83 

1.40 

1.81 

0.29 

1.20 

0.86 

2020 

(0.01) 

0.01 

— 

— 

(0.01) 

0.01 

— 

2019 

(0.02) 

0.02 

0.02 

(0.06) 

(0.02) 

(0.02) 

(0.02) 

Total first mortgage portfolio 

$ 

276,674 

293,847 

(1) 

In connection with our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, PCI loans were reclassified as PCD loans and are therefore included with other non-PCD loans in this table. For additional information, see 
Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Residential Mortgage – Junior Lien Portfolio  The residential 
mortgage – junior lien portfolio consists of residential mortgage 
lines and loans that are subordinate in rights to an existing lien on 
the same property. It is not unusual for these lines and loans to 
have draw periods, interest-only payments, balloon payments, 
adjustable rates and similar features. Junior lien loan products are 
primarily amortizing payment loans with fixed interest rates and 
repayment periods between five to 30 years. We continuously 
monitor the credit performance of our residential mortgage – 
junior lien portfolio for trends and factors that influence the 

frequency and severity of losses, such as residential mortgage – 
junior lien performance when the residential mortgage – first lien 
loan is delinquent. 

The decrease in the residential mortgage – junior lien 
portfolio at December 31, 2020, compared with December 31, 
2019, predominantly reflected loan paydowns. Beginning in 
second quarter 2020, we suspended the origination of residential 
mortgage – junior lien loans. Table 21 shows certain delinquency 
and loss information for the residential mortgage – junior lien 
portfolio and lists the top five states by outstanding balance. 

Table 21:  Residential Mortgage – Junior Lien Portfolio Performance 

Outstanding balance 

December 31, 

% of loans 30 days 
or more past due 

Loss (recovery) rate 

December 31, 

Year ended December 31, 

(in millions) 

California 

New Jersey 

Florida 

Pennsylvania 

Virginia 

Other 

Total 

PCI (1) 

$ 

2020 

6,237 

2,258 

2,119 

1,377 

1,355 

9,940 

23,286 

N/A 

Total junior lien mortgage portfolio 

$ 

23,286 

2020 

2.20  % 

2.84 

3.06 

2.30 

2.41 

2.31 

2.41 

2019 

1.62 

2.74 

2.93 

2.16 

1.97 

2.05 

2.07 

2020 

(0.35) 

(0.02) 

(0.14) 

(0.15) 

(0.10) 

(0.19) 

(0.21) 

2019 

(0.44) 

0.07 

(0.09) 

(0.10) 

(0.02) 

(0.18) 

(0.21) 

2019 

8,054 

2,744 

2,600 

1,674 

1,712 

12,712 

29,496 

13 

29,509 

(1) 

In connection with our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, PCI loans were reclassified as PCD loans and are therefore included with other non-PCD loans in this table. For additional information, see 
Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

CLTV represents the ratio of the total loan balance of first 

and junior lien mortgages (including unused line amounts for 
credit line products) to property collateral value. For additional 
information on consumer loans by LTV/CLTV, see Table 4.12 in 
Note 4 (Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. 

As of December 31, 2020, with respect to loans in the 
residential mortgage – junior lien portfolio that had a CLTV ratio 
in excess of 100%: 
• 

such loans totaled 3% of the outstanding balance of the 
residential mortgage – junior lien portfolio; 
3% were 30 days or more past due. Customer payment 
deferral activities instituted in response to the COVID-19 
pandemic could continue to delay the recognition of 
delinquencies; and 
the unsecured portion (the outstanding amount that was in 
excess of the most recent property collateral value) of the 
outstanding balances of these loans totaled 1% of the 
residential mortgage – junior lien portfolio. 

• 

• 

70 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Residential Mortgage – Junior Lien Line and Loan and 
Residential Mortgage – First Lien Line  Our junior lien, as well as 
first lien, lines of credit portfolios generally have draw periods of 
10, 15 or 20 years with variable interest rate and payment 
options available during the draw period of (1) interest-only or 
(2) 1.5% of outstanding principal balance plus accrued interest. 
As of December 31, 2020, lines of credit in a draw period 
primarily used the interest-only option. 

During the draw period, the borrower has the option of 
converting all or a portion of the line from a variable interest rate 
to a fixed rate with terms including interest-only payments for a 
fixed period between three to seven years or a fully amortizing 
payment with a fixed period between five to 30 years. At the end 
of the draw period, a line of credit generally converts to an 
amortizing payment schedule with repayment terms of up to 
30 years based on the balance at time of conversion. Certain lines 
and loans have been structured with a balloon payment, which 
requires full repayment of the outstanding balance at the end of 
the term period. The conversion of lines or loans to fully 
amortizing or balloon payoff may result in a significant payment 

increase, which can affect some borrowers’ ability to repay the 
outstanding balance. 

The lines that enter their amortization period may 

experience higher delinquencies and higher loss rates than the 
ones in their draw or term period. We have considered this 
increased risk in our ACL for loans estimate. 

In anticipation of our borrowers reaching the end of their 
contractual commitment, we have created a program to inform, 
educate and help these borrowers transition from interest-only 
to fully-amortizing payments or full repayment. We monitor the 
performance of the borrowers moving through the program in an 
effort to refine our ongoing program strategy. 

Table 22 reflects the outstanding balance of our portfolio of 
residential mortgage – junior liens, including lines and loans, and 
residential mortgage – first lien lines segregated into scheduled 
end of draw or end-of-term periods and products that are 
currently amortizing, or in balloon repayment status. The 
unfunded credit commitments for residential mortgage – junior 
and first lien lines totaled $53.6 billion at December 31, 2020. 

Table 22:  Residential Mortgage – Junior Lien Line and Loan and Residential Mortgage – First Lien Line Portfolios Payment Schedule 

Outstanding balance 

Scheduled end of draw/term 

2026 and 

($ in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

2021 

Residential mortgage – junior lien lines and loans  $ 

Residential mortgage – first lien lines 

Total 

% of portfolios 

$ 

23,286 

8,879 

32,165 

100  %

622 

324 

946 

 3

2022 

2,651 

1,367 

4,018 

12 

2023 

1,808 

1,032 

2,840 

9

2024 

1,443 

805 

2,248 

 7

2025 

thereafter (1) 

Amortizing (2) 

2,394 

1,098 

3,492 

11 

7,247 

2,762 

10,009 

31 

7,121 

1,491 

8,612 

27 

(1) 

(2) 

Substantially all lines and loans are scheduled to convert to amortizing loans by the end of 2030, with annual scheduled amounts through 2030 ranging from $1.1 billion to $3.8 billion and averaging 
$2.0 billion per year. 
Includes $63 million of end-of-term balloon payments which were past due. 

At December 31, 2020, $381 million, or 2%, of lines in their 

draw period were 30 days or more past due, compared with 
$378 million, or 5%, of amortizing lines of credit. Customer 
payment deferral activities instituted in response to the 
COVID-19 pandemic could continue to delay the recognition of 
delinquencies. On a monthly basis, we monitor the payment 
characteristics of borrowers in our residential mortgage – first 
and junior lien lines of credit portfolios. In December 2020, 
excluding borrowers with COVID-related loan modification 
payment deferrals: 
• 

Approximately 43% of these borrowers paid only the 
minimum amount due and approximately 51% paid more 
than the minimum amount due. The rest were either 
delinquent or paid less than the minimum amount due. 
For the borrowers with an interest-only payment feature, 
approximately 28% paid only the minimum amount due and 
approximately 66% paid more than the minimum amount 
due. 

• 

Table 23:  Credit Card, Auto, and Other Consumer Loans 

December 31, 2020 
% of 
total 
loans 

Outstanding 
balance 

December 31, 2019 

Outstanding 
balance 

% of 
total 
loans

$ 

36,664 

4.13% 

$ 

41,013 

4.26% 

48,187 

24,409 

5.43 

2.75 

47,873 

34,304 

4.98 

3.56 

($ in millions) 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer (1) 

Total 

$ 

109,260 

12.31% 

$ 

123,190 

12.80% 

(1)  Other consumer loans primarily included securities-based loans. 

CREDIT CARDS  The decrease in the outstanding balance at 
December 31, 2020, compared with December 31, 2019, was 
driven by changes in consumer spending due to the economic 
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

AUTO  The outstanding balance at December 31, 2020, compared 
with December 31, 2019, was flat as originations of $22.8 billion 
in 2020 were offset by paydowns. 

OTHER CONSUMER  The decrease in the outstanding balance at 
December 31, 2020, compared with December 31, 2019, was 
driven by $9.8 billion of student loans transferred to loans held 
for sale after the announced sale of our student loan portfolio in 
fourth quarter 2020. 

71 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

NONPERFORMING ASSETS (NONACCRUAL LOANS AND FORECLOSED 
ASSETS)  We generally place loans on nonaccrual status when: 
• 

the full and timely collection of interest or principal becomes 
uncertain (generally based on an assessment of the 
borrower’s financial condition and the adequacy of collateral, 
if any), such as in bankruptcy or other circumstances; 
they are 90 days (120 days with respect to residential 
mortgages) past due for interest or principal, unless the loan 
is both well-secured and in the process of collection or the 
loan is in an active payment deferral as a result of the 
COVID-19 pandemic; 
part of the principal balance has been charged off; or 
for junior lien mortgages, we have evidence that the related 
first lien mortgage may be 120 days past due or in the 
process of foreclosure regardless of the junior lien 
delinquency status. 

• 

• 
• 

Customer payment deferral activities instituted in response 

to the COVID-19 pandemic could continue to delay the 
recognition of nonaccrual loans for those customers who would 
have otherwise moved into nonaccrual status. For additional 
information on customer accommodations, including loan 
modifications, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, see the 
“Risk Management – Credit Risk Management – COVID-Related 
Lending Accommodations” section in this Report. 

Consumer credit card loans are not placed on nonaccrual 
status, but are generally fully charged off when the loan reaches 
180 days past due. 

Table 24 summarizes nonperforming assets (NPAs) for each 

of the last five years. 

Table 24:  Nonperforming Assets (Nonaccrual Loans and Foreclosed Assets) 

(in millions) 

Nonaccrual loans: 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer:

Residential mortgage – first lien (1) 

Residential mortgage – junior lien (1) 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total nonaccrual loans (2)(3) 

As a percentage of total loans 

Foreclosed assets: 

Government insured/guaranteed (4) 

Non-government insured/guaranteed 

Total foreclosed assets 

Total nonperforming assets 

As a percentage of total loans 

2020 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

December 31, 

$ 

$ 

$ 

2,698 

1,774 

48 

259 

4,779

2,957 

754 

202 

36 

3,949 

8,728 

0.98  % 

18 

141 

159

$

8,887

1.00  % 

1,545 

573 

41 

95 

1,486 

580 

32 

90 

1,899 

628 

37 

76 

3,199 

685 

43 

115 

2,254

2,188

2,640

4,042

2,150 

3,183 

796 

106 

40 

3,092 

5,346 

0.56 

50 

253 

303

5,649

0.59 

945 

130 

50 

4,308 

6,496 

0.68 

88 

363 

451

6,947

0.73 

3,732 

1,086 

130 

58 

5,006 

7,646 

0.80 

120 

522 

642

8,288

0.87 

4,516 

1,206 

106 

51 

5,879 

9,921 

1.03 

197 

781 

978

10,899

1.13 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

Residential mortgage loans predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA are not placed on nonaccrual status because they are insured or guaranteed. 
Financial information for periods prior to December 31, 2018, has been revised to exclude LHFS and loans held at fair value of $390 million and $463 million at December 31, 2017, and 2016, 
respectively. 
Prior to January 1, 2020, PCI loans were excluded from nonaccrual loans because they continued to earn interest income from accretable yield, independent of performance in accordance with their 
contractual terms. However, as a result of our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, $275 million of residential mortgage loans were reclassified from PCI to PCD loans, and as a result, were also 
classified as nonaccrual loans given their contractual delinquency. For additional information on PCD loans, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this 
Report. 
Consistent with regulatory reporting requirements, foreclosed real estate resulting from government insured/guaranteed loans are classified as nonperforming. Both principal and interest related to 
these foreclosed real estate assets are collectible because the loans were predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. Receivables related to the foreclosure of certain government 
guaranteed real estate mortgage loans are excluded from this table and included in Accounts Receivable in Other Assets. For more information on the classification of certain government-
guaranteed mortgage loans upon foreclosure, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

The increase in commercial nonaccrual loans at 

The increase in consumer nonaccrual loans at December 31, 

December 31, 2020, compared with December 31, 2019, was 
driven by: 
• 

an increase in commercial and industrial loans in the oil and 
gas, transportation services, and entertainment and 
recreation portfolios; and 
an increase in commercial real estate mortgage loans in 
hotel/motel, shopping center, and office buildings property 
types reflecting the economic impact of the COVID-19 
pandemic. 

• 

72 

2020, compared with December 31, 2019, was driven by: 
• 

an increase in residential mortgage loans driven by COVID-
related payment deferral programs that were classified as 
nonaccrual because they did not qualify for legislative or 
regulatory relief; and 
the implementation of CECL, which required PCI loans to be 
classified as nonaccruing based on performance. 

• 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 25 provides a summary of nonperforming assets 

during 2020. 

Table 25:  Nonperforming Assets by Quarter During 2020 

(in millions) 

Nonaccrual loans: 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien (1) 

Residential mortgage – junior lien (1) 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total nonaccrual loans 

Foreclosed assets: 

Government insured/guaranteed (2) 

Non-government insured/guaranteed 

Total foreclosed assets 

Total nonperforming assets 

Change in NPAs from prior quarter 

December 31, 2020 

September 30, 2020 

June 30, 2020 

March 31, 2020 

Balance 

% of 
total 
loans 

Balance 

% of 
total 
loans 

Balance 

% of 
total 
loans 

Balance 

% of 
total 
loans 

$ 

$ 

$ 

2,698 

1,774 

48 

259 

4,779 

2,957 

754 

202 

36 

3,949 

8,728 

18 

141 

159 

8,887 

709 

0.88  % 

$ 

1.10 

0.15 

1.10 

0.91 

0.90 

3.05 

0.36 

0.12 

0.83 

0.87 

0.85  % 

$ 

1.46 

0.22 

1.61 

1.00 

1.07 

3.24 

0.42 

0.15 

0.97 

0.98 

2,834 

1,343 

34 

187 

4,398 

2,641 

767 

176 

40 

3,624 

8,022 

22 

134 

156 

1.00  % 

$ 

8,178 

0.89  % 

$ 

378 

2,896 

1,217 

34 

138 

4,285 

2,393 

753 

129 

45 

3,320 

7,605 

31 

164 

195 

7,800 

1,392 

0.83  % 

$ 

1,779 

0.44  % 

0.98 

0.16 

0.79 

0.83 

0.86 

2.81 

0.26 

0.14 

0.79 

0.81 

0.77 

0.10 

0.68 

0.51 

0.81 

2.70 

0.20 

0.12 

0.74 

0.61 

944 

21 

131 

2,875 

2,372 

769 

99 

41 

3,281 

6,156 

43 

209 

252 

0.83  % 

$ 

6,408 

0.63  % 

759 

(1) 
(2) 

Residential mortgage loans predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA are not placed on nonaccrual status because they are insured or guaranteed. 
Consistent with regulatory reporting requirements, foreclosed real estate resulting from government insured/guaranteed loans are classified as nonperforming. Both principal and interest related to 
these foreclosed real estate assets are collectible because the loans were predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. Receivables related to the foreclosure of certain government 
guaranteed real estate mortgage loans are excluded from this table and included in Accounts Receivable in Other Assets. For additional information on foreclosed assets, see Note 1 (Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Table 26 provides an analysis of the changes in nonaccrual 

loans. Typically, changes to nonaccrual loans period-over-period 
represent inflows for loans that are placed on nonaccrual status 
in accordance with our policies, offset by reductions for loans 

that are paid down, charged off, sold, foreclosed, or are no longer 
classified as nonaccrual as a result of continued performance and 
an improvement in the borrower’s financial condition and loan 
repayment capabilities. 

Table 26:  Analysis of Changes in Nonaccrual Loans 

Quarter ended 

Year ended Dec 31, 

$ 

(in millions) 

Commercial nonaccrual loans 
Balance, beginning of period 

Inflows 

Outflows: 

Returned to accruing 

Foreclosures 

Charge-offs 

Payments, sales and other 

Total outflows 

Balance, end of period 

Consumer nonaccrual loans 
Balance, beginning of period 

Inflows (1) 

Outflows: 

Returned to accruing 

Foreclosures 

Charge-offs 

Payments, sales and other 

Total outflows 

Balance, end of period 

Total nonaccrual loans 

$ 

Dec 31, 
2020 

4,398 

1,696 

(99) 

(37) 

(367) 

(812) 

(1,315) 

4,779 

3,624 

792 

(208) 

(5) 

(36) 

(218) 

(467) 

3,949 

8,728 

Sep 30, 
2020 

Jun 30, 
2020 

Mar 31, 
2020 

4,285 

1,316 

(166) 

— 

(382) 

(655) 

(1,203) 

4,398 

3,320 

696 

(160) 

(4) 

(36) 

(192) 

(392) 

3,624 

8,022 

2,875 

2,741 

(64) 

— 

(560) 

(707) 

(1,331) 

4,285 

3,281 

379 

(135) 

(6) 

(39) 

(160) 

(340) 

3,320 

7,605 

2,254 

1,479 

(56) 

— 

(360) 

(442) 

(858) 

2,875 

3,092 

749 

(254) 

(21) 

(48) 

(237) 

(560) 

3,281 

6,156 

2020 

2,254 

7,232 

(385) 

(37) 

(1,669) 

(2,616) 

(4,707) 

4,779 

3,092 

2,616 

(757) 

(36) 

(159) 

(807) 

(1,759) 

3,949 

8,728 

(1) 

In connection with our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, we classified $275 million of PCD loans as nonaccruing based on performance. 

2019 

2,188 

3,221 

(265) 

(95) 

(740) 

(2,055) 

(3,155) 

2,254 

4,308 

1,910 

(999) 

(137) 

(172) 

(1,818) 

(3,126) 

3,092 

5,346 

73 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

We believe exposure to loss on nonaccrual loans is mitigated 

• 

by the following factors at December 31, 2020: 
• 

95% of total commercial nonaccrual loans and 99% of total 
consumer nonaccrual loans are secured. Of the consumer 
nonaccrual loans, 94% are secured by real estate and 91% 
have a combined LTV (CLTV) ratio of 80% or less. 
losses of $732 million and $1.0 billion have already been 
recognized on 19% of commercial nonaccrual loans and 31% 
of consumer nonaccrual loans, respectively, in accordance 
with our charge-off policies. Once we write down loans to 
the net realizable value (fair value of collateral less estimated 
costs to sell), we re-evaluate each loan regularly and record 
additional write-downs if needed. 
77% of commercial nonaccrual loans were current on 
interest and 70% of commercial nonaccrual loans were 
current on both principal and interest, but were on 
nonaccrual status because the full or timely collection of 
interest or principal had become uncertain. 
of the $1.2 billion of consumer loans in bankruptcy or 
discharged in bankruptcy, and classified as nonaccrual, 
$747 million were current. 

• 

• 

• 

the remaining risk of loss of all nonaccrual loans has been 
considered in developing our allowance for loan losses. 

If interest due on all nonaccrual loans (including loans that 

were, but are no longer on nonaccrual status at year end) had 
been accrued under the original terms, approximately 
$329 million of interest would have been recorded as income on 
these loans, compared with $303 million actually recorded as 
interest income in 2020, versus $361 million and $316 million, 
respectively, in 2019. 

We continue to work with our customers experiencing 
financial difficulty to determine if they can qualify for a loan 
modification. Under our proprietary modification programs, 
customers may be required to provide updated documentation, 
and some programs require completion of payment during trial 
periods to demonstrate sustained performance before the loan 
can be removed from nonaccrual status. 

Table 27 provides a summary of foreclosed assets and an 

analysis of changes in foreclosed assets. 

Table 27:  Foreclosed Assets 

(in millions) 

Summary by loan segment 

Government insured/guaranteed 

Commercial 

Consumer 

Total foreclosed assets 

Analysis of changes in foreclosed assets 

Balance, beginning of period 

Net change in government insured/guaranteed (1) 

Additions to foreclosed assets (2) 

Reductions: 

Sales 

Write-downs and gains (losses) on sales 

Total reductions 

Balance, end of period 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Sep 30, 
2020 

Jun 30, 
2020 

Mar 31, 
2020 

2020 

2019 

Quarter ended 

Year ended Dec 31, 

$ 

$ 

$ 

18 

70 

71 

159 

156 

(4) 

114 

(104) 

(3) 

(107)

159 

22 

39 

95 

156 

195 

(9) 

60 

(88) 

(2) 

(90)

156 

31 

45 

119 

195 

252 

(12) 

51 

(98) 

2 

(96)

195 

$ 

43 

49 

160 

252 

303 

$ 

(7) 

107 

(154) 

3 

(151)

252 

$ 

18 

70 

71 

159 

303 

(32) 

332 

(444) 

— 

(444)

159 

50 

62 

191 

303 

451 

(38) 

698 

(809) 

1 

(808)

303 

(1) 
(2) 

Foreclosed government insured/guaranteed loans are temporarily transferred to and held by us as servicer, until reimbursement is received from FHA or VA. 
Includes loans moved into foreclosed assets from nonaccrual status and repossessed autos. 

Foreclosed assets at December 31, 2020, included 

As part of our actions to support customers during the 

$73 million of foreclosed residential real estate, of which 24% is 
predominantly FHA insured or VA guaranteed and expected to 
have minimal or no loss content. The remaining amount of 
foreclosed assets has been written down to estimated net 
realizable value. Of the $159 million in foreclosed assets at 
December 31, 2020, 55% have been in the foreclosed assets 
portfolio for one year or less. 

COVID-19 pandemic, we have temporarily suspended certain 
mortgage foreclosure activities, which has affected the amount 
of our foreclosed assets. For additional information on loans in 
process of foreclosure, see Note 4 (Loans and Related Allowance 
for Credit Losses) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

74 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TROUBLED DEBT RESTRUCTURINGS (TDRs)  Table 28 and Table 29 
provide information regarding the recorded investment of loans 
modified in TDRs. 

Table 28:  TDR Balances 

(in millions) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial TDRs 

Consumer:

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Trial modifications 

Total consumer TDRs 

Total TDRs 

TDRs on nonaccrual status 

TDRs on accrual status: 

Government insured/guaranteed 

Non-government insured/guaranteed 

Total TDRs 

2020 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

December 31, 

$ 

$ 

$ 

1,933 

774 

15 

9 

2,731

9,764 

1,237 

458 

176 

67 

90 

11,792

14,523 

4,456 

3,721 

6,346 

$ 

14,523 

1,183 

669 

36 

13 

1,623 

704 

39 

56 

2,096 

901 

44 

35 

2,584 

1,119 

91 

6 

1,901

2,422

3,076

3,800

7,589 

1,407 

520 

81 

170 

115 

9,882

11,783 

2,833 

1,190 

7,760 

11,783 

10,629 

1,639 

449 

89 

154 

149 

13,109

15,531 

4,058 

1,299 

10,174 

15,531 

12,080 

1,849 

356 

87 

126 

194 

14,692

17,768 

4,801 

1,359 

11,608 

17,768 

14,134 

2,074 

300 

85 

101 

299 

16,993

20,793 

6,193 

1,526 

13,074 

20,793 

TDRs at December 31, 2020, increased, compared with 
December 31, 2019, due to higher loan modifications as a result 
of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our 

customers. The amount of our TDRs at December 31, 2020, 
would have otherwise been higher without the TDR relief 
provided by the CARES Act and Interagency Statement. 

Table 29:  TDRs Balance by Quarter During 2020 

(in millions) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial TDRs 

Consumer:

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Trial modifications 

Total consumer TDRs 

Total TDRs 

TDRs on nonaccrual status 

TDRs on accrual status: 

Government insured/guaranteed 

Non-government insured/guaranteed 

Total TDRs 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Sep 30, 
2020 

Jun 30, 
2020 

Mar 31, 
2020

$ 

$ 

$ 

1,933 

774 

15 

9 

2,731 

9,764 

1,237 

458 

176 

67 

90 

11,792 

14,523 

4,456 

3,721 

6,346 

$ 

14,523 

2,082 

805 

21 

9 

1,882 

717 

20 

10 

1,302 

697 

33 

10 

2,917 

2,629 

2,042 

9,420 

1,298 

494 

156 

190 

91 

11,649 

14,566 

4,163 

3,467 

6,936 

14,566 

7,176 

1,309 

510 

108 

173 

91 

9,367 

11,996 

3,475 

1,277 

7,244 

11,996 

7,284 

1,356 

527 

76 

172 

108 

9,523 

11,565 

2,846 

1,157 

7,562 

11,565 

75 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
  
 
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

In those situations where principal is forgiven, the entire 
amount of such forgiveness is immediately charged off. When we 
delay the timing on the repayment of a portion of principal 
(principal forbearance), we charge off the amount of forbearance 
if that amount is not considered fully collectible. The allowance 
for loan losses for TDRs was $565 million and $1.0 billion at 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As part of our 
actions to support customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, 
we have provided borrowers relief in the form of loan 
modifications. Under the CARES Act and the Interagency 
Statement, loan modifications related to the COVID-19 
pandemic will not be classified as TDRs if they meet certain 
eligibility criteria. For additional information on the CARES Act 
and the Interagency Statement, see the “Risk Management – 
Credit Risk Management – Credit Quality Overview – Troubled 
Debt Restructuring Relief” section in this Report. 

Our nonaccrual policies are generally the same for all loan 

types when a restructuring is involved. We typically 
re-underwrite loans at the time of restructuring to determine 
whether there is sufficient evidence of sustained repayment 
capacity based on the borrower’s documented income, debt to 
income ratios, and other factors. Loans lacking sufficient 
evidence of sustained repayment capacity at the time of 

Table 30:  Analysis of Changes in TDRs 

modification are charged down to the fair value of the collateral, 
if applicable. For an accruing loan that has been modified, if the 
borrower has demonstrated performance under the previous 
terms and the underwriting process shows the capacity to 
continue to perform under the restructured terms, the loan will 
generally remain in accruing status. Otherwise, the loan will be 
placed in nonaccrual status and may be returned to accruing 
status when the borrower demonstrates a sustained period of 
performance, generally six consecutive months of payments, or 
equivalent, inclusive of consecutive payments made prior to 
modification. Loans will also be placed on nonaccrual status, and 
a corresponding charge-off is recorded to the loan balance, when 
we believe that principal and interest contractually due under the 
modified agreement will not be collectible. See Note 4 (Loans 
and Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to Financial Statements 
in this Report for additional information regarding TDRs. 

Table 30 provides an analysis of the changes in TDRs. Loans 
modified more than once as a TDR are reported as inflows only in 
the period they are first modified. In addition to foreclosures, 
sales and transfers to held for sale, we may remove loans from 
TDR classification, but only if they have been refinanced or 
restructured at market terms and qualify as a new loan. 

(in millions) 

Commercial TDRs 

Balance, beginning of period 

$ 

Inflows (1) 

Outflows 

Charge-offs 

Foreclosure 

Payments, sales and other (2) 

Balance, end of period 

Consumer TDRs 

Balance, beginning of period 

Inflows (1) 

Outflows 

Charge-offs 

Foreclosure 

Payments, sales and other (2) 

Net change in trial modifications (3) 

Balance, end of period 

Total TDRs 

$ 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Sep 30, 
2020 

Jun 30, 
2020 

Mar 31, 
2020 

2020 

2019 

Quarter ended 

Year ended Dec 31, 

2,917 

486 

(72) 

— 

(600) 

2,731 

11,649 

1,226 

(57) 

(5) 

(1,020) 

(1) 

11,792 

14,523 

2,629 

866 

(77) 

— 

(501) 

2,917 

9,367 

2,805 

(58) 

(7) 

(458) 

— 

2,042 

971 

(60) 

— 

(324) 

2,629 

9,523 

425 

(46) 

(8) 

(510) 

(17) 

1,901 

452 

(56) 

— 

(255) 

2,042 

9,882 

312 

(63) 

(57) 

(544) 

(7) 

11,649 

14,566 

9,367 

11,996 

9,523 

11,565 

1,901 

2,775 

(265) 

— 

(1,680) 

2,731 

9,882 

4,768 

(224) 

(77) 

(2,532) 

(25) 

11,792 

14,523 

2,422 

1,540 

(195) 

(1) 

(1,865) 

1,901 

13,109 

1,485 

(234) 

(290) 

(4,154) 

(34) 

9,882 

11,783 

(1) 

Inflows include loans that modify, even if they resolve within the period, as well as gross advances on term loans that modified in a prior period and net advances on revolving TDRs that modified in a 
prior period. 

(2)  Other outflows include normal amortization/accretion of loan basis adjustments and loans transferred to held for sale. Occasionally, loans that have been refinanced or restructured at market terms 

qualify as new loans, which are also included as other outflows. 

(3)  Net change in trial modifications includes: inflows of new TDRs entering the trial payment period, net of outflows for modifications that either (i) successfully perform and enter into a permanent 

modification, or (ii) did not successfully perform according to the terms of the trial period plan and are subsequently charged-off, foreclosed upon or otherwise resolved. 

76 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
LOANS 90 DAYS OR MORE PAST DUE AND STILL ACCRUING  Loans 
90 days or more past due are still accruing if they are (1) well-
secured and in the process of collection or (2) residential 
mortgage loans or consumer loans exempt under regulatory 
rules from being classified as nonaccrual until later delinquency, 
usually 120 days past due. Prior to January 1, 2020, PCI loans 
were excluded from loans 90 days or more past due and still 

accruing loans because they continued to earn interest income 
from accretable yield, independent of performance in accordance 
with their contractual terms. In connection with our adoption of 
CECL, PCI loans were reclassified as PCD loans and classified as 
accruing or nonaccruing based on performance. 

Table 31 reflects loans 90 days or more past due and still 
accruing by class for loans not government insured/guaranteed. 

Table 31:  Loans 90 Days or More Past Due and Still Accruing (1) 

(in millions) 

Total (2): 

Less: FHA insured/VA guaranteed (3) 

Less: Student loans guaranteed under the FFELP (4) 

Total, not government insured/guaranteed 

By segment and class, not government insured/guaranteed: 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total, not government insured/guaranteed 

2020 

7,041 

6,351 

— 

690 

2019 

7,285 

6,352 

— 

933 

December 31, 

2018 

8,704 

7,725 

— 

979 

2017 

11,532 

10,475 

— 

1,057 

2016 

11,437 

10,467 

3 

967 

39 

38 

1 

78 

135 

19 

365 

65 

28 

612 

690 

47 

31 

— 

78 

112 

32 

546 

78 

87 

855 

933 

43 

51 

— 

94 

124 

32 

513 

114 

102 

885 

979 

26 

23 

— 

49 

213 

60 

492 

143 

100 

1,008 

1,057 

28 

36 

— 

64 

170 

56 

452 

112 

113 

903 

967 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 
(4) 

Financial information for periods prior to December 31, 2018, has been revised to exclude LHFS and loans held at fair value, which reduced “Total, not government insured/guaranteed” by $6 million, 
$5 million and $4 million at December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 
PCI loans totaling $102 million, $3.7 billion, $1.4 billion and $2.0 billion at December 31, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, are excluded from this table. PCI loans were reclassified as PCD 
loans and classified as accruing or nonaccruing based on performance beginning January 1, 2020. 
Represents loans whose repayments are predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. 
Represents loans whose repayments are primarily guaranteed by agencies on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). All remaining 
student loans guaranteed under the FFELP were sold as of March 31, 2017. 

Excluding government insured/guaranteed loans, loans 
90 days or more past due and still accruing at December 31, 
2020, were down from December 31, 2019, due to lower 
delinquencies in consumer loans as payment deferral activities 
instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic delayed 
recognition of delinquencies for customers who would have 
otherwise moved into past due status. 

Loans 90 days or more past due and still accruing whose 
repayments are predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed 
by the VA for mortgages at December 31, 2020, were flat 
compared with December 31, 2019, as our repurchases of 
accruing loans more than 90 days past due from GNMA loan 
securitization pools were offset by paydowns and transfers to 
LHFS. For additional information on delinquencies by loan class, 
see Note 4 (Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. 

77 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

NET CHARGE-OFFS  Table 32 presents net charge-offs for the four 
quarters and full year of 2020 and 2019. 

Table 32:  Net Loan Charge-offs 

($ in millions) 

2020 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 
Real estate mortgage 
Real estate construction 
Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 
Residential mortgage – junior lien 
Credit card 
Auto 
Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total 

2019 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total 

283 

(19) 

87 

1,590 

(5) 

(55) 

1,139 

270 

350 

1,699 

3,289 

607 

6 

(12) 

51 

652 

(50) 

(66) 

1,370 

306 

550 

2,110 

2,762 

$ 

$ 

$ 

Year ended 

December 31, 

December 31, 

September 30, 

Net loan 
charge-
offs 

% of 
avg. 
loans 

Net loan 
charge-
offs 

% of 
avg. 
loans (1) 

Net loan 
charge-
offs 

% of 
avg. 
loans (1) 

Net loan 
charge-
offs 

June 30, 

% of 
avg. 
loans (1) 

Quarter ended 

March 31, 

% of 
avg. 
loans (1) 

Net loan 
charge-
offs 

$ 

1,239 

0.36  %  $ 

0.23 

(0.09) 

0.49 

0.31 

— 

(0.21) 

3.07 

0.56 

1.10 

0.39 

0.35  % 

$ 

111 

162 

— 

35 

308 

(3) 

(24) 

190 

51 

62 

276 

584 

0.14  %  $ 

274 

0.33  %  $ 

521 

0.55  %  $ 

0.53 
— 

0.83 

0.26 

— 

(0.39) 

2.09 

0.43 

0.88 

0.26 

0.26  % 

$ 

56 

(2) 

28 

356 

(1) 

(14) 

245 

31 

66 

327 

683 

0.18 

(0.03) 

0.66 

0.29 

— 

(0.22) 

2.71 

0.25 

0.80 

0.30 

67 

(1) 

15 

602 

2 

(12) 

327 

106 

88 

511 

0.22 

(0.02) 

0.33 

0.44 

— 

(0.17) 

3.60 

0.88 

1.09 

0.48 

0.29  % 

$ 

1,113 

0.46  % 

$ 

333 

(2) 

(16) 

9 

324 

(3) 

(5) 

377 

82 

134 

585 

909 

0.37  % 

(0.01) 

(0.32) 

0.19 

0.25 

— 

(0.07) 

3.81 

0.68 

1.59 

0.53 

0.38  % 

0.17  %  $ 

168 

0.19  %  $ 

147 

0.17  %  $ 

159 

0.18  %  $ 

133 

0.15  % 

— 

(0.06) 

0.26 

0.13 

(0.02) 

(0.21) 

3.53 

0.67 

1.59 

0.48 

0.29  % 

$ 

4 

— 

31 

203 

(3) 

(16) 

350 

87 

148 

566 

769 

0.01 

— 

0.63 

0.16 

— 

(0.20) 

3.48 

0.73 

1.71 

0.51 

0.32  % 

$ 

(8) 

(8) 

8 

139 

(5) 

(22) 

319 

76 

138 

506 

645 

(0.02) 

(0.14) 

0.17 

0.11 

(0.01) 

(0.28) 

3.22 

0.65 

1.60 

0.46 

0.27  % 

$ 

4 

(2) 

4 

165 

(30) 

(19) 

349 

52 

136 

488 

653 

0.01 

(0.04) 

0.09 

0.13 

(0.04) 

(0.24) 

3.68 

0.46 

1.56 

0.45 

0.28  % 

$ 

6 

(2) 

8 

145 

(12) 

(9) 

352 

91 

128 

550 

695 

0.02 

(0.04) 

0.17 

0.11 

(0.02) 

(0.10) 

3.73 

0.82 

1.47 

0.51 

0.30  % 

(1)  Quarterly net charge-offs (recoveries) as a percentage of average respective loans are annualized. 

The increase in commercial net loan charge-offs in 2020 was 

driven by: 
• 

higher commercial and industrial losses primarily in our oil, 
gas and pipelines portfolio; and 
higher commercial real estate mortgage losses. 

• 

The decrease in consumer net loan charge-offs in 2020 was 

driven by: 
• 

lower losses in credit card and other consumer loans as a 
result of payment deferral activities in response to the 
COVID-19 pandemic. 

The COVID-19 pandemic may continue to impact the credit 
quality of our loan portfolio. Although the potential impacts were 
considered in our allowance for credit losses for loans, payment 
deferral activities instituted in response to the COVID-19 
pandemic could continue to delay the recognition of net loan 
charge-offs. For additional information on customer 
accommodations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, see 
the “Risk Management – Credit Risk Management – COVID-
Related Lending Accommodations” section in this Report. 

ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES  We maintain an allowance for 
credit losses (ACL) for loans, which is management’s estimate of 
the expected credit losses in the loan portfolio and unfunded 
credit commitments, at the balance sheet date, excluding loans 

78 

and unfunded credit commitments carried at fair value or held 
for sale. Additionally, we maintain an ACL for debt securities 
classified as either AFS or HTM, other financial assets measured 
at amortized cost, net investments in leases, and other off-
balance sheet credit exposures. 

We apply a disciplined process and methodology to establish 

our ACL each quarter. The process for establishing the ACL for 
loans takes into consideration many factors, including historical 
and forecasted loss trends, loan-level credit quality ratings and 
loan grade-specific characteristics. The process involves 
subjective and complex judgments. In addition, we review a 
variety of credit metrics and trends. These credit metrics and 
trends, however, do not solely determine the amount of the 
allowance as we use several analytical tools. For additional 
information on our ACL, see the “Critical Accounting Policies – 
Allowance for Credit Losses” section and Note 1 (Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this 
Report. For additional information on our ACL for loans, see 
Note 4 (Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to 
Financial Statements in this Report, and for additional 
information on our ACL for debt securities, see the “Balance 
Sheet Analysis – Available-For-Sale and Held-To-Maturity Debt 
Securities” section and Note 3 (Available-for-Sale and Held-to-
Maturity Debt Securities) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Wells Fargo & Company  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 33 presents the allocation of the ACL for loans by loan 

segment and class for the last five years. 

Table 33:  Allocation of the ACL for Loans (1) 

($ in millions) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer:

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total 

Dec 31, 2020 
Loans 
as % 
of total 
loans 

ACL 

Dec 31, 2019 

Dec 31, 2018 

Dec 31, 2017 

Dec 31, 2016 

Loans 
as % 
of total 
loans 

ACL 

Loans 
as % 
of total 
loans 

ACL 

Loans 
as % 
of total 
loans 

ACL 

Loans 
as % 
of total 
loans 

ACL 

$ 

7,230 

36  %  $  3,600 

37  %  $  3,628 

37  %  $  3,752 

35  %  $  4,560 

3,167 

410 

709 

11,516

1,600 

653 

4,082 

1,230 

632 

8,197 

14 

2 

2 

54

31 

3 

4 

5 

3 

46 

1,236 

1,079 

330 

6,245

692 

247 

2,252 

459 

561 

13 

2 

2 

54

30 

3 

4 

5 

4 

1,282 

1,200 

307 

6,417

750 

431 

2,064 

475 

570 

13 

2 

2 

54

1,374 

1,238 

268 

6,632

13 

3 

2 

53

1,320 

1,294 

220 

7,394

34  % 

14 

2 

2

52

30 

1,085 

30 

1,270 

29 

3 

4 

5 

4 

608 

1,944 

1,039 

652 

4 

4 

5 

4 

815 

1,605 

817 

639 

5 

4 

6 

4 

4,211 

46 

4,290 

46 

5,328 

47 

5,146 

48 

$  19,713 

100  %  $  10,456 

100  %  $  10,707 

100  %  $  11,960 

100  %  $  12,540 

100  % 

Dec 31, 2020 

Dec 31, 2019 

Dec 31, 2018 

Dec 31, 2017 

Dec 31, 2016 

$ 

$ 

Components: 

Allowance for loan losses 

Allowance for unfunded credit commitments 

Allowance for credit losses 

Allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total 

loans 

Allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total 

net charge-offs 

Allowance for credit losses for loans as a 

percentage of total loans 

Allowance for credit losses for loans as a 
percentage of total nonaccrual loans 

18,516 

1,197 

19,713 

2.09% 

563 

2.22 

226 

9,551 

905 

10,456 

0.99 

346 

1.09 

196 

9,775 

932 

10,707 

1.03 

356 

1.12 

165 

11,004 

956 

11,960 

1.15 

376 

1.25 

156 

11,419 

1,121 

12,540 

1.18 

324 

1.30 

126 

(1) 

Disclosure is not comparative due to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this 
Report. 

The ratios for the allowance for loan losses and the ACL for 
loans presented in Table 33 may fluctuate from period to period 
due to such factors as the mix of loan types in the portfolio, 
borrower credit strength, and the value and marketability of 
collateral. 

The ACL for loans increased $9.3 billion, or 89%, from 
December 31, 2019, driven by a $10.6 billion increase in the ACL 
for loans in 2020, reflecting current and forecasted economic 
conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on 
borrower performance, partially offset by a $1.3 billion decrease 
as a result of adopting CECL. Total provision for credit losses for 
loans was $14.0 billion in 2020, compared with $2.7 billion in 
2019. The increase in the provision for credit losses for loans in 
2020, compared with 2019, reflected an increase in the ACL for 
loans due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
The detail of the changes in the ACL for loans by portfolio 
segment (including charge-offs and recoveries by loan class) is 
included in Note 4 (Loans and Related Allowance for Credit 
Losses) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

We consider multiple economic scenarios to develop our 

estimate of the ACL for loans. The scenarios generally include a 
base scenario, along with an optimistic (upside) and one or more 
pessimistic (downside) scenarios. Our estimate of the ACL for 
loans at December 31, 2020, was based on a weighting of the 
base and a downside economic scenario of 50% and 50%, 

respectively, with no weighting applied to an upside scenario. The 
base scenario assumed near-term economic stress recovering 
into late 2021. The downside scenario assumed more sustained 
adverse economic impacts resulting from the COVID-19 
pandemic, compared with the base scenario. The downside 
scenario assumed U.S. real GDP increasing but not fully 
recovering during 2021, and a sustained elevation in the U.S. 
unemployment rate until mid-2022. We considered within each 
scenario our expectations for the impact of customer 
accommodation activity, as well as the estimated impact on 
certain industries that we consider to be directly and most 
adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In addition to quantitative estimates, we consider qualitative 

factors that represent risks inherent in our processes and 
assumptions such as economic environmental factors, modeling 
assumptions and performance, and other subjective factors, 
including industry trends and emerging risk assessments. During 
2020, we considered the significant uncertainty related to the 
duration and severity of the economic impacts from the 
COVID-19 pandemic and the incremental risks to our loan 
portfolio. 

The forecasted key economic variables used in our estimate 

of the ACL for loans at September 30 and December 31, 2020, 
are presented in Table 34. 

79 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management – Credit Risk Management (continued) 

Table 34:  Forecasted Key Economic Variables 

Blend of economic scenarios (1): 

U.S. unemployment rate (2): 

Sep 30, 2020 

Dec 31, 2020 

U.S. real GDP (3): 

Sep 30, 2020 

Dec 31, 2020 

Home price index (4): 

Sep 30, 2020 

Dec 31, 2020 

Commercial real estate asset prices (4): 

Sep 30, 2020 

Dec 31, 2020 

2Q 
2021 

4Q 
2021 

2Q 
2022 

7.3 

8.1 

3.9 

5.5 

6.0 

7.1 

2.8 

4.5 

(2.0) 

1.7 

(1.8) 

(0.2) 

5.3 

6.2 

3.1 

4.0 

1.4 

2.5 

(10.9) 

(9.2) 

(5.5) 

(9.8) 

0.1 

(5.3) 

(1) 

Represents a weighting of the forecasted economic variable inputs based on a weighting of 
50% for the base and 50% for a downside scenario at December 31, 2020, and a weighting 
of 80% for the base and 20% for a downside scenario at September 30, 2020. 

(2)  Quarterly average. 
(3) 
(4) 

Percent change from the preceding period, seasonally adjusted annualized rate. 
Percent change year over year of national average; outlook differs by geography and 
property type. 

Future amounts of the ACL for loans will be based on a 
variety of factors, including loan balance changes, portfolio credit 
quality and mix changes, and changes in general economic 
conditions and expectations (including for unemployment and 
GDP), among other factors. Based on economic conditions at the 
end of fourth quarter 2020, it was difficult to estimate the length 
and severity of the economic downturn that may result from the 
COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of other factors that may 
influence the level of eventual losses and corresponding 
requirements for future amounts of the ACL, including the 
impact of economic stimulus programs and customer 
accommodation activity. The COVID-19 pandemic could 
continue to impact the recognition of credit losses in our loan 
portfolios and may result in increases in our ACL, particularly if 
the impact on the economy worsens. 

We believe the ACL for loans of $19.7 billion at 

December 31, 2020, was appropriate to cover expected credit 
losses, including unfunded credit commitments, at that date. The 
entire allowance is available to absorb credit losses from the total 
loan portfolio. The ACL for loans is subject to change and reflects 
existing factors as of the date of determination, including 
economic or market conditions and ongoing internal and external 
examination processes. Due to the sensitivity of the ACL for 
loans to changes in the economic and business environment, it is 
possible that we will incur incremental credit losses not 
anticipated as of the balance sheet date. Our process for 
determining the allowance for credit losses is discussed in the 
“Critical Accounting Policies – Allowance for Credit Losses” 
section and Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) 
to Financial Statements in this Report. 

LIABILITY FOR MORTGAGE LOAN REPURCHASE LOSSES  We sell 
residential mortgage loans to various parties, including (1) 
government-sponsored entities (GSEs) Federal Home Loan 
Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) and Federal National Mortgage 
Association (FNMA) who include the mortgage loans in GSE-
guaranteed mortgage securitizations, (2) SPEs that issue private 
label MBS, and (3) other financial institutions that purchase 
mortgage loans for investment or private label securitization. In 
addition, we pool FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed mortgage 
loans that are then used to back securities guaranteed by the 

80 

Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). We may 
be required to repurchase these mortgage loans, indemnify the 
securitization trust, investor or insurer, or reimburse the 
securitization trust, investor or insurer for credit losses incurred 
on loans (collectively, repurchase) in the event of a breach of 
contractual representations or warranties that is not remedied 
within a period (usually 90 days or less) after we receive notice of 
the breach. 

In connection with our sales and securitization of residential 

mortgage loans to various parties, we have established a 
mortgage repurchase liability, initially at fair value, related to 
various representations and warranties that reflect 
management’s estimate of losses for loans for which we could 
have a repurchase obligation, whether or not we currently service 
those loans, based on a combination of factors. Our mortgage 
repurchase liability estimation process also incorporates a 
forecast of repurchase demands associated with mortgage 
insurance rescission activity. 

Customary with industry practice, we have the right of 

recourse against correspondent lenders from whom we have 
purchased loans with respect to representations and warranties. 
Historical recovery rates as well as projected lender performance 
are incorporated in the establishment of our mortgage 
repurchase liability. 

We do not typically receive repurchase requests from 

GNMA, FHA and the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD) or VA. As an originator of an FHA-insured or 
VA-guaranteed loan, we are responsible for obtaining the 
insurance with the FHA or the guarantee with the VA. To the 
extent we are not able to obtain the insurance or the guarantee 
we must request permission to repurchase the loan from the 
GNMA pool. Such repurchases from GNMA pools typically 
represent a self-initiated process upon discovery of the 
uninsurable loan (usually within 180 days from funding of the 
loan). Alternatively, in lieu of repurchasing loans from GNMA 
pools, we may be asked by FHA/HUD or the VA to indemnify 
them (as applicable) for defects found in the Post Endorsement 
Technical Review process or audits performed by FHA/HUD or 
the VA. The Post Endorsement Technical Review is a process 
whereby HUD performs underwriting audits of closed/insured 
FHA loans for potential deficiencies. Our liability for mortgage 
loan repurchase losses incorporates probable losses associated 
with such indemnification. 

RISKS RELATING TO SERVICING ACTIVITIES  In addition to servicing 
loans in our portfolio, we act as servicer and/or master servicer of 
residential mortgage loans included in GSE-guaranteed 
mortgage securitizations, GNMA-guaranteed mortgage 
securitizations of FHA-insured/VA-guaranteed mortgages and 
private label mortgage securitizations, as well as for 
unsecuritized loans owned by institutional investors. 

The loans we service were originated by us or by other 
mortgage loan originators. As servicer, our primary duties are 
typically to (1) collect payments due from borrowers, (2) advance 
certain delinquent payments of principal and interest on the 
mortgage loans, (3) maintain and administer any hazard, title or 
primary mortgage insurance policies relating to the mortgage 
loans, (4) maintain any required escrow accounts for payment of 
taxes and insurance and administer escrow payments, (5) 
foreclose on defaulted mortgage loans or, to the extent 
consistent with the related servicing agreement, consider 
alternatives to foreclosure, such as loan modifications or short 
sales, and (6) for loans sold into private label securitizations, 
manage the foreclosed property through liquidation. 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
The amount and timing of reimbursement of advances of 

delinquent payments vary by investor and the applicable 
servicing agreements. Due to continued customer requests for 
payment deferrals as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 
amount of our servicing advances of principal and interest 
remained elevated. The amount of these advances may continue 
to increase if additional payment deferrals are provided. Payment 
deferrals also delay the collection of contractually specified 
servicing fees, resulting in lower net servicing income. 
In accordance with applicable servicing guidelines, 

delinquency status continues to advance for loans with COVID-
related payment deferrals, which has resulted in an increase in 
delinquent loans serviced for others and a corresponding increase 
in loans eligible for repurchase from GNMA loan securitization 
pools. Upon transfer as servicer, we retain the option to 
repurchase loans from GNMA loan securitization pools, which 
becomes exercisable when three scheduled loan payments 
remain unpaid by the borrower. We generally repurchase these 
loans for cash and as a result, our total consolidated assets do not 
change. Since April 1, 2020, we repurchased $28.6 billion of these 
delinquent loans, substantially all of which had COVID-related 
payment deferrals. 

Loans that regain current status or are otherwise modified in 

accordance with applicable servicing guidelines may be included 
in future GNMA loan securitization pools. However, in accordance 
with guidance issued by GNMA, loans repurchased after June 30, 
2020, with COVID-related payment deferrals are ineligible for 
inclusion in future GNMA loan securitization pools until the 
borrower has timely made six consecutive payments. This 
requirement may delay our ability to resell loans into the 
securitization market. At December 31, 2020, the amount of 
repurchased GNMA loans with COVID-related payment deferrals 
that were ineligible for inclusion in future GNMA loan 
securitization pools due to this requirement was $22.6 billion. 
As master servicer, our primary duties are typically to (1) 
supervise, monitor and oversee the servicing of the mortgage 
loans by the servicer, (2) consult with each servicer and use 
reasonable efforts to cause the servicer to observe its servicing 
obligations, (3) prepare monthly distribution statements to 
security holders and, if required by the securitization documents, 
certain periodic reports required to be filed with the Securities 
and Exchange Commission (SEC), (4) if required by the 
securitization documents, calculate distributions and loss 
allocations on the mortgage-backed securities, (5) prepare tax 
and information returns of the securitization trust, and (6) 
advance amounts required by non-affiliated servicers who fail to 
perform their advancing obligations. 

Each agreement under which we act as servicer or master 

servicer generally specifies a standard of responsibility for 
actions we take in such capacity and provides protection against 
expenses and liabilities we incur when acting in compliance with 
the specified standard. For example, private label securitization 
agreements under which we act as servicer or master servicer 
typically provide that the servicer and the master servicer are 
entitled to indemnification by the securitization trust for taking 
action or refraining from taking action in good faith or for errors 
in judgment. However, we are not indemnified, but rather are 
required to indemnify the securitization trustee, against any 
failure by us, as servicer or master servicer, to perform our 
servicing obligations or against any of our acts or omissions that 
involve willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the 
performance of, or reckless disregard of, our duties. In addition, if 
we commit a material breach of our obligations as servicer or 
master servicer, we may be subject to termination if the breach is 
not cured within a specified period following notice, which can 

generally be given by the securitization trustee or a specified 
percentage of security holders. Whole loan sale contracts under 
which we act as servicer generally include similar provisions with 
respect to our actions as servicer. The standards governing 
servicing in GSE-guaranteed securitizations, and the possible 
remedies for violations of such standards, vary, and those 
standards and remedies are determined by servicing guides 
maintained by the GSEs, contracts between the GSEs and 
individual servicers and topical guides published by the GSEs 
from time to time. Such remedies could include indemnification 
or repurchase of an affected mortgage loan. In addition, in 
connection with our servicing activities, we could become subject 
to consent orders and settlement agreements with federal and 
state regulators for alleged servicing issues and practices. In 
general, these can require us to provide customers with loan 
modification relief, refinancing relief, and foreclosure prevention 
and assistance, and can result in the imposition of certain 
monetary penalties on us. 

Asset/Liability Management 
Asset/liability management involves evaluating, monitoring and 
managing interest rate risk, market risk, liquidity and funding. 
Primary oversight of interest rate risk and market risk resides 
with the Finance Committee of the Board, which oversees the 
administration and effectiveness of financial risk management 
policies and processes used to assess and manage these risks. 
Primary oversight of liquidity and funding resides with the Risk 
Committee of the Board. At the management level, the 
Corporate Asset/Liability Committee (Corporate ALCO), which 
consists of management from finance, risk and business groups, 
oversees these risks and supports periodic reports provided to 
the Board’s Finance Committee and Risk Committee as 
appropriate. As discussed in more detail for market risk activities 
below, we employ separate management level oversight specific 
to market risk. 

INTEREST RATE RISK  Interest rate risk is created in our role as a 
financial intermediary for customers based on investments such 
as loans and other extensions of credit and debt securities. 
Interest rate risk can have a significant impact to our earnings. 
We are subject to interest rate risk because: 
• 

assets and liabilities may mature or reprice at different 
times. If assets reprice faster than liabilities and interest 
rates are generally rising, earnings will initially increase; 
assets and liabilities may reprice at the same time but by 
different amounts; 
short-term and long-term market interest rates may change 
by different amounts. For example, the shape of the yield 
curve may affect yield for new loans and funding costs 
differently; 
the remaining maturity for various assets or liabilities may 
shorten or lengthen as interest rates change. For example, if 
long-term mortgage interest rates increase sharply, MBS 
held in the debt securities portfolio may pay down at a 
slower rate than anticipated, which could impact portfolio 
income; or 
interest rates may have a direct or indirect effect on loan 
demand, collateral values, credit losses, mortgage 
origination volume, and the fair value of MSRs and other 
financial instruments. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Currently, our profile is such that we project net interest 
income will benefit from higher interest rates as our assets would 
reprice faster and to a greater degree than our liabilities, while in 
the case of lower interest rates, our assets would reprice 

81 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management – Asset/Liability Management (continued) 

downward and to a greater degree than our liabilities resulting in 
lower net interest income. 

We assess interest rate risk by comparing outcomes under 

various net interest income simulations using many interest rate 
scenarios that differ in the direction of interest rate changes, the 
degree of change over time, the speed of change and the 
projected shape of the yield curve. These simulations require 
assumptions regarding drivers of earnings and balance sheet 
composition such as loan originations, prepayment speeds on 
loans and debt securities, deposit flows and mix, as well as pricing 
strategies. 

Our most recent simulations, as presented in Table 35, 
estimate net interest income sensitivity over the next 12 months 
using instantaneous movements across the yield curve with both 
lower and higher interest rates relative to our base scenario. 
Steeper and flatter scenarios measure non-parallel changes in 
the yield curve, with long-term interest rates defined as all tenors 
three years and longer (e.g., 10-year U.S. Treasury securities) and 
short-term interest rates defined as all tenors less than three 
years. Where applicable, U.S. dollar interest rates are floored at 
0.00%. The following describes the simulation assumptions for 
the scenarios presented in Table 35: 
• 

Simulations are dynamic and reflect anticipated changes to 
our assets and liabilities. 

•  Other macroeconomic variables that could be correlated 
with the changes in interest rates are held constant. 
•  Mortgage prepayment and origination assumptions vary 

across scenarios and reflect only the impact of the higher or 
lower interest rates. 

• 

reduce treasury management deposit service fees. Additionally, 
our trading assets are (before the effects of certain economic 
hedges) generally less sensitive to changes in interest rates than 
the related funding liabilities. As a result, net interest income 
from the trading portfolio contracts and expands as interest 
rates rise and fall, respectively. The impact to net interest income 
does not include the fair value changes of trading securities, 
which, along with the effects of related economic hedges, are 
recorded in noninterest income. For more information on our 
trading assets and liabilities, see Note 2 (Trading Activities) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. 

We use the debt securities portfolio and exchange-traded 

and over-the-counter (OTC) interest rate derivatives to manage 
our interest rate exposures. See Note 1 (Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies) and Note 3 (Available-for-Sale and Held-to-
Maturity Debt Securities) to Financial Statements in this Report 
for additional information on the use of the debt securities 
portfolios. The notional or contractual amount, credit risk 
amount and fair value of the derivatives used to hedge our 
interest rate risk exposures as of December 31, 2020, and 
December 31, 2019, are presented in Note 16 (Derivatives) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. We use derivatives for asset/ 
liability management in two main ways: 
• 

to convert the cash flows from selected asset and/or liability 
instruments/portfolios including investments, commercial 
loans and long-term debt, from fixed-rate payments to 
floating-rate payments, or vice versa; and 
to economically hedge our mortgage origination pipeline, 
funded mortgage loans, and MSRs. 

•  Our base scenario deposit forecast incorporates mix changes 
consistent with the base interest rate trajectory. Deposit 
mix is modeled to be the same as in the base scenario across 
the alternative scenarios. In higher interest rate scenarios, 
customer activity that shifts balances into higher-yielding 
products could reduce expected net interest income. 
•  We hold the size of the projected debt and equity securities 

portfolios constant across scenarios. 

Table 35:  Net Interest Income Sensitivity 

($ in billions) 

Parallel Shift: 

+100 bps shift in interest rates 

-100 bps shift in interest rates 

Steeper yield curve: 

+50 bps shift in long-term interest rates 

Flatter yield curve: 

+50 bps shift in short-term interest rates 

-50 bps shift in long-term interest rates 

$ 

December 31, 2020 

6.7 

(2.7) 

1.3 

2.2 

(1.4) 

The sensitivity results above do not capture noninterest 

income or expense impacts. Our interest rate sensitive 
noninterest income and expense are predominantly driven by 
mortgage banking activities, and may move in the opposite 
direction of our net interest income. Mortgage originations 
generally decline in response to higher interest rates and 
generally increase in response to lower interest rates, particularly 
refinancing activity. Mortgage banking results are also impacted 
by the valuation of MSRs and related hedge positions. See the 
“Risk Management – Asset/Liability Management – Mortgage 
Banking Interest Rate and Market Risk” section in this Report for 
additional information. 

Interest rate sensitive noninterest income also results from 
changes in earnings credit for noninterest-bearing deposits that 

82 

MORTGAGE BANKING INTEREST RATE AND MARKET RISK  We 
originate, fund and service mortgage loans, which subjects us to 
various risks, including credit, liquidity and interest rate risks. 
Based on market conditions and other factors, we reduce credit 
and liquidity risks by selling or securitizing mortgage loans. We 
determine whether mortgage loans will be held for investment or 
held for sale at the time of commitment, but may change our 
intent to hold loans for investment or sale as part of our 
corporate asset/liability management activities. We may also 
retain securities in our investment portfolio at the time we 
securitize mortgage loans. 

We typically originate agency residential mortgage loans as 
held for sale and certain prime non-agency residential mortgage 
loans as held for investment. Occasionally, we designate some of 
our non-agency residential mortgage loan originations as held for 
sale in support of future issuances of private label residential 
mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). We issued $2.6 billion and 
$2.4 billion of RMBS in 2020 and 2019, respectively. 

Interest rate and market risk can be substantial in our 

mortgage businesses. Changes in interest rates may impact 
origination and servicing fees, the fair value of our residential 
MSRs, LHFS, and derivative loan commitments (interest rate 
“locks”) extended to mortgage applicants, as well as the 
associated income or loss in mortgage banking noninterest 
income, including the gains or losses related to economic hedges 
of MSRs and LHFS. Given the time it takes for customer behavior 
to fully react to interest rate changes, as well as the time required 
for processing a new application, providing the commitment, and 
securitizing and selling the loan, interest rate changes will 
generally affect our mortgage banking noninterest income on a 
lagging basis. The amount and timing of the impact will depend 
on the magnitude, speed and duration of the changes in interest 
rates. 

The valuation of our residential MSRs can be highly 
subjective and involve complex judgments by management 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
about matters that are inherently unpredictable. See the “Critical 
Accounting Policies – Valuation of Residential Mortgage 
Servicing Rights” section in this Report for additional 
information. Changes in interest rates influence a variety of 
significant assumptions included in the periodic valuation of 
residential MSRs, including prepayment speeds, expected returns 
and potential risks on the servicing asset portfolio, costs to 
service, the value of escrow balances and other servicing 
valuation elements. For additional information on mortgage 
banking, including key economic assumptions and the sensitivity 
of the fair value of MSRs, see Note 9 (Mortgage Banking 
Activities) and Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. 

An increase in interest rates generally reduces the 

propensity for refinancing, extends the expected duration of the 
servicing portfolio and, therefore, increases the estimated fair 
value of the MSRs. However, an increase in interest rates can also 
reduce mortgage loan demand, which reduces noninterest 
income from origination activities. A decline in interest rates 
would generally have an opposite impact. 

To reduce our exposure to changes in interest rates, our 
residential MSRs are economically hedged with a combination of 
derivative instruments, including highly liquid mortgage forward 
contracts, interest rate swaps and interest rate options. MSR 
hedging results include a combination of directional gain or loss 
due to market changes as well as any carry income related to 
mortgage forward contracts. Carry income represents accretion 
from the forward delivery price to the spot price including both 
the yield earned on the reference securities and the market 
implied cost of financing during the period. A steep yield curve 
generally produces higher carry income while a flat or inverted 
yield curve can result in lower or potentially negative carry 
income. 

The size of the hedge and the particular combination of 
forward hedging instruments at any point in time is designed to 
reduce the volatility of our earnings over various time frames 
within a range of mortgage interest rates. Because market 
factors, the composition of the mortgage servicing portfolio and 
the relationship between the origination and servicing sides of 
our mortgage businesses change continually, the types of 
instruments used in our hedging are reviewed daily and 
rebalanced based on our evaluation of current market factors and 
the interest rate risk inherent in our portfolio. 

Hedging the various sources of interest rate risk in mortgage 

banking is a complex process that requires sophisticated 
modeling and constant monitoring. There are several potential 
risks to earnings from mortgage banking related to origination 
volumes and mix, valuation of MSRs and associated hedging 
results, the relationship and degree of volatility between short-
term and long-term interest rates, and changes in servicing and 
foreclosures costs. While we attempt to balance our mortgage 
banking interest rate and market risks, the financial instruments 
we use may not perfectly correlate with the values and income 
being hedged. 

MARKET RISK  Market risk is the risk of possible economic loss 
from adverse changes in market risk factors such as interest 
rates, credit spreads, foreign exchange rates, equity and 
commodity prices, and the risk of possible loss due to 
counterparty exposure. This applies to implied volatility risk, 
basis risk, and market liquidity risk. It also includes price risk in 
the trading book, mortgage servicing rights and the hedge 
effectiveness risk associated with the mortgage book, and 
impairment on private equity investments. 

The Board’s Finance Committee has primary oversight 
responsibility for market risk and oversees the Company’s 
market risk exposure and market risk management strategies. In 
addition, the Board’s Risk Committee has certain oversight 
responsibilities with respect to market risk, including adjusting 
the Company’s market risk appetite with input from the Finance 
Committee. The Finance Committee also reports key market risk 
matters to the Risk Committee. 

At the management level, the Market and Counterparty Risk 

Management function, which is part of IRM, has oversight 
responsibility for market risk. The Market and Counterparty Risk 
Management function reports into the CRO and provides 
periodic reports related to market risk to the Board’s Finance 
Committee. 

MARKET RISK – TRADING ACTIVITIES  We engage in trading 
activities to accommodate the investment and risk management 
activities of our customers and to execute economic hedging to 
manage certain balance sheet risks. These trading activities 
predominantly occur within our CIB businesses and to a lesser 
extent other businesses of the Company. Debt securities held for 
trading, equity securities held for trading, trading loans and 
trading derivatives are financial instruments used in our trading 
activities, and all are carried at fair value. Income earned on the 
financial instruments used in our trading activities include net 
interest income, changes in fair value and realized gains and 
losses. Net interest income earned from our trading activities is 
reflected in the interest income and interest expense 
components of our consolidated statement of income. Changes 
in fair value of the financial instruments used in our trading 
activities are reflected in net gains from trading activities. For 
more information on the financial instruments used in our 
trading activities and the income from these trading activities, 
see Note 2 (Trading Activities) to Financial Statements in this 
Report. 

Value-at-risk (VaR) is a statistical risk measure used to 
estimate the potential loss from adverse moves in the financial 
markets. The Company uses VaR metrics complemented with 
sensitivity analysis and stress testing in measuring and 
monitoring market risk. These market risk measures are 
monitored at both the business unit level and at aggregated 
levels on a daily basis. Our corporate market risk management 
function aggregates and monitors all exposures to ensure risk 
measures are within our established risk appetite. Changes to the 
market risk profile are analyzed and reported on a daily basis. The 
Company monitors various market risk exposure measures from 
a variety of perspectives, including line of business, product, risk 
type, and legal entity. 

Trading VaR is the measure used to provide insight into the 

market risk exhibited by the Company’s trading positions. The 
Company calculates Trading VaR for risk management purposes 
to establish line of business and Company-wide risk limits. 
Trading VaR is calculated based on all trading positions on our 
consolidated balance sheet. 

Table 36 shows the Company’s Trading General VaR by risk 

category. Our Trading General VaR uses a historical simulation 
model which assumes that historical changes in market values 
are representative of the potential future outcomes and 
measures the expected earnings loss of the Company over a 
1-day time interval at a 99% confidence level. Our historical 
simulation model is based on equally weighted data from a 
12-month historical look-back period. We believe using a 
12-month look-back period helps ensure the Company’s VaR is 
responsive to current market conditions. The 99% confidence 
level equates to an expectation that the Company would incur 

83 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Management – Asset/Liability Management (continued) 

single-day trading losses in excess of the VaR estimate on 
average once every 100 trading days. 

Average Company Trading General VaR was $123 million for 

the year ended December 31, 2020, compared with $22 million 
for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in average 

Company Trading General VaR for the year ended December 31, 
2020, was driven by market volatility due to the COVID-19 
pandemic, in particular changes in interest rate curves and a 
significant widening of credit spreads entering the 12-month 
historical look-back window used to calculate VaR. 

Table 36:  Trading 1-Day 99% General VaR by Risk Category 

(in millions) 

Company Trading General VaR Risk Categories 

Credit 

Interest rate 

Equity 

Commodity 

Foreign exchange 

Diversification benefit (1) 

Company Trading General VaR 

2020 

Year ended December 31, 

2019 

Average 

Low 

High 

Period 
end 

Average 

Low 

High 

15 

5 

4 

1 

1 

121 

241 

35 

8 

6 

72 

104 

14 

3 

1 

(71) 

123 

15 

14 

5 

2 

1 

(13) 

24 

17 

27 

5 

2 

1 

(30) 

22 

11 

9 

4 

1 

1 

30 

49 

11 

6 

1 

Period 
end 

$ 

106 

81 

32 

3 

1 

(126) 

$ 

97 

(1) 

The period-end VaR was less than the sum of the VaR components described above, which is due to portfolio diversification. The diversification effect arises because the risks are not perfectly 
correlated causing a portfolio of positions to usually be less risky than the sum of the risks of the positions alone. The diversification benefit is not meaningful for low and high metrics since they may 
occur on different days. 

Sensitivity Analysis  Given the inherent limitations of the VaR 
models, the Company uses other measures, including sensitivity 
analysis, to measure and monitor risk. Sensitivity analysis is the 
measure of exposure to a single risk factor, such as a 0.01% 
increase in interest rates or a 1% increase in equity prices. We 
conduct and monitor sensitivity on interest rates, credit spreads, 
volatility, equity, commodity, and foreign exchange exposure. 
Sensitivity analysis complements VaR as it provides an indication 
of risk relative to each factor irrespective of historical market 
moves. 

Stress Testing  While VaR captures the risk of loss due to adverse 
changes in markets using recent historical market data, stress 
testing is designed to capture the Company’s exposure to 
extreme but low probability market movements. Stress scenarios 
estimate the risk of losses based on management’s assumptions 
of abnormal but severe market movements such as severe credit 
spread widening or a large decline in equity prices. These 
scenarios assume that the market moves happen 
instantaneously and no repositioning or hedging activity takes 
place to mitigate losses as events unfold (a conservative 
approach since experience demonstrates otherwise). 

An inventory of scenarios is maintained representing both 

historical and hypothetical stress events that affect a broad 
range of market risk factors with varying degrees of correlation 
and differing time horizons. Hypothetical scenarios assess the 
impact of large movements in financial variables on portfolio 
values. Typical examples include a 1% (100 basis point) increase 
across the yield curve or a 10% decline in equity market indexes. 
Historical scenarios utilize an event-driven approach: the stress 
scenarios are based on plausible but rare events, and the analysis 
addresses how these events might affect the risk factors 
relevant to a portfolio. 

The Company’s stress testing framework is also used in 
calculating results in support of the Federal Reserve Board’s 
Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) and internal 
stress tests. Stress scenarios are regularly reviewed and updated 
to address potential market events or concerns. For more detail 
on the CCAR process, see the “Capital Management” section in 
this Report. 

84 

MARKET RISK – EQUITY SECURITIES  We are directly and indirectly 
affected by changes in the equity markets. We make and manage 
direct investments in start-up businesses, emerging growth 
companies, management buy-outs, acquisitions and corporate 
recapitalizations. We also invest in non-affiliated funds that 
make similar private equity investments. These private equity 
investments are made within capital allocations approved by 
management and the Board. The Board’s policy is to review 
business developments, key risks and historical returns for the 
private equity investment portfolio at least annually. 
Management reviews these investments at least quarterly to 
assess them for impairment and observable price changes. For 
nonmarketable equity securities, the analysis is based on facts 
and circumstances of each individual investment and the 
expectations for that investment’s cash flows, capital needs, the 
viability of its business model, our exit strategy, and observable 
price changes that are similar to the investments held. 
Investments in nonmarketable equity securities include private 
equity investments accounted for under the equity method, fair 
value through net income, and the measurement alternative. 
In conjunction with the March 2008 initial public offering 

(IPO) of Visa, Inc. (Visa), we received approximately 20.7 million 
shares of Visa Class B common stock, the class which was 
apportioned to member banks of Visa at the time of the IPO. To 
manage our exposure to Visa and realize the value of the 
appreciated Visa shares, we incrementally sold these shares 
through a series of sales, thereby eliminating this position as of 
September 30, 2015. As part of these sales, we agreed to 
compensate the buyer for any additional contributions to a 
litigation settlement fund for the litigation matters associated 
with the Class B shares we sold. Our exposure to this retained 
litigation risk has been updated quarterly and is reflected on our 
consolidated balance sheet. For additional information about the 
associated litigation matters, see the “Interchange Litigation” 
section in Note 15 (Legal Actions) to Financial Statements in this 
Report. 

As part of our business to support our customers, we trade 

public equities, listed/OTC equity derivatives and convertible 
bonds. We have parameters that govern these activities. We also 
have marketable equity securities that include investments 
relating to our venture capital activities. We manage these 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
marketable equity securities within capital risk limits approved by 
management and the Board and monitored by Corporate ALCO 
and the Market Risk Committee. The fair value changes in these 
marketable equity securities are recognized in net income. For 
additional information, see Note 6 (Equity Securities) to Financial 
Statements in this Report. 

Changes in equity market prices may also indirectly affect 

our net income by (1) the value of third-party assets under 
management and, hence, fee income, (2) borrowers whose ability 
to repay principal and/or interest may be affected by the stock 
market, or (3) brokerage activity, related commission income and 
other business activities. Each business line monitors and 
manages these indirect risks. 

LIQUIDITY RISK AND FUNDING  In the ordinary course of business, 
we enter into contractual obligations that may require future 
cash payments, including funding for customer loan requests, 
customer deposit maturities and withdrawals, debt service, 
leases for premises and equipment, and other cash 
commitments. The objective of effective liquidity management is 
to ensure that we can meet our contractual obligations and other 
cash commitments efficiently under both normal operating 
conditions and under periods of Wells Fargo-specific and market 
stress. For more information on these obligations, see the 
following sections and Notes to Financial Statements in this 
Report: 
• 

“Commitments to Lend” section within Loans and Related 
Allowance for Credit Losses (Note 4) 
Leasing Activity (Note 5) 

Long-Term Debt (Note 12) 

• 
•  Deposits (Note 11) 
• 
•  Guarantees and Other Commitments (Note 13) 
• 
• 

Employee Benefits and Other Expenses (Note 21) 
Income Taxes (Note 23) 

To help achieve this objective, the Board establishes liquidity 

guidelines that require sufficient asset-based liquidity to cover 
potential funding requirements and to avoid over-dependence 
on volatile, less reliable funding markets. These guidelines are 
monitored on a monthly basis by the Corporate ALCO and on a 
quarterly basis by the Board. These guidelines are established and 
monitored for both the consolidated company and for the Parent 
on a stand-alone basis to ensure that the Parent is a source of 
strength for its regulated, deposit-taking banking subsidiaries. 
The Parent acts as a source of funding for the Company through 
the issuance of long-term debt and equity, and WFC Holdings, 
LLC, an intermediate holding company and subsidiary of the 
Parent (the “IHC”), provides funding support for the ongoing 
operational requirements of the Parent and certain of its direct 
and indirect subsidiaries. For more information on the IHC, see 
the “Regulatory Matters – ‘Living Will’ Requirements and Related 
Matters” section in this Report. 

Liquidity Stress Tests  Liquidity stress tests are performed to 
help ensure that the Company has sufficient liquidity to meet 
contractual and contingent outflows modeled under a variety of 
stress scenarios. Our scenarios utilize market-wide as well as 
corporate-specific events, including a range of stress conditions 
and time horizons. Stress testing results facilitate evaluation of 
the Company’s projected liquidity position during stress and 
inform future needs in the Company’s funding plan. 

Contingency Funding Plan  Our contingency funding plan (CFP), 
which is approved by Corporate ALCO and the Board’s Risk 
Committee, sets out the Company’s strategies and action plans 

to address potential liquidity needs during market-wide or 
idiosyncratic liquidity events. The CFP establishes measures for 
monitoring emerging liquidity events and describes the 
processes for communicating and managing stress events should 
they occur. The CFP also identifies alternate funding and liquidity 
strategies available to the Company in a period of stress. 

Liquidity Standards  We are subject to a rule, issued by the FRB, 
OCC and FDIC, that establishes a quantitative minimum liquidity 
requirement consistent with the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) 
established by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision 
(BCBS). The rule requires a covered banking organization, such as 
Wells Fargo, to hold high-quality liquid assets (HQLA), 
predominantly consisting of central bank deposits, government 
debt securities, and mortgage-backed securities of federal 
agencies that can be converted easily and quickly into cash, in an 
amount equal to or greater than its projected net cash outflows 
during a 30-day stress period. The LCR applies to the Company 
on a consolidated basis and to our insured depository institutions 
(IDIs) with total assets of $10 billion or more. In addition, rules 
issued by the FRB impose enhanced liquidity risk management 
standards on large BHCs, such as Wells Fargo. 

The FRB, OCC and FDIC have also issued a rule implementing 

a stable funding requirement, known as the net stable funding 
ratio (NSFR), which requires a covered banking organization, such 
as Wells Fargo, to maintain a minimum amount of stable funding, 
including common equity, long-term subordinated debt and 
most types of deposits, in relation to its assets, derivative 
exposures and commitments over a one-year horizon period. The 
NSFR will become effective on July 1, 2021, and applies to the 
Company on a consolidated basis and to our IDIs with total assets 
of $10 billion or more. Based on our liquidity profile at 
December 31, 2020, we expect to be compliant with the NSFR 
requirement. 

Liquidity Coverage Ratio  As of December 31, 2020, the 
consolidated Company, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and Wells Fargo 
National Bank West exceeded the minimum LCR requirement of 
100%, which is calculated as HQLA divided by projected net cash 
outflows, as each is defined under the LCR rule. Table 37 presents 
the Company’s quarterly average values for the daily-calculated 
LCR and its components calculated pursuant to the LCR rule 
requirements. 

Table 37:  Liquidity Coverage Ratio 

(in millions, except ratio) 

Dec 31, 2020 

Sep 30, 2020 

Dec 31, 2019 

Average for Quarter ended 

HQLA (1): 

Eligible cash 

Eligible securities (2) 

Total HQLA 

Projected net cash outflows 

LCR 

(1) 

$ 

213,937 

201,060 

414,997 

312,697 

133% 

210,715 

213,358 

424,073 

317,064 

134 

117,693 

255,669 

373,362 

312,019 

120 

Excludes excess HQLA at certain subsidiaries that is not transferable to other Wells Fargo 
entities. 

(2)  Net of applicable haircuts required under the LCR rule. 

Liquidity Sources  We maintain liquidity in the form of cash, cash 
equivalents and unencumbered high-quality, liquid debt 
securities. These assets make up our primary sources of liquidity. 
Our primary sources of liquidity are substantially the same in 
composition as HQLA under the LCR rule; however, our primary 
sources of liquidity will generally exceed HQLA calculated under 
the LCR rule due to the applicable haircuts to HQLA and the 

85 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Risk Management – Asset/Liability Management (continued) 

exclusion of excess HQLA at our subsidiary IDIs required under 
the LCR rule. Our primary sources of liquidity are presented in 
Table 38, which also includes encumbered securities that are not 
included as available HQLA in the calculation of the LCR. 

Our cash is predominantly on deposit with the Federal 
Reserve. Debt securities included as part of our primary sources 
of liquidity are comprised of U.S. Treasury and federal agency 

debt, and MBS issued by federal agencies within our debt 
securities portfolio. We believe these debt securities provide 
quick sources of liquidity through sales or by pledging to obtain 
financing, regardless of market conditions. Some of these debt 
securities are within our HTM portfolio and, as such, are not 
intended for sale but may be pledged to obtain financing. 

Table 38:  Primary Sources of Liquidity 

(in millions) 

Total 

Encumbered 

Unencumbered 

Total 

Encumbered 

Unencumbered 

Interest-earning deposits with banks 

Debt securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Mortgage-backed securities of federal agencies 

Total 

$

236,376

70,756 

258,668 

$ 

565,800 

— 

5,370 

49,156 

54,526 

236,376

119,493

65,386 

61,099 

209,512 

258,589 

511,274 

439,181 

— 

3,107 

41,135 

44,242 

119,493

57,992 

217,454 

394,939 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

In addition to our primary sources of liquidity shown in 
Table 38, liquidity is also available through the sale or financing of 
other debt securities including trading and/or AFS debt 
securities, as well as through the sale, securitization or financing 
of loans, to the extent such debt securities and loans are not 
encumbered. As of December 31, 2020, we also maintained 
approximately $244.1 billion of available borrowing capacity at 
various Federal Home Loan Banks and the Federal Reserve 
Discount Window. 

Deposits have historically provided a sizable source of 
relatively low-cost funds. Deposits were 158% and 137% of total 
loans at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Additional 
funding is provided by long-term debt and short-term 
borrowings. Table 39 shows selected information for short-term 
borrowings, which generally mature in less than 30 days. We 
pledge certain financial instruments that we own to collateralize 
repurchase agreements and other securities financings. For 
additional information, see the “Pledged Assets” section of 
Note 14 (Pledged Assets and Collateral) to Financial Statements 
in this Report. 

2018

Rate 

2.65  % 

1.63 

2.52 

1.78 

0.79 

1.65 

N/A 

N/A 

Table 39:  Short-Term Borrowings 

(in millions) 

As of December 31, 

Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase 

Other short-term borrowings 

Total 

Year ended December 31, 

Average daily balance 

Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase 

Other short-term borrowings 

Total 

Maximum month-end balance 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

Amount 

46,362 

12,637 

58,999 

2020 

Rate 

Amount 

2019 

Rate 

(0.03) %  $ 

(0.29) 

92,403 

12,109 

(0.09) 

$ 

104,512 

1.54  %  $ 

0.60 

1.43 

$ 

105,787 

Amount 

92,430 

13,357 

58,971 

11,235 

70,206 

0.47 

$ 

102,888 

(0.22) 

12,449 

0.36 

$ 

115,337 

2.11 

1.20 

2.01 

$ 

90,348 

13,919 

$ 

104,267 

Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase (1)  $ 
Other short-term borrowings (2) 

91,121 

13,253 

N/A 

N/A 

$ 

111,726 

14,129 

$ 

N/A 

N/A 

93,918 

16,924 

N/A – Not applicable 
(1) 
(2) 

Highest month-end balance in each of the last three years was February 2020, October 2019 and November 2018. 
Highest month-end balance in each of the last three years was March 2020, February 2019 and January 2018. 

86 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
decisions. Rating agencies base their ratings on many 
quantitative and qualitative factors, including capital adequacy, 
liquidity, asset quality, business mix, the level and quality of 
earnings, and rating agency assumptions regarding the 
probability and extent of federal financial assistance or support 
for certain large financial institutions. Adverse changes in these 
factors could result in a reduction of our credit rating; however, 
our debt securities do not contain credit rating covenants. 

There were no actions undertaken by the rating agencies 
with regard to our credit ratings during fourth quarter 2020. 

See the “Risk Factors” section in this Report for additional 
information regarding our credit ratings and the potential impact 
a credit rating downgrade would have on our liquidity and 
operations, as well as Note 16 (Derivatives) to Financial 
Statements in this Report for information regarding additional 
collateral and funding obligations required for certain derivative 
instruments in the event our credit ratings were to fall below 
investment grade. 

The credit ratings of the Parent and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 

as of December 31, 2020, are presented in Table 40. 

Wells Fargo & Company 

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. 

Senior debt 

Short-term 
borrowings 

Long-term 
deposits 

Short-term 
borrowings 

A2 

BBB+ 

A+ 

P-1 

A-2 

F1 

AA (low) 

R-1 (middle) 

Aa1 

A+ 

AA 

AA 

P-1 

A-1 

F1+ 

R-1 (high) 

Long-Term Debt  We access domestic and international capital 
markets for long-term funding (generally greater than one year) 
through issuances of registered debt securities, private 
placements and asset-backed secured funding. We issue long-
term debt in a variety of maturities and currencies to achieve 
cost-efficient funding and to maintain an appropriate maturity 
profile. Proceeds from securities issued were used for general 
corporate purposes, and, unless otherwise specified in the 
applicable prospectus or prospectus supplement, we expect the 
proceeds from securities issued in the future will be used for the 
same purposes. Depending on market conditions, we may 
purchase our outstanding debt securities from time to time in 
privately negotiated or open market transactions, by tender 
offer, or otherwise. We issued $38.1 billion of long-term debt in 
2020. For additional information, see Note 12 (Long-Term Debt) 
to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Credit Ratings  Investors in the long-term capital markets, as 
well as other market participants, generally will consider, among 
other factors, a company’s debt rating in making investment 

Table 40:  Credit Ratings as of December 31, 2020 

Moody’s 

S&P Global Ratings 

Fitch Ratings, Inc. 

DBRS Morningstar 

FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK MEMBERSHIP  The Federal Home 
Loan Banks (the FHLBs) are a group of cooperatives that lending 
institutions use to finance housing and economic development in 
local communities. We are a member of the FHLBs based in 
Dallas, Des Moines and San Francisco. FHLB members are 
required to maintain a minimum investment in capital stock of 
the applicable FHLB. The board of directors of each FHLB can 
increase the minimum investment requirements in the event it 
has concluded that additional capital is required to allow it to 
meet its own regulatory capital requirements. Any increase in the 
minimum investment requirements outside of specified ranges 
requires the approval of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. 
Because the extent of any obligation to increase our investment 
in any of the FHLBs depends entirely upon the occurrence of a 
future event, the amount of any future investment in the capital 
stock of the FHLBs is not determinable. 

87 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
Capital Management 

We have an active program for managing capital through a 
comprehensive process for assessing the Company’s overall 
capital adequacy. Our objective is to maintain capital at an 
amount commensurate with our risk profile and risk tolerance 
objectives, and to meet both regulatory and market 
expectations. We primarily fund our capital needs through the 
retention of earnings net of both dividends and share 
repurchases, as well as through the issuance of preferred stock 
and long- and short-term debt. Retained earnings at 
December 31, 2020, decreased $3.8 billion from December 31, 
2019, predominantly as a result of common and preferred stock 
dividends of $6.3 billion, partially offset by $3.3 billion of 
Wells Fargo net income. During 2020, we issued $2.7 billion of 
common stock, substantially all of which was issued in 
connection with employee stock ownership plans, excluding 
conversions of preferred shares. During 2020, we repurchased 
75.7 million shares of common stock at a cost of $3.4 billion, 
substantially all of which occurred in first quarter 2020. For 
additional information about capital planning, including the FRB’s 
recent restrictions on capital distributions, see the “Capital 
Planning and Stress Testing” section below. 

In 2020, we issued $3.2 billion of preferred stock and 
redeemed $3.3 billion of preferred stock. In January 2021, we 
issued $3.5 billion of our Preferred Stock, Series BB, and in 
February 2021, we issued $1.05 billion of our Preferred Stock, 
Series CC. Additionally, in February 2021, we announced the 
redemption of our Preferred Stock, Series I, Series P and 
Series W, and a partial redemption of our Preferred Stock, 
Series N, for an aggregate cost of $4.5 billion. For additional 
information, see Note 18 (Preferred Stock) to Financial 
Statements in this Report. 

Regulatory Capital Requirements 
The Company and each of our IDIs are subject to various 
regulatory capital adequacy requirements administered by the 
FRB and the OCC. Risk-based capital rules establish risk-adjusted 
ratios relating regulatory capital to different categories of assets 
and off-balance sheet exposures as discussed below. 

RISK-BASED CAPITAL AND RISK-WEIGHTED ASSETS The Company 
is subject to rules issued by federal banking regulators to 
implement Basel III capital requirements for U.S. banking 
organizations. The rules contain two frameworks for calculating 
capital requirements, a Standardized Approach and an Advanced 
Approach applicable to certain institutions, including Wells Fargo. 
Our capital adequacy is assessed based on the lower of our risk-
based capital ratios calculated under the two approaches. The 
Company is required to satisfy the risk-based capital ratio 
requirements to avoid restrictions on capital distributions and 
discretionary bonus payments. Table 41 and Table 42 present the 
risk-based capital requirements applicable to the Company on a 
fully phased-in basis under the Standardized Approach and 
Advanced Approach, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. 

88 

Table 41:  Risk-Based Capital Requirements – Standardized Approach 

Standardized Approach 

Common Equity Tier 1 
(CET1) ratio 

4.50% 

2.50%  2.00%  9.00% 
9.00%

Tier 1 capital ratio 

6.00% 

2.50%  2.00%  10.50% 
10.50%

Total capital ratio 

8.00% 

12.50%
2.50%  2.00%  12.50%

Minimum requirement 
G-SIB capital surcharge 

Stress capital buffer 

Table 42:  Risk-Based Capital Requirements – Advanced Approach 

Advanced Approach 

Common Equity Tier 1 
(CET1) ratio 

4.50% 

2.50%  2.00%  9.00% 
9.00%

Tier 1 capital ratio 

6.00% 

2.50%  2.00%  10.50% 
10.50%

Total capital ratio 

8.00% 

12.50%
2.50%  2.00%  12.50%

Minimum requirement 
G-SIB capital surcharge 

Capital conservation buffer 

In addition to the risk-based capital requirements described 
in Table 41 and Table 42, if the FRB determines that a period of 
excessive credit growth is contributing to an increase in systemic 
risk, a countercyclical buffer of up to 2.50% could be added to the 
risk-based capital ratio requirements under federal banking 
regulations. 

The capital conservation buffer is applicable to certain 

institutions, including Wells Fargo, under the Advanced 
Approach and is intended to absorb losses during times of 
economic or financial stress. 

The stress capital buffer, which replaced the capital 

conservation buffer under the Standardized Approach beginning 
October 1, 2020, is calculated based on the decrease in a BHC’s 
risk-based capital ratios under the severely adverse scenario in 
the FRB’s annual supervisory stress test and related 
Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR), plus four 
quarters of planned common stock dividends. Because the stress 
capital buffer is calculated annually based on data that can differ 
over time, our stress capital buffer, and thus our risk-based 
capital ratio requirements under the Standardized Approach, are 
subject to change in future years. In August 2020, the FRB 
announced that the Company’s stress capital buffer for the 
period October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021, is 2.50%. 
However, in December 2020, in conjunction with a capital plan 
resubmission process, the FRB announced that it was extending 
through March 31, 2021, the time period during which it can 
recalculate the stress capital buffers of large BHCs. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
  
 
 
 
As a global systemically important bank (G-SIB), we are 

also subject to the FRB’s rule implementing an additional 
capital surcharge of between 1.00-4.50% on the risk-based 
capital ratio requirements of G-SIBs. Under the rule, we must 
annually calculate our surcharge under two methods and use 
the higher of the two surcharges. The first method (method 
one) considers our size, interconnectedness, cross-
jurisdictional activity, substitutability, and complexity, 
consistent with the methodology developed by the BCBS and 
the Financial Stability Board (FSB). The second method 
(method two) uses similar inputs, but replaces substitutability 
with use of short-term wholesale funding and will generally 
result in higher surcharges than under method one. Because 
the G-SIB capital surcharge is calculated annually based on 
data that can differ over time, the amount of the surcharge is 
subject to change in future years. 

The Basel III capital requirements for calculating CET1 and 
tier 1 capital, along with risk-weighted assets (RWAs), are fully 
phased-in. However, the requirements for determining tier 2 and 
total capital are still in accordance with Transition Requirements 
and are scheduled to be fully phased-in by the end of 2021. 

Under the risk-based capital rules, on-balance sheet assets 

and credit equivalent amounts of derivatives and off-balance 
sheet items are assigned to one of several broad risk categories 
according to the obligor, or, if relevant, the guarantor or the 

Table 43:  Capital Components and Ratios (Fully Phased-In) 

nature of any collateral. The aggregate dollar amount in each risk 
category is then multiplied by the risk weight associated with 
that category. The resulting weighted values from each of the 
risk categories are aggregated for determining total RWAs. 

The tables that follow provide information about our risk-

based capital and related ratios as calculated under Basel III 
capital rules. Although we report certain capital amounts and 
ratios in accordance with Transition Requirements for bank 
regulatory reporting purposes, we manage our capital on a fully 
phased-in basis. For information about our capital requirements 
calculated in accordance with Transition Requirements, see 
Note 28 (Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other 
Restrictions) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Table 43 summarizes our CET1, tier 1 capital, total capital, 

RWAs and capital ratios on a fully phased-in basis at 
December 31, 2020 and 2019. Fully phased-in total capital 
amounts and ratios are considered non-GAAP financial measures 
that are used by management, bank regulatory agencies, 
investors and analysts to assess and monitor the Company’s 
capital position. See Table 44 for information regarding the 
calculation and components of our CET1, tier 1 capital, total 
capital and RWAs, as well as a corresponding reconciliation to 
GAAP financial measures for our fully phased-in total capital 
amounts. 

(in millions, except ratios) 

Common Equity Tier 1 

Tier 1 Capital 

Total Capital 

Risk-Weighted Assets (2) 

Common Equity Tier 1 Capital Ratio (2) 

Tier 1 Capital Ratio (2) 

Total Capital Ratio (2) 

Required
Capital
Ratios (1) 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Advanced 
Approach 

Standardized 
Approach 

Advanced 
Approach 

Standardized 
Approach 

$ 

138,297 

158,196 

186,803 

138,297 

158,196 

196,529 

138,760 

158,949 

187,813 

138,760 

158,949 

195,703 

1,158,355 

1,193,744 

1,165,079 

1,245,853 

9.00  % 

10.50 

12.50 

11.94 

13.66 

16.13  * 

11.59  * 

13.25  * 

16.46 

11.91 

13.64 

16.12 

11.14  * 

12.76  * 

15.71  * 

(A) 

(B) 

(C) 

(D) 

(A)/(D) 

(B)/(D) 

(C)/(D) 

* 
(1) 

(2) 

Denotes the binding ratio based on the lower calculation under the Advanced and Standardized Approaches. 
Represents the minimum ratios required to avoid restrictions on capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments. The required ratios were the same under both the Standardized and 
Advanced Approaches at December 31, 2020. 
RWAs and capital ratios for December 31, 2019, have been revised as a result of a decrease in RWAs under the Advanced Approach due to the correction of duplicated operational loss amounts. 

89 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Capital Management (continued) 

Table 44 provides information regarding the calculation and 

composition of our risk-based capital under the Advanced and 
Standardized Approaches at December 31, 2020 and 2019. 

Table 44:  Risk-Based Capital Calculation and Components 

(in millions) 

Total equity 

Adjustments: 

Preferred stock 

Additional paid-in capital on preferred stock 

Unearned ESOP shares 

Noncontrolling interests 

Total common stockholders’ equity 

Adjustments: 

Goodwill 

Certain identifiable intangible assets (other than MSRs) 

Goodwill and other intangibles on nonmarketable equity securities (included in 

other assets) 

Applicable deferred taxes related to goodwill and other intangible assets (1) 

CECL transition provision (2) 

Other 

Common Equity Tier 1 

Preferred stock 

Additional paid-in capital on preferred stock 

Unearned ESOP shares 

Other 

Total Tier 1 capital 

Long-term debt and other instruments qualifying as Tier 2 

Qualifying allowance for credit losses (3) 

Other 

Total Tier 2 capital (Fully Phased-In) 

Effect of Basel III Transition Requirements 

Total Tier 2 capital (Basel III Transition Requirements) 

Total qualifying capital (Fully Phased-In) 

Total Effect of Basel III Transition Requirements 

Total qualifying capital (Basel III Transition Requirements) 

Risk-Weighted Assets (RWAs)(4): 

Credit risk (5) 

Market risk 

Operational risk (6) 

Total RWAs (6) 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Advanced 
Approach 

Standardized 
Approach 

$ 

185,920 

185,920 

Advanced 
Approach 

187,984 

Standardized 
Approach 

187,984 

(21,136) 

(21,136) 

(21,549) 

(21,549) 

152 

875 

152 

875 

(1,033) 

(1,033) 

(71) 

1,143 

(838) 

(71) 

1,143 

(838) 

164,778 

164,778 

166,669 

166,669 

(26,392) 

(342) 

(1,965) 

856 

1,720 

(358) 

$ 

138,297 

21,136 

(152) 

(875) 

(210) 

(A) 

$ 

158,196 

24,387 

4,408 

(188) 

28,607 

131 

28,738 

(B) 

$ 

$ 

(A)+(B)  $ 

186,803 

131 

(26,392) 

(342) 

(1,965) 

856 

1,720 

(358) 

138,297 

21,136 

(152) 

(875) 

(210) 

158,196 

24,387 

14,134 

(188) 

38,333 

131 

38,464 

196,529 

131 

(26,390) 

(437) 

(26,390) 

(437) 

(2,146) 

(2,146) 

810 

— 

254 

138,760 

21,549 

71 

(1,143) 

(288) 

158,949 

26,515 

2,566 

(217) 

28,864 

520 

29,384 

810 

— 

254 

138,760 

21,549 

71 

(1,143) 

(288) 

158,949 

26,515 

10,456 

(217) 

36,754 

520 

37,274 

187,813 

195,703 

520 

520 

$ 

$ 

186,934 

196,660 

188,333 

196,223 

752,999 

67,931 

337,425 

1,125,813 

67,931 

— 

790,784 

35,644 

338,651 

1,210,209 

35,644 

— 

$ 

1,158,355 

1,193,744 

1,165,079 

1,245,853 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

Determined by applying the combined federal statutory rate and composite state income tax rates to the difference between book and tax basis of the respective goodwill and intangible assets at 
period end. 
At December 31, 2020, the impact of the CECL transition provision issued by federal banking regulators on our regulatory capital was an increase in capital of $1.7 billion, reflecting a $991 million 
(post-tax) increase in capital recognized upon our initial adoption of CECL, offset by 25% of the $10.8 billion increase in our ACL under CECL from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020. 
Under the Advanced Approach the allowance for credit losses that exceeds expected credit losses is eligible for inclusion in tier 2 capital, to the extent the excess allowance does not exceed 0.60% of 
Advanced credit RWAs, and under the Standardized Approach, the allowance for credit losses is includable in tier 2 capital up to 1.25% of Standardized credit RWAs, in each case with any excess 
allowance for credit losses being deducted from the respective total RWAs. 
RWAs calculated under the Advanced Approach utilize a risk-sensitive methodology, which relies upon the use of internal credit models based upon our experience with internal rating grades. 
Advanced Approach also includes an operational risk component, which reflects the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems, or from external events. 
Includes an increase of $1.4 billion under the Standardized Approach and a decrease of $1.4 billion under the Advanced Approach related to the impact of the CECL transition provision on our excess 
allowance for credit losses as of December 31, 2020. See footnote (3) to this table. 
Amounts for December 31, 2019, have been revised as a result of a decrease in RWAs under the Advanced Approach due to the correction of duplicated operational loss amounts. 

90 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 45 presents the changes in CET1 under the Advanced 

Approach for the year ended December 31, 2020. 

Table 45:  Analysis of Changes in Common Equity Tier 1 (Advanced Approach) 

(in millions) 

Common Equity Tier 1 at December 31, 2019 

Net income applicable to common stock 

Common stock dividends 

Common stock issued, repurchased, and stock compensation-related items 

Changes in cumulative other comprehensive income 

Cumulative effect from change in accounting policies (1) 

Goodwill 

Certain identifiable intangible assets (other than MSRs) 

Goodwill and other intangibles on nonmarketable equity securities (included in other assets) 

Applicable deferred taxes related to goodwill and other intangible assets (2) 

CECL transition provision (3) 

Other 

Change in Common Equity Tier 1 

Common Equity Tier 1 at December 31, 2020 

$ 

138,760 

1,710 

(5,015) 

(1,256) 

1,505 

991 

(2) 

95 

181 

46 

1,720 

(438) 

(463) 

$ 

138,297 

(1)
(2)

(3)

Effective January 1, 2020, we adopted CECL. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report.
Determined by applying the combined federal statutory rate and composite state income tax rates to the difference between book and tax basis of the respective goodwill and intangible assets at
period end.
At December 31, 2020, the impact of the CECL transition provision issued by federal banking regulators on our regulatory capital was an increase in capital of $1.7 billion, reflecting a $991 million 
(post-tax) increase in capital recognized upon our initial adoption of CECL, offset by 25% of the $10.8 billion increase in our ACL under CECL from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

Table 46 presents net changes in the components of RWAs 
under the Advanced and Standardized Approaches for the year 
ended December 31, 2020. 

Table 46:  Analysis of Changes in RWAs 

(in millions) 

RWAs at December 31, 2019 (1) 

Net change in credit risk RWAs (2) 

Net change in market risk RWAs 

Net change in operational risk RWAs 

Total change in RWAs 

RWAs at December 31, 2020 

Advanced Approach 

Standardized Approach 

$

$ 

1,165,079

(37,785) 

32,287 

(1,226) 

(6,724)

1,158,355 

1,245,853

(84,396) 

32,287 

— 

(52,109)

1,193,744 

(1)
(2)

Amount for December 31, 2019, has been revised as a result of a decrease in RWAs under the Advanced Approach due to the correction of duplicated operational loss amounts.
Includes an increase of $1.4 billion under the Standardized Approach and a decrease of $1.4 billion under the Advanced Approach related to the impact of the CECL transition provision on our excess 
allowance for credit losses. See Table 44 for additional information.

91 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
  
 
Capital Management (continued) 

TANGIBLE COMMON EQUITY  We also evaluate our business based 
on certain ratios that utilize tangible common equity. Tangible 
common equity is a non-GAAP financial measure and represents 
total equity less preferred equity, noncontrolling interests, 
goodwill, certain identifiable intangible assets (other than MSRs) 
and goodwill and other intangibles on nonmarketable equity 
securities, net of applicable deferred taxes. The ratios are (i) 
tangible book value per common share, which represents 
tangible common equity divided by common shares outstanding; 
and (ii) return on average tangible common equity (ROTCE), 

which represents our annualized earnings as a percentage of 
tangible common equity. The methodology of determining 
tangible common equity may differ among companies. 
Management believes that tangible book value per common 
share and return on average tangible common equity, which 
utilize tangible common equity, are useful financial measures 
because they enable management, investors, and others to 
assess the Company’s use of equity. 

Table 47 provides a reconciliation of these non-GAAP 

financial measures to GAAP financial measures. 

Table 47:  Tangible Common Equity 

(in millions, except ratios) 

Total equity 

Adjustments: 

Preferred stock 

Additional paid-in capital on preferred stock 

Unearned ESOP shares 

Noncontrolling interests 

Balance at period end 

Average balance 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

Dec 31, 
2018 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

Dec 31, 
2018 

$  185,920 

187,984 

197,066 

185,214 

197,621 

203,356 

(21,136) 

(21,549) 

(23,214) 

(21,364) 

(22,522) 

(24,956) 

152 

875 

(1,033) 

(71) 

1,143 

(838) 

(95) 

1,502 

(900) 

148 

1,007 

(769) 

(81) 

1,306 

(962) 

(125) 

2,159 

(929) 

Total common stockholders’ equity 

(A) 

164,778 

166,669 

174,359 

164,236 

175,362 

179,505 

Adjustments: 

Goodwill 

(26,392) 

(26,390) 

(26,418) 

(26,387) 

(26,409) 

(26,453) 

Certain identifiable intangible assets (other than MSRs) 

(342) 

(437) 

(559) 

(389) 

(493) 

(1,088) 

Goodwill and other intangibles on nonmarketable equity securities 

(included in other assets) 

Applicable deferred taxes related to goodwill and other intangible 

assets (1) 

Tangible common equity 

Common shares outstanding 

Net income applicable to common stock 

Book value per common share 

Tangible book value per common share 

Return on average common stockholders’ equity (ROE) 

Return on average tangible common equity (ROTCE) 

(1,965) 

(2,146) 

(2,187) 

(2,002) 

(2,174) 

(2,197) 

856 

810 

785 

834 

792 

866 

(B) 

(C) 

(D) 

(A)/(C) 

(B)/(C) 

(D)/(A) 

(D)/(B) 

$  136,935 

138,506 

145,980 

136,292 

147,078 

150,633 

4,144.0 

4,134.4 

4,581.3 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

$ 

N/A 

39.76 

33.04 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

40.31 

33.50 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

$ 

1,710 

17,938 

20,689 

38.06 

31.86 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

1.04  % 

1.25 

N/A 

N/A 

10.23 

12.20 

N/A 

N/A 

11.53 

13.73 

(1) 

Determined by applying the combined federal statutory rate and composite state income tax rates to the difference between book and tax basis of the respective goodwill and intangible assets at 
period end. 

LEVERAGE REQUIREMENTS  As a BHC, we are required to maintain 
a supplementary leverage ratio (SLR) to avoid restrictions on 
capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments and 
maintain a minimum tier 1 leverage ratio. Table 48 presents the 
leverage requirements applicable to the Company as of 
December 31, 2020. 

Table 48:  Leverage Requirements Applicable to the Company 

Supplementary 
leverage ratio 

3.00% 

2.00% 

5.00%5.00% 

Tier 1 leverage 
ratio 

4.00% 

4.00%4.00% 

Minimum requirement 
Supplementary leverage buffer 

In addition, our IDIs are required to maintain an SLR of at 
least 6.00% to be considered well capitalized under applicable 
regulatory capital adequacy rules and maintain a minimum tier 1 
leverage ratio of 4.00%. 

92 

The FRB and OCC have proposed rules (Proposed SLR rules) 

that would replace the 2.00% supplementary leverage buffer 
with a buffer equal to one-half of our G-SIB capital surcharge. 
The Proposed SLR rules would similarly tailor the current 6.00% 
SLR requirement for our IDIs. 

In April 2020, the FRB issued an interim final rule that 
temporarily allows a BHC to exclude on-balance sheet amounts 
of U.S. Treasury securities and deposits at Federal Reserve Banks 
from the calculation of its total leverage exposure in the 
denominator of the SLR. This interim final rule became effective 
on April 1, 2020, and expires on March 31, 2021. 

At 

8.05%

December 31, 2020

, the Company’s SLR was 

, and 
each of our IDIs exceeded their applicable SLR requirements. In 
addition, the Company’s SLR at 
, would have 
been 7.10% without relying on the FRB’s April 2020 interim fina
l 
rule that temporarily allows for the exclusion of specific on-
balance sheet amounts. 
 presents information regarding 
the calculation and components of the Company’s SLR and tier 1 
leverage ratio. 

December 31, 2020

Table 49

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Table 49:  Leverage Ratios for the Company 

(in millions, except ratio) 

Tier 1 capital 

Total average assets 

Less: Goodwill and other permitted Tier 1 capital 
deductions (net of deferred tax liabilities) 

Less: Other SLR exclusions 

Total adjusted average assets 

Plus adjustments for off-balance sheet 

exposures: 

Derivatives (1) 

Repo-style transactions (2) 

Other (3) 

Total off-balance sheet exposures 

Quarter ended 
December 31, 2020 

(A) 

$ 

158,196 

1,928,592 

28,334 

265,323 

1,634,935 

62,320 

2,914 

263,802 

329,036 

Total leverage exposure 

(B) 

$ 

1,963,971 

Supplementary leverage ratio 

(A)/(B) 

Tier 1 leverage ratio (4) 

8.05% 

8.32% 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

Adjustment represents derivatives and collateral netting exposures as defined for 
supplementary leverage ratio determination purposes. 
Adjustment represents counterparty credit risk for repo-style transactions where 
Wells Fargo & Company is the principal counterparty facing the client. 
Adjustment represents credit equivalent amounts of other off-balance sheet exposures 
not already included as derivatives and repo-style transactions exposures. 
The tier 1 leverage ratio consists of tier 1 capital divided by total average assets, excluding 
goodwill and certain other items as determined under the rule. 

TOTAL LOSS ABSORBING CAPACITY  As a G-SIB, we are required to 
have a minimum amount of equity and unsecured long-term 
debt for purposes of resolvability and resiliency, often referred to 
as Total Loss Absorbing Capacity (TLAC). U.S. G-SIBs are required 
to have a minimum amount of TLAC (consisting of CET1 capital 
and additional tier 1 capital issued directly by the top-tier or 
covered BHC plus eligible external long-term debt) to avoid 
restrictions on capital distributions and discretionary bonus 
payments, as well as a minimum amount of eligible unsecured 
long-term debt. Our minimum TLAC and eligible unsecured long-
term debt requirements as of December 31, 2020, are presented 
in Table 50. 

Table 50:  TLAC and Eligible Unsecured Long-Term Debt Requirements 
TLAC requirement 

Greater of: 

18.00% of RWAs 

7.50% of total leverage exposure 
(the denominator of the SLR 
calculation) 

+ 

+ 

TLAC buffer (equal to 2.50% of RWAs 
+ method one G-SIB capital surcharge 
+ any countercyclical buffer) 

External TLAC leverage buffer 
(equal to 2.00% of total leverage 
exposure) 

Minimum amount of eligible unsecured long-term debt 

Greater of: 

6.00% of RWAs 

+ 

Method two G-SIB capital surcharge 

4.50% of total leverage exposure 

Under the Proposed SLR rules, the 2.00% external TLAC 
leverage buffer would be replaced with a buffer equal to one-half 
of our applicable G-SIB capital surcharge, and the leverage 
component for calculating the minimum amount of eligible 
unsecured long-term debt would be modified from 4.50% of 
total leverage exposure to 2.50% of total leverage exposure plus 
one-half of our applicable G-SIB capital surcharge. 

As of December 31, 2020, our eligible external TLAC as a 
percentage of total RWAs was 25.74%, compared with a required 
minimum of 22.00%. Effective January 1, 2021, the Company’s 
G-SIB capital surcharge calculated under method one, which is a 
component of our TLAC buffer requirement, decreased from 
1.50% to 1.00%. Accordingly, effective January 1, 2021, our TLAC 
requirement as a percentage of total RWAs decreased from 
22.00% to 21.50%. Similar to the risk-based capital 
requirements, our minimum TLAC requirement is assessed based 
on the greater of RWAs determined under the Standardized and 
Advanced Approaches. 

OTHER REGULATORY CAPITAL AND LIQUIDITY MATTERS  As 
discussed in the “Risk Management – Asset/ Liability 
Management – Liquidity Risk and Funding – Liquidity Standards” 
section in this Report, federal banking regulators have issued 
final rules regarding the U.S. implementation of the Basel III LCR 
and NSFR. 

Capital Planning and Stress Testing 
Our planned long-term capital structure is designed to meet 
regulatory and market expectations. We believe that our long-
term targeted capital structure enables us to invest in and grow 
our business, satisfy our customers’ financial needs in varying 
environments, access markets, and maintain flexibility to return 
capital to our shareholders. Our long-term targeted capital 
structure also considers capital levels sufficient to exceed capital 
requirements including the G-SIB capital surcharge. Accordingly, 
we currently target a long-term CET1 capital ratio at or in excess 
of 10.00%. Our capital targets are subject to change based on 
various factors, including changes to the regulatory capital 
framework and expectations for large banks promulgated by 
bank regulatory agencies, changes to the regulatory 
requirements for our capital ratios, planned capital actions, 
changes in our risk profile and other factors. 

The FRB capital plan rule establishes capital planning and 
other requirements that govern capital distributions, including 
dividends and share repurchases, by certain BHCs, including 
Wells Fargo. The FRB assesses, among other things, the overall 
financial condition, risk profile, and capital adequacy of BHCs 
when evaluating their capital plans. 

We submitted our 2020 capital plan to the FRB on April 3, 

2020. As part of the 2020 CCAR, the FRB also generated a 
supervisory stress test. The FRB reviewed the supervisory stress 
test results as required under the Dodd-Frank Act using a 
common set of capital actions for all large BHCs and also 
reviewed the Company’s proposed capital actions. The FRB 
published its supervisory stress test results on June 25, 2020. 
On June 25, 2020, the FRB also announced that it was 
requiring large BHCs, including Wells Fargo, to update and 
resubmit their capital plans. We updated and resubmitted our 
capital plan on November 2, 2020, and the FRB published its 
resubmission supervisory stress test results on 
December 18, 2020. 

On December 18, 2020, the FRB announced that it was 
extending, with certain adjustments, measures it announced on 
June 25, 2020, limiting large BHCs, including Wells Fargo, from 
making any capital distribution (excluding any capital distribution 
arising from the issuance of a capital instrument eligible for 
inclusion in the numerator of a regulatory capital ratio), unless 
otherwise approved by the FRB. For first quarter 2021, the FRB 
has generally authorized BHCs to (i) provided that the BHC does 
not increase the amount of its common stock dividends to be 
larger than the level paid in second quarter 2020, pay common 
stock dividends and make share repurchases that, in the 

93 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
Capital Management (continued) 

aggregate, do not exceed an amount equal to the average of the 
BHC’s net income for the four preceding calendar quarters; (ii) 
make share repurchases that equal the amount of share 
issuances related to expensed employee compensation; and (iii) 
redeem and make scheduled payments on additional tier 1 and 
tier 2 capital instruments. The FRB is expected to announce by 
March 31, 2021, whether these capital distribution limitations 
will be extended for another quarter. 

Concurrently with CCAR, federal banking regulators also 

require large BHCs and banks to conduct their own stress tests 
to evaluate whether the institution has sufficient capital to 
continue to operate during periods of adverse economic and 
financial conditions. We submitted the results of our stress test 
to the FRB and disclosed a summary of the results in June 2020. 

Securities Repurchases 
From time to time the Board authorizes the Company to 
repurchase shares of our common stock. Although we announce 
when the Board authorizes share repurchases, we typically do not 
give any public notice before we repurchase our shares. Various 
factors determine the amount of our share repurchases, 
including our capital requirements, the number of shares we 

Regulatory Matters 

The U.S. financial services industry is subject to significant 
regulation and regulatory oversight initiatives. This regulation 
and oversight may continue to impact how U.S. financial services 
companies conduct business and may continue to result in 
increased regulatory compliance costs. The following highlights 
the more significant regulations and regulatory oversight 
initiatives that have affected or may affect our business. For 
additional information about the regulatory matters discussed 
below and other regulations and regulatory oversight matters, 
see Part I, Item 1 “Regulation and Supervision” of our 2020 Form 
10-K, and the “Capital Management,” “Forward-Looking 
Statements” and “Risk Factors” sections and Note 28 
(Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. 

Dodd-Frank Act 
The Dodd-Frank Act is the most significant financial reform 
legislation since the 1930s. The following provides additional 
information on the Dodd-Frank Act, including certain of its 
rulemaking initiatives. 
• 

Enhanced supervision and regulation of systemically important 
firms.  The Dodd-Frank Act grants broad authority to federal 
banking regulators to establish enhanced supervisory and 
regulatory requirements for systemically important firms. 
The FRB has finalized a number of regulations implementing 
enhanced prudential requirements for large bank holding 
companies (BHCs) like Wells Fargo regarding risk-based 
capital and leverage, risk and liquidity management, single 
counterparty credit limits, and imposing debt-to-equity 
limits on any BHC that regulators determine poses a grave 
threat to the financial stability of the United States. The FRB 
and OCC have also finalized rules implementing stress 
testing requirements for large BHCs and national banks. In 
addition, the FRB has proposed a rule to establish 
remediation requirements for large BHCs experiencing 
financial distress and has proposed additional requirements 
regarding effective risk management practices at large 
BHCs, including its expectations for boards of directors and 

94 

expect to issue for employee benefit plans and acquisitions, 
market conditions (including the trading price of our stock), and 
regulatory and legal considerations, including under the FRB’s 
capital plan rule. Due to the various factors that may impact the 
amount of our share repurchases and the fact that we tend to be 
in the market regularly to satisfy repurchase considerations 
under our capital plan, our share repurchases occur at various 
price levels. We may suspend share repurchase activity at any 
time. 

As discussed in the “Capital Planning and Stress Testing” 
section above, on December 18, 2020, the FRB announced that it 
was extending, with certain adjustments, measures prohibiting 
large BHCs subject to the FRB’s capital plan rule from making 
capital distributions subject to certain limited exceptions. 

At December 31, 2020, we had remaining Board authority to 

repurchase approximately 167 million shares, subject to 
regulatory and legal conditions. On January 15, 2021, we 
announced that the Board approved an increase in the 
Company's authority to repurchase common stock by an 
additional 500 million shares. For more information about share 
repurchases during fourth quarter 2020, see Part II, Item 5 in our 
2020 Form 10-K. 

senior management. The OCC, under separate authority, has 
also finalized guidelines establishing heightened governance 
and risk management standards for large national banks 
such as Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. The OCC guidelines require 
covered banks to establish and adhere to a written risk 
governance framework to manage and control their risk-
taking activities. The guidelines also formalize roles and 
responsibilities for risk management practices within 
covered banks and create certain risk oversight 
responsibilities for their boards of directors. In addition to 
the authorization of enhanced supervisory and regulatory 
requirements for systemically important firms, the Dodd-
Frank Act also established the Financial Stability Oversight 
Council and the Office of Financial Research, which may 
recommend new systemic risk management requirements 
and require new reporting of systemic risks. 
Regulation of consumer financial products.  The Dodd-Frank 
Act established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
(CFPB) to ensure that consumers receive clear and accurate 
disclosures regarding financial products and are protected 
from unfair, deceptive or abusive practices. The CFPB has 
issued a number of rules impacting consumer financial 
products, including rules regarding the origination, 
notification, disclosure and other requirements with respect 
to residential mortgage lending, as well as rules impacting 
prepaid cards, credit cards, and other financial products. In 
addition to these rulemaking activities, the CFPB is 
continuing its ongoing supervisory examination activities of 
the financial services industry with respect to a number of 
consumer businesses and products, including mortgage 
lending and servicing, fair lending requirements, and auto 
finance. 
Regulation of swaps and other derivatives activities.  The 
Dodd-Frank Act established a comprehensive framework for 
regulating over-the-counter derivatives, and, pursuant to 
authority granted by the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFTC and the 
SEC have adopted comprehensive sets of rules regulating 
swaps and security-based swaps, respectively, and the OCC 

• 

• 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
and other federal regulatory agencies have adopted margin 
requirements for uncleared swaps and security-based swaps. 
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as a provisionally-registered swap 
dealer, is subject to the CFTC’s swap rules and will become 
subject to the SEC’s security-based swap rules if it registers 
as a security-based swap dealer, which it is currently 
expected to do by November 1, 2021. These rules, as well as 
others adopted or under consideration by regulators in the 
United States and other jurisdictions, may negatively impact 
customer demand for over-the-counter derivatives, impact 
our ability to offer customers new derivatives or 
amendments to existing derivatives, and may increase our 
costs for engaging in swaps, security-based swaps, and other 
derivatives activities. 

Regulatory Capital, Leverage, and Liquidity Requirements 
The Company and each of our IDIs are subject to various 
regulatory capital adequacy requirements administered by the 
FRB and the OCC. For example, the Company is subject to rules 
issued by federal banking regulators to implement Basel III risk-
based capital requirements for U.S. banking organizations. The 
Company and its IDIs are also required to maintain specified 
leverage and supplementary leverage ratios. In addition, the 
Company is required to have a minimum amount of total loss 
absorbing capacity for purposes of resolvability and resiliency. 
Federal banking regulators have also issued final rules requiring a 
liquidity coverage ratio and a net stable funding ratio. For more 
information on the final risk-based capital, leverage and liquidity 
rules, and additional capital requirements applicable to us, see 
the “Capital Management” and “Risk Management – Asset/ 
Liability Management – Liquidity Risk and Funding – Liquidity 
Standards” sections in this Report. 

“Living Will” Requirements and Related Matters 
Rules adopted by the FRB and the FDIC under the Dodd-Frank 
Act require large financial institutions, including Wells Fargo, to 
prepare and periodically submit resolution plans, also known as 
“living wills,” that would facilitate their rapid and orderly 
resolution in the event of material financial distress or failure. 
Under the rules, rapid and orderly resolution means a 
reorganization or liquidation of the covered company under the 
U.S. Bankruptcy Code that can be accomplished in a reasonable 
period of time and in a manner that substantially mitigates the 
risk that failure would have serious adverse effects on the 
financial stability of the United States. In addition to the 
Company’s resolution plan, our national bank subsidiary, 
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”), is also required to prepare 
and periodically submit a resolution plan. If the FRB and/or FDIC 
determine that our resolution plan has deficiencies, they may 
impose more stringent capital, leverage or liquidity requirements 
on us or restrict our growth, activities or operations until we 
adequately remedy the deficiencies. If the FRB and/or FDIC 
ultimately determine that we have been unable to remedy any 
deficiencies, they could require us to divest certain assets or 
operations. On June 27, 2019, we submitted our resolution plan 
to the FRB and FDIC. On December 17, 2019, the FRB and FDIC 
announced that the Company’s 2019 resolution plan did not have 
any deficiencies, but they identified a specific shortcoming that 
would need to be addressed. 

If Wells Fargo were to fail, it may be resolved in a bankruptcy 
proceeding or, if certain conditions are met, under the resolution 
regime created by the Dodd-Frank Act known as the “orderly 
liquidation authority.” The orderly liquidation authority allows for 
the appointment of the FDIC as receiver for a systemically 
important financial institution that is in default or in danger of 

default if, among other things, the resolution of the institution 
under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code would have serious adverse 
effects on financial stability in the United States. If the FDIC is 
appointed as receiver for Wells Fargo & Company (the “Parent”), 
then the orderly liquidation authority, rather than the U.S. 
Bankruptcy Code, would determine the powers of the receiver 
and the rights and obligations of our security holders. The FDIC’s 
orderly liquidation authority requires that security holders of a 
company in receivership bear all losses before U.S. taxpayers are 
exposed to any losses, and allows the FDIC to disregard the strict 
priority of creditor claims under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in 
certain circumstances. 

The strategy described in our most recent resolution plan is 

a single point of entry strategy, in which the Parent would likely 
be the only material legal entity to enter resolution proceedings. 
However, we are not obligated to maintain a single point of entry 
strategy, and the strategy described in our resolution plan is not 
binding in the event of an actual resolution of Wells Fargo, 
whether conducted under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or by the 
FDIC under the orderly liquidation authority. The FDIC has 
announced that a single point of entry strategy may be a 
desirable strategy under its implementation of the orderly 
liquidation authority, but not all aspects of how the FDIC might 
exercise this authority are known and additional rulemaking is 
possible. 

To facilitate the orderly resolution of systemically important 
financial institutions in case of material distress or failure, federal 
banking regulations require that institutions, such as Wells Fargo, 
maintain a minimum amount of equity and unsecured debt to 
absorb losses and recapitalize operating subsidiaries. Federal 
banking regulators have also required measures to facilitate the 
continued operation of operating subsidiaries notwithstanding 
the failure of their parent companies, such as limitations on 
parent guarantees, and have issued guidance encouraging 
institutions to take legally binding measures to provide capital 
and liquidity resources to certain subsidiaries to facilitate an 
orderly resolution. In response to the regulators’ guidance and to 
facilitate the orderly resolution of the Company, on June 28, 
2017, the Parent entered into a support agreement, as amended 
and restated on June 26, 2019 (the “Support Agreement”), with 
WFC Holdings, LLC, an intermediate holding company and 
subsidiary of the Parent (the “IHC”), the Bank, Wells Fargo 
Securities, LLC (“WFS”), Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC 
(“WFCS”), and certain other direct and indirect subsidiaries of the 
Parent designated as material entities for resolution planning 
purposes (the “Covered Entities”) or identified as related support 
entities in our resolution plan (the “Related Support Entities”). 
Pursuant to the Support Agreement, the Parent transferred a 
significant amount of its assets, including the majority of its cash, 
deposits, liquid securities and intercompany loans (but excluding 
its equity interests in its subsidiaries and certain other assets), to 
the IHC and will continue to transfer those types of assets to the 
IHC from time to time. In the event of our material financial 
distress or failure, the IHC will be obligated to use the transferred 
assets to provide capital and/or liquidity to the Bank, WFS, 
WFCS, and the Covered Entities pursuant to the Support 
Agreement. Under the Support Agreement, the IHC will also 
provide funding and liquidity to the Parent through subordinated 
notes and a committed line of credit, which, together with the 
issuance of dividends, is expected to provide the Parent, during 
business as usual operating conditions, with the same access to 
cash necessary to service its debts, pay dividends, repurchase its 
shares, and perform its other obligations as it would have had if it 
had not entered into these arrangements and transferred any 
assets. If certain liquidity and/or capital metrics fall below 

95 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
Regulatory Matters (continued) 

defined triggers, or if the Parent’s board of directors authorizes it 
to file a case under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the subordinated 
notes would be forgiven, the committed line of credit would 
terminate, and the IHC’s ability to pay dividends to the Parent 
would be restricted, any of which could materially and adversely 
impact the Parent’s liquidity and its ability to satisfy its debts and 
other obligations, and could result in the commencement of 
bankruptcy proceedings by the Parent at an earlier time than 
might have otherwise occurred if the Support Agreement were 
not implemented. The respective obligations under the Support 
Agreement of the Parent, the IHC, the Bank, and the Related 
Support Entities are secured pursuant to a related security 
agreement. 

In addition to our resolution plans, we must also prepare and 

submit to the FRB a recovery plan that identifies a range of 
options that we may consider during times of idiosyncratic or 
systemic economic stress to remedy any financial weaknesses 
and restore market confidence without extraordinary 
government support. Recovery options include the possible sale, 
transfer or disposal of assets, securities, loan portfolios or 
businesses. The Bank must also prepare and submit to the OCC a 
recovery plan that sets forth the Bank’s plan to remain a going 
concern when the Bank is experiencing considerable financial or 
operational stress, but has not yet deteriorated to the point 
where liquidation or resolution is imminent. If either the FRB or 
the OCC determines that our recovery plan is deficient, they may 
impose fines, restrictions on our business or ultimately require us 
to divest assets. 

Other Regulatory Related Matters 
• 

Regulatory actions.  The Company is subject to a number of 
consent orders and regulatory agreements, which may 
require the Company, among other things, to undertake 
certain changes to its business, products and services, and 
risk management practices, and include the following: 
◦ 

FRB consent order regarding governance oversight and 
compliance and operational risk management.  On 
February 2, 2018, the Company entered into a consent 
order with the FRB. As required by the consent order, 
the Board submitted to the FRB a plan to further 
enhance the Board’s governance and oversight of the 
Company, and the Company submitted to the FRB a 
plan to further improve the Company’s compliance and 
operational risk management program. The Company 
continues to engage with the FRB as the Company 
works to address the consent order provisions. The 
consent order also requires the Company, following the 
FRB’s acceptance and approval of the plans and the 
Company’s adoption and implementation of the plans, 
to complete an initial third-party review of the 
enhancements and improvements provided for in the 
plans. Until this third-party review is complete and the 
plans are approved and implemented to the satisfaction 
of the FRB, the Company’s total consolidated assets as 
defined under the consent order will be limited to the 
level as of December 31, 2017. Compliance with this 
asset cap is measured on a two-quarter daily average 
basis to allow for management of temporary 
fluctuations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on April 8, 
2020, the FRB amended the consent order to allow the 
Company to exclude from the asset cap any on-balance 
sheet exposure resulting from loans made by the 
Company in connection with the Small Business 
Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and the 
FRB's Main Street Lending Program. As required under 

96 

◦ 

the amendment to the consent order, to the extent the 
Company chooses to exclude these exposures from the 
asset cap, certain fees and other economic benefits 
received by the Company from loans made in 
connection with these programs shall be transferred to 
the U.S. Treasury or to non-profit organizations 
approved by the FRB that support small businesses. 
After removal of the asset cap, a second third-party 
review must also be conducted to assess the efficacy 
and sustainability of the enhancements and 
improvements. 
Consent orders with the CFPB and OCC regarding 
compliance risk management program, automobile 
collateral protection insurance policies, and mortgage 
interest rate lock extensions.  On April 20, 2018, the 
Company entered into consent orders with the CFPB 
and the OCC to pay an aggregate of $1 billion in civil 
money penalties to resolve matters regarding the 
Company’s compliance risk management program and 
past practices involving certain automobile collateral 
protection insurance policies and certain mortgage 
interest rate lock extensions. As required by the consent 
orders, the Company submitted to the CFPB and OCC 
an enterprise-wide compliance risk management plan 
and a plan to enhance the Company’s internal audit 
program with respect to federal consumer financial law 
and the terms of the consent orders. In addition, as 
required by the consent orders, the Company submitted 
for non-objection plans to remediate customers 
affected by the automobile collateral protection 
insurance and mortgage interest rate lock matters, as 
well as a plan for the management of remediation 
activities conducted by the Company. 

• 

◦  OCC approval of director and senior executive officer 

appointments and certain post-termination payments. 
Under the April 2018 consent order with the OCC, 
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., remains subject to requirements 
that were originally imposed in November 2016 to 
provide prior written notice to, and obtain non-
objection from, the OCC with respect to changes in 
directors and senior executive officers, and remains 
subject to certain regulatory limitations on post-
termination payments to certain individuals and 
employees. 

Regulatory Developments Related to COVID-19.  In response 
to the COVID-19 pandemic and related events, federal 
banking regulators undertook a number of measures to help 
stabilize the banking sector, support the broader economy, 
and facilitate the ability of banking organizations like 
Wells Fargo to continue lending to consumers and 
businesses. For example, in order to facilitate the 
Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES 
Act), federal banking regulators issued rules designed to 
encourage financial institutions to participate in stimulus 
measures, such as the Small Business Administration’s 
Paycheck Protection Program. Similarly, the FRB launched a 
number of lending facilities designed to enhance liquidity 
and the functioning of markets, including facilities covering 
money market mutual funds and term asset-backed 
securities loans. Federal banking regulators also issued 
several rules amending the regulatory capital and TLAC rules 
and other prudential regulations to ease certain restrictions 
on banking organizations and encourage the use of certain 
FRB-established facilities in order to further promote 
lending to consumers and businesses. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
In addition, the OCC and the FRB issued guidelines for 

banks and BHCs related to working with customers affected 
by the COVID-19 pandemic, including guidance with respect 
to waiving fees, offering repayment accommodations, and 
providing payment deferrals. Any current or future rules, 

regulations, and guidance related to the COVID-19 
pandemic and its impacts could require us to change certain 
of our business practices, reduce our revenue and earnings, 
impose additional costs on us, or otherwise adversely affect 
our business operations and/or competitive position. 

Critical Accounting Policies 

Our significant accounting policies (see Note 1 (Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this 
Report) are fundamental to understanding our results of 
operations and financial condition because they require that we 
use estimates and assumptions that may affect the value of our 
assets or liabilities and financial results. Six of these policies are 
critical because they require management to make difficult, 
subjective and complex judgments about matters that are 
inherently uncertain and because it is likely that materially 
different amounts would be reported under different conditions 
or using different assumptions. These policies govern: 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

the allowance for credit losses; 
the valuation of residential MSRs; 
the fair value of financial instruments; 
income taxes; 
liability for contingent litigation losses; and 
goodwill impairment. 

Beginning in fourth quarter 2020, goodwill impairment was 

designated as one of our critical accounting policies. 

Management has discussed these critical accounting policies 
and the related estimates and judgments with the Board’s Audit 
Committee. 

Allowance for Credit Losses 
We maintain an ACL for loans, which is management’s estimate 
of the expected credit losses in the loan portfolio and unfunded 
credit commitments, at the balance sheet date, excluding loans 
and unfunded credit commitments carried at fair value or held 
for sale. Additionally, we maintain an ACL for debt securities 
classified as either HTM or AFS, other financial assets measured 
at amortized cost, net investments in leases, and other off-
balance sheet credit exposures. In connection with our adoption 
of CECL, we updated our approach for estimating expected credit 
losses, which includes new areas for management judgment, 
described more fully below, and updated relevant accounting 
policies. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this 
Report. 

For loans and HTM debt securities, the ACL is measured 

based on the remaining contractual term of the financial asset 
(including off-balance sheet credit exposures) adjusted, as 
appropriate, for prepayments and permitted extension options 
using historical experience, current conditions, and forecasted 
information. For AFS debt securities, the ACL is measured using a 
discounted cash flow approach and is limited to the difference 
between the fair value of the security and its amortized cost. 

Changes in the ACL and, therefore, in the related provision 

for credit losses can materially affect net income. In applying the 
judgment and review required to determine the ACL, 
management considerations include the evaluation of past 
events, historical experience, changes in economic forecasts and 
conditions, customer behavior, collateral values, the length of the 
initial loss forecast period, and other influences. From time to 
time, changes in economic factors or assumptions, business 
strategy, products or product mix, or debt security investment 

strategy, may result in a corresponding increase or decrease in 
our ACL. While our methodology attributes portions of the ACL 
to specific financial asset classes (loan and debt security 
portfolios) or loan portfolio segments (commercial and 
consumer), the entire ACL is available to absorb credit losses of 
the Company. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Judgment is specifically applied in: 
Economic assumptions and the length of the initial loss forecast 
period.  We forecast a wide range of economic variables to 
estimate expected credit losses. Our key economic variables 
include gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment rate, 
and collateral asset prices. While many of these economic 
variables are evaluated at the macro-economy level, some 
economic variables are forecasted at more granular levels, 
for example, using the metro statistical area (MSA) level for 
unemployment rates, home prices and commercial real 
estate prices. Quarterly, we assess the length of the initial 
loss forecast period and have currently set the period to two 
years. For the initial loss forecast period, we forecast 
multiple economic scenarios that generally include a base 
scenario with an optimistic (upside) and one or more 
pessimistic (downside) scenarios. Management exercises 
judgment when assigning weight to the economic scenarios 
that are used to estimate future credit losses. 
Reversion to historical loss expectations.  Our long-term 
average loss expectations are estimated by reverting to the 
long-term average, on a linear basis, for each of the 
forecasted economic variables. These long-term averages 
are based on observations over multiple economic cycles. 
The reversion period, which may be up to two years, is 
assessed on a quarterly basis. 
Credit risk ratings applied to individual commercial loans, 
unfunded credit commitments, and debt securities.  Individually 
assessed credit risk ratings are considered key credit 
variables in our modeled approaches to help assess 
probability of default and loss given default. Borrower 
quality ratings are aligned to the borrower’s financial 
strength and contribute to forecasted probability of default 
curves. Collateral quality ratings combined with forecasted 
collateral prices (as applicable) contribute to the forecasted 
severity of loss in the event of default. These credit risk 
ratings are reviewed by experienced senior credit officers 
and subjected to reviews by an internal team of credit risk 
specialists. 
Usage of credit loss estimation models.  We use internally 
developed models that incorporate credit attributes and 
economic variables to generate estimates of credit losses. 
Management uses a combination of judgment and 
quantitative analytics in the determination of segmentation, 
modeling approach, and variables that are leveraged in the 
models. These models are validated in accordance with the 
Company’s policies by an internal model validation group. 
We routinely assess our model performance and apply 
adjustments when necessary to improve the accuracy of loss 
estimation. We also assess our models for limitations 
against the company-wide risk inventory to help ensure that 

97 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
Critical Accounting Policies (continued) 

• 

• 

we appropriately capture known and emerging risks in our 
estimate of expected credit losses and apply overlays as 
needed. 
Valuation of collateral.  The current fair value of collateral is 
utilized to assess the expected credit losses when a financial 
asset is considered to be collateral dependent. We apply 
judgment when valuing the collateral either through 
appraisals, evaluation of the cash flows of the property, or 
other quantitative techniques. Decreases in collateral 
valuations support incremental charge-downs and increases 
in collateral valuation are included in the ACL as a negative 
allowance when the financial asset has been previously 
written-down below current recovery value. 
Contractual term considerations.  The remaining contractual 
term of a loan is adjusted for expected prepayments and 
certain expected extensions, renewals, or modifications. We 
extend the contractual term when we are not able to 
unconditionally cancel contractual renewals or extension 
options. We also incorporate any scenarios where we 
reasonably expect to provide an extension through a TDR. 
Credit card loans have indeterminate maturities, which 
requires that we determine a contractual life by estimating 
the application of future payments to the outstanding loan 
amount. 

•  Qualitative factors which may not be adequately captured in 
the loss models.  These amounts represent management’s 
judgment of risks inherent in the processes and assumptions 
used in establishing the ACL. We also consider economic 
environmental factors, modeling assumptions and 
performance, process risk, and other subjective factors, 
including industry trends and emerging risk assessments. 

Sensitivity  The ACL for loans is sensitive to changes in key 
assumptions which requires significant judgment to be used by 
management. Future amounts of the ACL for loans will be based 
on a variety of factors, including loan balance changes, portfolio 
credit quality, and general economic conditions. General 
economic conditions are forecasted using economic variables, 
which could have varying impacts on different financial assets or 
portfolios. Additionally, throughout numerous credit cycles, 
there are observed changes in economic variables such as the 
unemployment rate, GDP and real estate prices which may not 
move in a correlated manner as variables may move in opposite 
directions or differ across portfolios or geography. 

Our sensitivity analysis does not represent management’s 

view of expected credit losses at the balance sheet date. We 
applied 100% weight to the downside scenario in our sensitivity 
analysis to reflect the potential for further economic 
deterioration from a COVID-19 resurgence. The outcome of the 
scenario was influenced by the duration, severity, and timing of 
changes in economic variables within the scenario. The sensitivity 
analysis resulted in a hypothetical increase in the ACL for loans of 
approximately $2.6 billion at December 31, 2020. The 
hypothetical increase in our ACL for loans does not incorporate 
the impact of management judgment for qualitative factors 
applied in the current ACL for loans, which may have a positive or 
negative effect on the results. It is possible that others 
performing similar sensitivity analyses could reach different 
conclusions or results. 

The sensitivity analysis excludes the ACL for debt securities 

and other financial assets given its size relative to the overall 
ACL. Management believes that the estimate for the ACL for 
loans was appropriate at the balance sheet date. 

98 

Valuation of Residential Mortgage Servicing Rights 
(MSRs) 
MSRs are assets that represent the rights to service mortgage 
loans for others. We recognize MSRs when we purchase 
servicing rights from third parties, or retain servicing rights in 
connection with the sale or securitization of loans we originate 
(asset transfers). We also have acquired MSRs in the past under 
co-issuer agreements that provide for us to service loans that 
were originated and securitized by third-party correspondents. 

We carry our MSRs related to residential mortgage loans 
at fair value. Periodic changes in our residential MSRs and the 
economic hedges used to hedge our residential MSRs are 
reflected in earnings. 

We use a model to estimate the fair value of our 
residential MSRs. The model is validated in accordance with 
Company policies by an internal model validation group. The 
model calculates the present value of estimated future net 
servicing income and incorporates inputs and assumptions 
that market participants use in estimating fair value. Certain 
significant inputs and assumptions generally are not 
observable in the market and require judgment to determine. 
If observable market indications do become available, these 
are factored into the estimates as appropriate: 
• 

The mortgage loan prepayment speed used to estimate future 
net servicing income.  The prepayment speed is the annual 
rate at which borrowers are forecasted to repay their 
mortgage loan principal; this rate also includes estimated 
borrower defaults. We use models to estimate prepayment 
speeds and borrower defaults which are influenced by 
changes in mortgage interest rates and borrower behavior. 
The discount rate used to present value estimated future net 
servicing income.  The discount rate is the required rate of 
return investors in the market would expect for an asset 
with similar risk. To determine the discount rate, we consider 
the risk premium for uncertainties in the cash flow estimates 
such as from servicing operations (e.g., possible changes in 
future servicing costs, ancillary income and earnings on 
escrow accounts). 
The expected cost to service loans used to estimate future net 
servicing income.  The cost to service loans includes 
estimates for unreimbursed expenses, such as delinquency 
and foreclosure costs, which considers the number of 
defaulted loans as well as changes in servicing processes 
associated with default and foreclosure management. 

• 

• 

Both prepayment speed and discount rate assumptions can, 

and generally will, change quarterly as market conditions and 
mortgage interest rates change. For example, an increase in 
either the prepayment speed or discount rate assumption results 
in a decrease in the fair value of the MSRs, while a decrease in 
either assumption would result in an increase in the fair value of 
the MSRs. In recent years, there have been significant market-
driven fluctuations in loan prepayment speeds and the discount 
rate. These fluctuations can be rapid and may be significant in the 
future. Additionally, while our current valuation reflects our best 
estimate of servicing costs, future regulatory or investor changes 
in servicing standards, as well as changes in individual state 
foreclosure legislation or additional market participant 
information regarding servicing cost assumptions, may have an 
impact on our servicing cost assumption and our MSR valuation 
in future periods. We periodically benchmark our MSR fair value 
estimate to independent appraisals. 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
For a description of our valuation and sensitivity of MSRs, 
see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies), Note 8 
(Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities), Note 9 (Mortgage 
Banking Activities) and Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets and 
Liabilities) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments 
Fair value represents the price that would be received to sell the 
financial asset or paid to transfer the financial liability in an 
orderly transaction between market participants at the 
measurement date. 

We use fair value measurements to record fair value 
adjustments to certain financial instruments and to determine 
fair value disclosures. For example, assets and liabilities held for 
trading purposes, marketable equity securities, AFS debt 
securities, derivatives and a majority of our LHFS are carried at 
fair value each period. Other financial instruments, such as 
certain LHFS, a majority of nonmarketable equity securities, and 
loans held for investment, are not carried at fair value each 
period but may require nonrecurring fair value adjustments due 
to application of lower-of-cost-or-market accounting, 
measurement alternative accounting or write-downs of 
individual assets. We also disclose our estimate of fair value for 
financial instruments not recorded at fair value, such as loans 
held for investment or issuances of long-term debt. 

The accounting requirements for fair value measurements 

include a three-level hierarchy for disclosure of assets and 
liabilities recorded at fair value. The classification of assets and 
liabilities within the hierarchy is based on whether the inputs to 
the valuation methodology used for measurement are 
observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market-
derived or market-based information obtained from 
independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect our 
estimates about market data. 

When developing fair value measurements, we maximize the 

use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable 
inputs. When available, we use quoted prices in active markets to 
measure fair value. If quoted prices in active markets are not 
available, fair value measurement is based upon models that 
generally use market-based or independently sourced market 
parameters, including interest rate yield curves, prepayment 
speeds, option volatilities and currency rates. However, when 
observable market data is limited or not available, fair value 
estimates are typically determined using internally-developed 
models based on unobservable inputs. Internal models used to 
determine fair value are validated in accordance with Company 
policies by an internal model validation group. Additionally, we 
use third-party pricing services to obtain fair values, which are 
used to either record the price of an instrument or to 
corroborate internally-developed prices. Third-party price 
validation procedures are performed over the reasonableness of 
the fair value measurements. 

When using internally-developed models based on 

unobservable inputs, management judgment is necessary as we 
are required to make judgments about significant assumptions 
market participants would use to estimate fair value. 
Determination of these assumptions includes consideration of 
market conditions and liquidity levels. Changes in the market 
conditions, such as reduced liquidity in the capital markets or 
changes in secondary market activities, may reduce the 
availability and reliability of quoted prices or observable data 
used to determine fair value. In such cases, it may be appropriate 
to adjust available quoted prices or observable market data. For 
example, we may adjust a price received from a third-party 
pricing service using internal models based on discounted cash 

flows when the impact of illiquid markets has not already been 
incorporated in the fair value measurement. Additionally, for 
certain residential LHFS and certain debt and equity securities 
where the significant inputs have become unobservable due to 
illiquid markets and a third-party pricing service is not used, our 
discounted cash flow model uses a discount rate that reflects 
what we believe a market participant would require in light of the 
illiquid market. 

We continually assess the level and volume of market 
activity in our debt and equity security classes in determining 
adjustments, if any, to price quotes. Given market conditions can 
change over time, our determination of which securities markets 
are considered active or inactive can change. If we determine a 
market to be inactive, the degree to which price quotes require 
adjustment, can also change. 

Significant judgment is also required to determine whether 
certain assets measured at fair value are classified as Level 2 or 
Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. When making this judgment, 
we consider available information, including observable market 
data, indications of market liquidity and orderliness, and our 
understanding of the valuation techniques and significant inputs 
used to estimate fair value. The classification as Level 2 or Level 3 
is based upon the specific facts and circumstances of each 
instrument or instrument category and judgments are made 
regarding the significance of unobservable inputs to each 
instrument’s fair value measurement in its entirety. If 
unobservable inputs are considered significant, the instrument is 
classified as Level 3. 

Table 51 presents our (1) assets and liabilities recorded at 
fair value on a recurring basis and (2) Level 3 assets and liabilities 
recorded at fair value on a recurring basis, both presented as a 
percentage of our total assets and total liabilities. 

Table 51:  Fair Value Level 3 Summary 

($ in billions) 

Assets recorded at fair 
value on a recurring 
basis 

As a percentage 

of total assets 

Liabilities recorded at fair 
value on a recurring 
basis 

As a percentage of 
total liabilities 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Total 
balance 

Level 3 (1) 

Total 
balance 

Level 3 (1) 

$  380.3 

21.9 

428.4 

24.1 

19  %

 1 

22 

$ 

39.0 

2.0 

26.5 

2 % 

*

 2

1

1.8 

* 

* 
(1) 

Less than 1%. 
Before derivative netting adjustments. 

See Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities) to 

Financial Statements in this Report for a complete discussion on 
our fair value of financial instruments, our related measurement 
techniques and the impact to our financial statements. 

Income Taxes 
We file income tax returns in the jurisdictions in which we 
operate and evaluate income tax expense in two components: 
current and deferred income tax expense. Current income tax 
expense represents our estimated taxes to be paid or refunded 
for the current period and includes income tax expense related to 
uncertain tax positions. Uncertain tax positions that meet the 
more likely than not recognition threshold are measured to 
determine the amount of benefit to recognize. An uncertain tax 
position is measured at the largest amount of benefit that 
management believes has a greater than 50% likelihood of 

99 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Critical Accounting Policies (continued) 

realization upon settlement. Tax benefits not meeting our 
realization criteria represent unrecognized tax benefits. 

Deferred income taxes are based on the balance sheet 
method and deferred income tax expense results from changes 
in deferred tax assets and liabilities between periods. Under the 
balance sheet method, the net deferred tax asset or liability is 
based on the tax effects of the differences between the book and 
tax basis of assets and liabilities, and recognizes enacted changes 
in tax rates and laws in the period in which they occur. Deferred 
tax assets are recognized subject to management’s judgment 
that realization is more likely than not. A valuation allowance 
reduces deferred tax assets to the realizable amount. 

The income tax laws of the jurisdictions in which we operate 

are complex and subject to different interpretations by 
management and the relevant government taxing authorities. In 
establishing a provision for income tax expense, we must make 
judgments about the application of these inherently complex tax 
laws. We must also make estimates about when in the future 
certain items will affect taxable income in the various tax 
jurisdictions. Our interpretations may be subjected to review 
during examination by taxing authorities and disputes may arise 
over the respective tax positions. We attempt to resolve these 
disputes during the tax examination and audit process and 
ultimately through the court systems when applicable. 

We monitor relevant tax authorities and revise our estimate 

of accrued income taxes due to changes in income tax laws and 
their interpretation by the courts and regulatory authorities on a 
quarterly basis. Revisions of our estimate of accrued income 
taxes also may result from our own income tax planning and from 
the resolution of income tax controversies. Such revisions in our 
estimates may be material to our operating results for any given 
quarter. 

See Note 23 (Income Taxes) to Financial Statements in this 

Report for a further description of our provision for income taxes 
and related income tax assets and liabilities. 

Liability for Contingent Litigation Losses 
The Company is involved in a number of judicial, regulatory, 
governmental, arbitration and other proceedings or 
investigations concerning matters arising from the conduct of its 
business activities, and many of those proceedings and 
investigations expose the Company to potential financial loss. 
We establish accruals for legal actions when potential losses 
associated with the actions become probable and the costs can 
be reasonably estimated. For such accruals, we record the 
amount we consider to be the best estimate within a range of 
potential losses that are both probable and estimable; however, if 
we cannot determine a best estimate, then we record the low 
end of the range of those potential losses. The actual costs of 
resolving legal actions may be substantially higher or lower than 
the amounts accrued for those actions. 

We apply judgment when establishing an accrual for 

potential losses associated with legal actions and in establishing 
the range of reasonably possible losses in excess of the accrual. 
Our judgment in establishing accruals and the range of 
reasonably possible losses in excess of the Company’s accrual for 
probable and estimable losses is influenced by our understanding 
of information currently available related to the legal evaluation 
and potential outcome of actions, including input and advice on 
these matters from our internal counsel, external counsel and 
senior management. These matters may be in various stages of 
investigation, discovery or proceedings. They may also involve a 
wide variety of claims across our businesses, legal entities and 
jurisdictions. The eventual outcome may be a scenario that was 
not considered or was considered remote in anticipated 

100 

occurrence. Accordingly, our estimate of potential losses will 
change over time and the actual losses may vary significantly. 

The outcomes of legal actions are unpredictable and subject 

to significant uncertainties, and it is inherently difficult to 
determine whether any loss is probable or even possible. It is also 
inherently difficult to estimate the amount of any loss and there 
may be matters for which a loss is probable or reasonably 
possible but not currently estimable. Accordingly, actual losses 
may be in excess of the established accrual or the range of 
reasonably possible loss. 

See Note 15 (Legal Actions) to Financial Statements in this 

Report for further information. 

Goodwill Impairment 
We test goodwill for impairment annually in the fourth quarter or 
more frequently as macroeconomic and other business factors 
warrant. These factors may include trends in short-term or long-
term interest rates, negative trends from reduced revenue 
generating activities or increased costs, adverse actions by 
regulators, and company specific factors such as a decline in 
market capitalization. In first and second quarter 2020, we 
performed interim, quantitative impairment assessments of our 
goodwill and concluded that there was no impairment of 
goodwill. In third quarter 2020, we performed a qualitative 
assessment of goodwill impairment and concluded that it was 
more likely than not that the fair values of our reporting units 
were greater than their carrying amounts as of 
September 30, 2020. 

In 2020, we reorganized our management reporting 
structure, which resulted in newly defined reportable operating 
segments. We identify reporting units to be assessed for 
goodwill impairment at the reportable operating segment level 
or one level below. Goodwill balances were allocated to the 
reporting units based on the relative fair value of realigned 
businesses. 

For our quantitative goodwill impairment assessments, we 
calculate carrying amounts as net equity for each reporting unit 
based on allocated capital plus assigned goodwill and other 
intangible assets. We allocate capital to the reporting units under 
a risk-sensitive framework that is primarily based on aspects of 
our regulatory capital requirements. The estimated fair values of 
the reporting units are established based on a balanced 
weighting of fair values using both an income approach and a 
market approach and are intended to reflect Company 
performance and expectations as well as external market 
conditions. The methodologies for calculating carrying amounts 
and estimating fair values are periodically assessed by senior 
management and revised as necessary. 

The income approach is a discounted cash flow (DCF) 
analysis, which uses the present value of future cash flows 
associated with each reporting unit to estimate fair value. There 
is significant judgment applied in a DCF analysis based on 
financial forecasts for our lines of business, which include future 
expectations of economic conditions and balance sheet changes, 
and assumptions related to future business activities. The near-
term forecasts are reviewed by senior management and the 
Board as part of our annual budgeting process. For periods after 
our financial forecasts, we use a terminal value calculation based 
on an assumed long-term growth rate. We apply a discount rate 
to these forecasted cash flows using the capital asset pricing 
model which produces an estimated cost of equity specific to 
that reporting unit. The discount rates used in our fourth quarter 
2020 assessment, which ranged from 10% to 12%, were intended 
to reflect the risks and uncertainties in the financial markets and 
in our internally generated business projections. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
each reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount by 10% or 
higher based on forecasts and valuations. Although the fair value 
of our Commercial Banking reporting unit exceeded its carrying 
amount by over 20%, it was the most sensitive to adverse 
changes in valuation assumptions. An adverse change to 
valuation assumptions could result in an impairment of the 
goodwill allocated to the Commercial Banking reporting unit, 
which was $2.9 billion at December 31, 2020. 

Declines in our ability to generate revenue, significant 
increases in credit losses or other expenses, or adverse actions 
from regulators are factors that could result in material goodwill 
impairment in a future period. Given the uncertainty of the 
severity or length of the current economic downturn, we will 
continue to monitor our performance against our internal 
forecasts as well as market conditions for circumstances that 
could have a further negative effect on the estimated fair values 
of our reporting units. 

For additional information on goodwill and our reportable 

operating segments, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies), Note 10 (Intangible Assets), and Note 26 
(Operating Segments) to Financial Statements in this Report. 

The market approach utilizes observable market data from 

comparable publicly traded companies, such as price-to-earnings 
or price-to-tangible book value ratios, to estimate a reporting 
unit’s fair value. The market data is adjusted with a control 
premium that would be applied in a hypothetical acquisition of 
the reporting unit. Management uses judgment in the selection 
of comparable companies for each reporting unit based on the 
similarity of peer business activities to those of the applicable 
reporting unit. 

The aggregate fair value of our reporting units exceeded our 

market capitalization for our fourth quarter 2020 assessment. 
Factors that we considered in our assessment and contributed to 
this difference included: (i) an overall premium that would be paid 
to gain control of the operating and financial decisions of the 
Company, (ii) synergies that we believe may not be reflected in 
the price of the Company’s common stock, (iii) market position 
or opportunities that a potential buyer would take into 
consideration when estimating the fair value of an individual 
reporting unit, (iv) a higher degree of complexity and execution 
risk at the Company level, compared with the individual reporting 
unit level, and (v) risks or benefits at the Company level that may 
not be reflected in the fair value of the individual reporting units. 
Based on our fourth quarter 2020 assessment, there was no 
impairment of goodwill at December 31, 2020. The fair value of 

Current Accounting Developments 

Table 52 provides the significant accounting updates applicable 
to us that have been issued by the Financial Accounting 
Standards Board (FASB) but are not yet effective. 

Table 52:  Current Accounting Developments – Issued Standards 

Description 

Effective date and financial statement impact 

ASU 2018-12 – Financial Services – Insurance (Topic 944): 
Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts and subsequent related updates 
The Update requires all features in 
long-duration insurance contracts 
that meet the definition of a market 
risk benefit to be measured at fair 
value through earnings with changes 
in fair value attributable to our own 
credit risk recognized in other 
comprehensive income. The Update 
requires the use of a standardized 
discount rate and routine updates for 
insurance assumptions used in valuing 
the liability for future policy benefits 
for traditional long-duration 
contracts. The Update also simplifies 
the amortization of deferred 
acquisition costs. 

ASU 2020-11, Financial Services – Insurance (Topic 944): Effective Date and Early Application, issued in fourth 
quarter 2020, delayed the effective date of this standard to January 1, 2023. Certain of our variable annuity 
reinsurance products meet the definition of market risk benefits and will require the associated insurance 
related reserves to be measured at fair value as of the earliest period presented, with the cumulative effect of 
the difference between fair value and carrying value, excluding the effect of our own credit, to be recognized in 
the opening balance of retained earnings. The cumulative effect on fair value for changes attributable to our 
own credit risk will be recognized in the beginning balance of accumulated other comprehensive income. As of 
December 31, 2020, we held $1.2 billion in insurance-related reserves of which $588 million was in scope of 
the Update. A total of $531 million was associated with products that meet the definition of market risk 
benefits, and of this amount, $26 million was measured at fair value under current accounting standards. The 
market risk benefits are primarily indexed to U.S. equity and fixed income markets. Upon adoption, we may 
incur periodic earnings volatility from changes in the fair value of market risk benefits generally due to the long 
duration of these contracts. We plan to economically hedge this volatility, where feasible. The ultimate impact 
of these changes will depend on the composition of our market risk benefits portfolio at the date of adoption. 
Changes in the accounting for the liability of future policy benefits for traditional long-duration contracts and 
deferred acquisition costs will be applied to all outstanding long-duration contracts on the basis of their 
existing carrying amounts at the beginning of the earliest period presented, and are not expected to be 
material. 

Other Accounting Developments 
The following Updates are applicable to us but are not expected 
to have a material impact on our consolidated financial 
statements: 
•
•
•

ASU 2021-01 – Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Scope 
ASU 2020-10 – Codification Improvements
ASU 2020-08 – Codification Improvements to Subtopic 
310-20, Receivables-Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs
ASU 2020-06 – Debt – Debt with Conversion and Other 
Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging – 
Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): 

•

Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an 
Entity’s Own Equity 
ASU 2020-01 – Investments – Equity Securities (Topic 321),
Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures 
(Topic 323), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): 
Clarifying the Interactions between Topic 321, Topic 323, and 
Topic 815 (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task 
Force)
ASU 2019-12 – Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the 
Accounting for Income Taxes

•

•

101 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Forward-Looking Statements 

This document contains forward-looking statements. In addition, 
we may make forward-looking statements in our other 
documents filed or furnished with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission, and our management may make forward-looking 
statements orally to analysts, investors, representatives of the 
media and others. Forward-looking statements can be identified 
by words such as “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” 
“believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “target,” “projects,” “outlook,” 
“forecast,” “will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “can” and similar 
references to future periods. In particular, forward-looking 
statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make 
about: (i) the future operating or financial performance of the 
Company, including our outlook for future growth; (ii) our 
noninterest expense and efficiency ratio; (iii) future credit quality 
and performance, including our expectations regarding future 
loan losses, our allowance for credit losses, and the economic 
scenarios considered to develop the allowance; (iv) our 
expectations regarding net interest income and net interest 
margin; (v) loan growth or the reduction or mitigation of risk in 
our loan portfolios; (vi) future capital or liquidity levels, ratios or 
targets; (vii) the performance of our mortgage business and any 
related exposures; (viii) the expected outcome and impact of 
legal, regulatory and legislative developments, as well as our 
expectations regarding compliance therewith; (ix) future 
common stock dividends, common share repurchases and other 
uses of capital; (x) our targeted range for return on assets, return 
on equity, and return on tangible common equity; (xi) 
expectations regarding our effective income tax rate; (xii) the 
outcome of contingencies, such as legal proceedings; and (xiii) 
the Company’s plans, objectives and strategies. 

Forward-looking statements are not based on historical 

facts but instead represent our current expectations and 
assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other 
future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to 
the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and 
changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual 
results may differ materially from those contemplated by the 
forward-looking statements. We caution you, therefore, against 
relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are 
neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or 
assurances of future performance. While there is no assurance 
that any list of risks and uncertainties or risk factors is complete, 
important factors that could cause actual results to differ 
materially from those in the forward-looking statements include 
the following, without limitation: 
• 

current and future economic and market conditions, 
including the effects of declines in housing prices, high 
unemployment rates, U.S. fiscal debt, budget and tax 
matters, geopolitical matters, and any slowdown in global 
economic growth; 
the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, including on our 
credit quality and business operations, as well as its impact 
on general economic and financial market conditions; 
our capital and liquidity requirements (including under 
regulatory capital standards, such as the Basel III capital 
standards) and our ability to generate capital internally or 
raise capital on favorable terms; 
current, pending or future legislation or regulation that 
could have a negative effect on our revenue and businesses, 
including rules and regulations relating to bank products and 
financial services; 

• 

• 

• 

102 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 

• 

• 

developments in our mortgage banking business, including 
the extent of the success of our mortgage loan modification 
efforts, the amount of mortgage loan repurchase demands 
that we receive, any negative effects relating to our 
mortgage servicing, loan modification or foreclosure 
practices, and the effects of regulatory or judicial 
requirements or guidance impacting our mortgage banking 
business and any changes in industry standards; 
our ability to realize any efficiency ratio or expense target as 
part of our expense management initiatives, including as a 
result of business and economic cyclicality, seasonality, 
changes in our business composition and operating 
environment, growth in our businesses and/or acquisitions, 
and unexpected expenses relating to, among other things, 
litigation and regulatory matters; 
the effect of the current interest rate environment or 
changes in interest rates or in the level or composition of our 
assets or liabilities on our net interest income, net interest 
margin and our mortgage originations, mortgage servicing 
rights and mortgage loans held for sale; 
significant turbulence or a disruption in the capital or 
financial markets, which could result in, among other things, 
reduced investor demand for mortgage loans, a reduction in 
the availability of funding or increased funding costs, and 
declines in asset values and/or recognition of impairments of 
securities held in our debt securities and equity securities 
portfolios; 
the effect of a fall in stock market prices on our investment 
banking business and our fee income from our brokerage, 
asset and wealth management businesses; 
negative effects from the retail banking sales practices 
matter and from other instances where customers may have 
experienced financial harm, including on our legal, 
operational and compliance costs, our ability to engage in 
certain business activities or offer certain products or 
services, our ability to keep and attract customers, our 
ability to attract and retain qualified employees, and our 
reputation; 
resolution of regulatory matters, litigation, or other legal 
actions, which may result in, among other things, additional 
costs, fines, penalties, restrictions on our business activities, 
reputational harm, or other adverse consequences; 
a failure in or breach of our operational or security systems 
or infrastructure, or those of our third-party vendors or 
other service providers, including as a result of cyber attacks; 
the effect of changes in the level of checking or savings 
account deposits on our funding costs and net interest 
margin; 
fiscal and monetary policies of the Federal Reserve Board; 
changes to U.S. tax guidance and regulations, as well as the 
effect of discrete items on our effective income tax rate; 
our ability to develop and execute effective business plans 
and strategies; and 
the other risk factors and uncertainties described under 
“Risk Factors” in this Report. 

In addition to the above factors, we also caution that the 
amount and timing of any future common stock dividends or 
repurchases will depend on the earnings, cash requirements and 
financial condition of the Company, market conditions, capital 
requirements (including under Basel capital standards), common 
stock issuance requirements, applicable law and regulations 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
(including federal securities laws and federal banking 
regulations), and other factors deemed relevant by the 
Company’s Board of Directors, and may be subject to regulatory 
approval or conditions. 

For more information about factors that could cause actual 

results to differ materially from our expectations, refer to our 
reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 
including the discussion under “Risk Factors” in this Report, as 
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available 
on its website at www.sec.gov.1 

Any forward-looking statement made by us speaks only as 

of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could 
cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, 
and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake 
no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, 
whether as a result of new information, future developments or 
otherwise, except as may be required by law. 

Forward-looking Non-GAAP Financial Measures. From time to 
time management may discuss forward-looking non-GAAP 
financial measures, such as forward-looking estimates or targets 
for return on average tangible common equity. We are unable to 
provide a reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP financial 
measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial 
measures because we are unable to provide, without 
unreasonable effort, a meaningful or accurate calculation or 
estimation of amounts that would be necessary for the 
reconciliation due to the complexity and inherent difficulty in 
forecasting and quantifying future amounts or when they may 
occur. Such unavailable information could be significant to future 
results. 

1 We do not control this website. Wells Fargo has provided this link for 
your convenience, but does not endorse and is not responsible for the 
content, links, privacy policy, or security policy of this website. 

103 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
Risk Factors 

An investment in the Company involves risk, including the 
possibility that the value of the investment could fall 
substantially and that dividends or other distributions on the 
investment could be reduced or eliminated. We discuss below 
risk factors that could adversely affect our financial results and 
condition, and the value of, and return on, an investment in the 
Company. 

ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL MARKETS, INTEREST RATES, AND 
LIQUIDITY RISKS 

Our financial results have been, and will continue to be, 
materially affected by general economic conditions, and a 
deterioration in economic conditions or in the financial 
markets may materially adversely affect our lending and other 
businesses and our financial results and condition.  We 
generate revenue from the interest and fees we charge on the 
loans and other products and services we sell, and a substantial 
amount of our revenue and earnings comes from the net interest 
income and fee income that we earn from our consumer and 
commercial lending and banking businesses, including our 
mortgage banking business. These businesses have been, and will 
continue to be, materially affected by the state of the U.S. 
economy, particularly unemployment levels and home prices. The 
negative effects and continued uncertainty stemming from U.S. 
fiscal and political matters, including concerns about deficit and 
debt levels, taxes and U.S. debt ratings, have impacted and may 
continue to impact the global economy. Moreover, geopolitical 
matters, including international political unrest or disturbances, 
the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, as well as 
continued concerns over commodity prices, restrictions on 
international trade and corresponding retaliatory measures, and 
global economic difficulties, may impact the stability of financial 
markets and the global economy. In particular, the United 
Kingdom’s exit from the European Union could increase 
economic barriers between the United Kingdom and the 
European Union, limit our ability to conduct business in the 
European Union, impose additional costs on us, subject us to 
different laws, regulations and/or regulatory authorities, or 
adversely impact our business, financial results and operating 
model. Although we have transitioned certain of our operations 
to countries within the European Union, there is no guarantee 
that we will be able to operate or conduct business in the 
European Union in the same manner or with the same 
effectiveness as before the United Kingdom’s exit. A prolonged 
period of slow growth in the global economy, particularly in the 
U.S., or any deterioration in general economic conditions and/or 
the financial markets resulting from the above matters or any 
other events or factors that may disrupt or weaken the global 
economy, could materially adversely affect our financial results 
and condition. 

A weakening in business or economic conditions, including 
higher unemployment levels or declines in home prices, can also 
adversely affect our borrowers’ ability to repay their loans, which 
can negatively impact our credit performance. If unemployment 
levels worsen or if home prices fall we would expect to incur 
elevated charge-offs and provision expense from increases in our 
allowance for credit losses. These conditions may adversely 
affect not only consumer loan performance but also commercial 
and CRE loans, especially for those business borrowers that rely 
on the health of industries that may experience deteriorating 
economic conditions. The ability of these and other borrowers to 

104 

repay their loans may deteriorate, causing us, as one of the 
largest commercial and CRE lenders in the U.S., to incur 
significantly higher credit losses. In addition, weak or 
deteriorating economic conditions make it more challenging for 
us to increase our consumer and commercial loan portfolios by 
making loans to creditworthy borrowers at attractive yields. 
Furthermore, weak economic conditions, as well as competition 
and/or increases in interest rates, could soften demand for our 
loans resulting in our retaining a much higher amount of lower 
yielding liquid assets on our consolidated balance sheet. If 
economic conditions do not continue to improve or if the 
economy worsens and unemployment rises, which also would 
likely result in a decrease in consumer and business confidence 
and spending, the demand for our credit products, including our 
mortgages, may fall, reducing our interest and noninterest 
income and our earnings. 

A deterioration in business and economic conditions, which 

may erode consumer and investor confidence levels, and/or 
increased volatility of financial markets, also could adversely 
affect financial results for our fee-based businesses, including our 
investment advisory, mutual fund, securities brokerage, wealth 
management, and investment banking businesses. For example, 
because investment management fees are often based on the 
value of assets under management, a fall in the market prices of 
those assets could reduce our fee income. Changes in stock 
market prices could affect the trading activity of investors, 
reducing commissions and other fees we earn from our 
brokerage business. In addition, adverse market conditions may 
negatively affect the performance of products we have provided 
to customers, which may expose us to legal actions or additional 
costs. The U.S. stock market experienced significant volatility in 
2020 and there is no guarantee that high price levels will 
continue or that price levels will stabilize. Poor economic 
conditions and volatile or unstable financial markets also can 
negatively affect our debt and equity underwriting and advisory 
businesses, as well as our trading activities and venture capital 
businesses. Any deterioration in global financial markets and 
economies, including as a result of any international political 
unrest or disturbances, may adversely affect the revenues and 
earnings of our international operations, particularly our global 
financial institution and correspondent banking services. 

For more information, refer to the “Risk Management – 
Asset/Liability Management” and “– Credit Risk Management” 
sections in this Report. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted our business 
and financial results, and the ultimate impact will depend on 
future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be 
predicted, including the scope and duration of the pandemic 
and actions taken by governmental authorities in response to 
the pandemic.  The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively 
impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains, 
affected equity market valuations, created significant volatility 
and disruption in financial markets, and increased unemployment 
levels. In addition, the pandemic has resulted in restrictions and 
closures for many businesses, as well as the institution of social 
distancing and sheltering in place requirements in many states 
and communities. As a result, the demand for our products and 
services may continue to be significantly impacted, which could 
adversely affect our revenue. Furthermore, the pandemic could 
continue to result in the recognition of credit losses in our loan 
portfolios and increases in our allowance for credit losses, 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
particularly for industries most directly and adversely affected by 
the pandemic, such as travel and entertainment, and/or if 
businesses remain closed, the impact on the global economy 
worsens, or more customers draw on their lines of credit or seek 
additional loans to help finance their businesses. Similarly, 
because of changing economic and market conditions affecting 
issuers, we may be required to recognize further impairments on 
the securities we hold, as well as reductions in other 
comprehensive income. Moreover, the persistence of adverse 
economic conditions and reduced revenue may adversely affect 
the fair value of our operating segments and underlying 
reporting units which may result in the impairment of goodwill or 
other long-lived assets. Our business operations may be further 
disrupted if significant portions of our workforce are unable to 
work effectively, including because of illness, quarantines, 
government actions, or other restrictions in connection with the 
pandemic, and we have already temporarily closed certain of our 
branches and offices. 

Moreover, the pandemic has created additional operational 

and compliance risks, including the need to quickly implement 
and execute new programs and procedures for the products and 
services we offer our customers, provide enhanced safety 
measures for our employees and customers, comply with rapidly 
changing regulatory requirements, address any increased risk of 
fraudulent activity, and protect the integrity and functionality of 
our systems, networks and operations while a larger number of 
our employees and those of our third-party service providers 
work remotely. The pandemic could also result in or contribute to 
additional downgrades to our credit ratings or credit outlook. In 
response to the pandemic, we have temporarily suspended 
certain mortgage foreclosure activities, and provided fee waivers, 
payment deferrals, and other expanded assistance for mortgage, 
credit card, auto, small business, personal and commercial 
lending customers, and future governmental actions may require 
these and other types of customer-related responses. Our 
participation in governmental measures taken to address the 
economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic could result in 
reputational harm, as well as continue to result in litigation and 
government investigations and proceedings. In addition, we 
reduced our common stock dividend and temporarily suspended 
share repurchases, and we could take, or be required to take, 
other capital actions in the future. The COVID-19 pandemic may 
also have the effect of increasing the likelihood and/or 
magnitude of the other risks described herein, including credit, 
market and operational related risks, particularly if the pandemic 
continues to adversely affect the global economy. The extent to 
which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business, results of 
operations, and financial condition, as well as our regulatory 
capital and liquidity ratios, will depend on future developments, 
which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the 
scope and duration of the pandemic, the effectiveness, 
availability and use of vaccines, and actions taken by 
governmental authorities and other third parties in response to 
the pandemic. 

Changes in interest rates and financial market values could 
reduce our net interest income and earnings, as well as our 
other comprehensive income, including as a result of 
recognizing losses on the debt and equity securities that we 
hold in our portfolio or trade for our customers.  Changes in 
either our net interest margin or the amount or mix of earning 
assets we hold, including as a result of the asset cap under the 
February 2018 consent order with the FRB, could affect our net 
interest income and our earnings. Changes in interest rates can 
affect our net interest margin. Although the yield we earn on our 

assets and our funding costs tend to move in the same direction 
in response to changes in interest rates, one can rise or fall faster 
than the other, causing our net interest margin to expand or 
contract. If our funding costs rise faster than the yield we earn on 
our assets or if the yield we earn on our assets falls faster than 
our funding costs, our net interest margin could contract. 

The amount and type of earning assets we hold can affect 
our yield and net interest margin. We hold earning assets in the 
form of loans and debt and equity securities, among other assets. 
As noted above, if the economy worsens we may see lower 
demand for loans by creditworthy customers, reducing our net 
interest income and yield. In addition, our net interest income 
and net interest margin can be negatively affected by a 
prolonged low interest rate environment as it may result in us 
holding lower yielding loans and securities on our consolidated 
balance sheet, particularly if we are unable to replace the 
maturing higher yielding assets with similar higher yielding 
assets. Increases in interest rates, however, may negatively affect 
loan demand and could result in higher credit losses as borrowers 
may have more difficulty making higher interest payments. As 
described below, changes in interest rates also affect our 
mortgage business, including the value of our MSRs. 

Changes in the slope of the “yield curve” – or the spread 

between short-term and long-term interest rates – could also 
reduce our net interest margin. Normally, the yield curve is 
upward sloping, meaning short-term rates are lower than long-
term rates. When the yield curve flattens, or even inverts, our net 
interest margin could decrease if the cost of our short-term 
funding increases relative to the yield we can earn on our long-
term assets. Moreover, a negative interest rate environment, in 
which interest rates drop below zero, could reduce our net 
interest margin and net interest income due to a likely decline in 
the interest we could earn on loans and other earning assets, 
while also likely requiring us to pay to maintain our deposits with 
the FRB. 

The interest we earn on our loans may be tied to U.S.-
denominated interest rates such as the federal funds rate while 
the interest we pay on our debt may be based on international 
rates such as LIBOR. If the federal funds rate were to fall without 
a corresponding decrease in LIBOR, we might earn less on our 
loans without any offsetting decrease in our funding costs. This 
could lower our net interest margin and our net interest income. 
We assess our interest rate risk by estimating the effect on 

our earnings under various scenarios that differ based on 
assumptions about the direction, magnitude and speed of 
interest rate changes and the slope of the yield curve. We may 
hedge some of that interest rate risk with interest rate 
derivatives. We also rely on the “natural hedge” that our 
mortgage loan originations and servicing rights can provide as 
their revenue impact tends to move in opposite directions based 
on changes in interest rates. 

We generally do not hedge all of our interest rate risk. There 
is always the risk that changes in interest rates, credit spreads or 
option volatility could reduce our net interest income and 
earnings, as well as our other comprehensive income, in material 
amounts, especially if actual conditions turn out to be materially 
different than what we assumed. For example, if interest rates 
rise or fall faster than we assumed or the slope of the yield curve 
changes, we may incur significant losses on debt securities we 
hold as investments. To reduce our interest rate risk, we may 
rebalance our portfolios of debt securities, equity securities and 
loans, refinance our debt and take other strategic actions. We 
may incur losses when we take such actions. 

We hold debt and equity securities, including U.S. Treasury 

and federal agency securities and federal agency MBS, securities 

105 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Factors (continued) 

of U.S. states and political subdivisions, residential and 
commercial MBS, corporate debt securities, other asset-backed 
securities and marketable equity securities, including securities 
relating to our venture capital activities. Because of changing 
economic and market conditions, as well as credit ratings, 
affecting issuers and the performance of any collateral 
underlying the securities, we may be required to recognize other-
than-temporary impairment (OTTI) in future periods on the 
securities we hold. Furthermore, the value of the debt securities 
we hold can fluctuate due to changes in interest rates, issuer 
creditworthiness, and other factors. Our net income also is 
exposed to changes in interest rates, credit spreads, foreign 
exchange rates, and equity and commodity prices in connection 
with our trading activities, which are conducted primarily to 
accommodate the investment and risk management activities of 
our customers, as well as when we execute economic hedging to 
manage certain balance sheet risks. Trading debt securities and 
equity securities held for trading are carried at fair value with 
realized and unrealized gains and losses recorded in noninterest 
income. As part of our business to support our customers, we 
trade public debt and equity securities that are subject to market 
fluctuations with gains and losses recognized in net income. In 
addition, although high market volatility can increase our 
exposure to trading-related losses, periods of low volatility may 
have an adverse effect on our businesses as a result of reduced 
customer activity levels. Although we have processes in place to 
measure and monitor the risks associated with our trading 
activities, including stress testing and hedging strategies, there 
can be no assurance that our processes and strategies will be 
effective in avoiding losses that could have a material adverse 
effect on our financial results. 

The value of our marketable and nonmarketable equity 
securities can fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Marketable 
equity securities are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and 
losses reflected in earnings. Nonmarketable equity securities are 
carried under the cost method, equity method, or measurement 
alternative, while others are carried at fair value with unrealized 
gains and losses reflected in earnings. Earnings from our equity 
securities portfolio may be volatile and hard to predict, and may 
have a significant effect on our earnings from period to period. 
When, and if, we recognize gains may depend on a number of 
factors, including general economic and market conditions, the 
prospects of the companies in which we invest, when a company 
goes public, the size of our position relative to the public float, 
and whether we are subject to any resale restrictions. 

Nonmarketable equity securities include our private equity 
and venture capital investments that could result in significant 
OTTI losses for those investments carried under the 
measurement alternative or equity method. If we determine 
there is OTTI for an investment, we write-down the carrying 
value of the investment, resulting in a charge to earnings, which 
could be significant. 

For more information, refer to the “Risk Management – 
Asset/Liability Management – Interest Rate Risk”, “– Mortgage 
Banking Interest Rate and Market Risk”, “– Market Risk – Trading 
Activities”, and “– Market Risk – Equity Securities” and the 
“Balance Sheet Analysis – Available-for-Sale and Held-to-
Maturity Debt Securities” sections in this Report and Note 2 
(Trading Activities), Note 3 (Available-for-Sale and Held-to-
Maturity Debt Securities) and Note 6 (Equity Securities) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. 

Uncertainty about the future of the London Interbank Offered 
Rate (LIBOR) may adversely affect our business, results of 
operations, and financial condition.  Central banks and global 

106 

regulators have called for financial market participants to 
prepare for the discontinuation of LIBOR. The administrator of 
LIBOR published a consultation regarding its intention to cease 
the publication of LIBOR after December 31, 2021, with the 
exception of certain tenors of U.S. dollar LIBOR that it proposed 
would remain available for use in legacy contracts or as otherwise 
enumerated by financial regulators until June 30, 2023. We have 
a significant number of assets and liabilities referenced to LIBOR 
and other interbank offered rates such as commercial loans, 
adjustable-rate mortgage loans, derivatives, debt securities, and 
long-term debt. When any such benchmark rate or other 
referenced financial metric is significantly changed, replaced or 
discontinued, or ceases to be recognized as an acceptable market 
benchmark rate or financial metric, there may be uncertainty or 
differences in the calculation of the applicable interest rate or 
payment amount depending on the terms of the governing 
instrument. 

This could impact the financial performance of previously 

booked transactions, result in losses on financial instruments we 
hold, require different hedging strategies or result in ineffective 
or increased basis risk on existing hedges, impact the overall 
interest rate environment and the availability or cost of floating-
rate funding, affect our capital and liquidity planning and 
management, or have other adverse financial consequences. 
There can be no assurance that the transition to a new 
benchmark rate or other financial metric will be an adequate 
alternative to LIBOR or produce the economic equivalent of 
LIBOR. In addition, the transition to using any new benchmark 
rate or other financial metric may require changes to existing 
transaction data, products, systems, models, operations, and 
pricing processes, require substantial changes to existing 
documentation and the renegotiation of a substantial volume of 
previously booked transactions, and could result in significant 
operational, systems, or other practical challenges, increased 
compliance and operational costs, heightened expectations and 
scrutiny from regulators, litigation, reputational harm, or other 
adverse consequences. There can be no assurance that we will be 
able to modify all existing documentation or renegotiate all 
previously booked transactions before the discontinuation of 
LIBOR. Furthermore, the transition away from widely used 
benchmark rates like LIBOR could result in customers or other 
market participants challenging the determination of their 
interest payments, disputing the interpretation or 
implementation of contract “fallback” provisions and other 
transition related changes, or entering into fewer transactions or 
postponing their financing needs, which could reduce our 
revenue and adversely affect our business. Moreover, to the 
extent borrowers with loans referenced to LIBOR, such as 
adjustable rate mortgage loans, experience higher interest 
payments as a result of the transition to a new benchmark rate, 
our customers’ ability to repay their loans may be adversely 
affected, which can negatively impact our credit performance. 

For additional information on the discontinuation of LIBOR 
and the steps we are taking to address and mitigate the risks we 
have identified, refer to the “Overview – Recent Developments – 
LIBOR Transition” section in this Report. 

Effective liquidity management is essential for the operation 
of our business, and our financial results and condition could be 
materially adversely affected if we do not effectively manage 
our liquidity.  We primarily rely on customer deposits to be a 
low-cost and stable source of funding for the loans we make and 
the operation of our business. In addition to customer deposits, 
our sources of liquidity include certain debt and equity securities, 
our ability to sell or securitize loans in secondary markets and to 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
pledge loans to access secured borrowing facilities through the 
FHLB and the FRB, and our ability to raise funds in domestic and 
international money through capital markets. 

Our liquidity and our ability to fund and run our business 
could be materially adversely affected by a variety of conditions 
and factors, including financial and credit market disruption and 
volatility or a lack of market or customer confidence in financial 
markets in general similar to what occurred during the financial 
crisis in 2008 and early 2009, which may result in a loss of 
customer deposits or outflows of cash or collateral and/or our 
inability to access capital markets on favorable terms. Market 
disruption and volatility could impact our credit spreads, which 
are the amount in excess of the interest rate of U.S. Treasury 
securities, or other benchmark securities, of the same maturity 
that we need to pay to our funding providers. Increases in 
interest rates and our credit spreads could significantly increase 
our funding costs. Other conditions and factors that could 
materially adversely affect our liquidity and funding include a lack 
of market or customer confidence in the Company or negative 
news about the Company or the financial services industry 
generally which also may result in a loss of deposits and/or 
negatively affect our ability to access the capital markets; our 
inability to sell or securitize loans or other assets; disruptions or 
volatility in the repurchase market which also may increase our 
short-term funding costs; regulatory requirements or 
restrictions; and, as described below, reductions in one or more of 
our credit ratings. Many of the above conditions and factors may 
be caused by events over which we have little or no control. There 
can be no assurance that significant disruption and volatility in 
the financial markets will not occur in the future. For example, 
concerns over geopolitical issues, commodity and currency 
prices, as well as global economic conditions, may cause financial 
market volatility. 

In addition, concerns regarding U.S. government debt levels 
and any associated downgrade of U.S. government debt ratings 
may cause uncertainty and volatility as well. A downgrade of the 
sovereign debt ratings of the U.S. government or the debt 
ratings of related institutions, agencies or instrumentalities, as 
well as other fiscal or political events could, in addition to causing 
economic and financial market disruptions, materially adversely 
affect the market value of the U.S. government securities that 
we hold, the availability of those securities as collateral for 
borrowing, and our ability to access capital markets on favorable 
terms, as well as have other material adverse effects on the 
operation of our business and our financial results and condition. 
As noted above, we rely heavily on customer deposits for our 
funding and liquidity. We compete with banks and other financial 
services companies for deposits. If our competitors raise the 
rates they pay on deposits our funding costs may increase, either 
because we raise our rates to avoid losing deposits or because we 
lose deposits and must rely on more expensive sources of 
funding. Checking and savings account balances and other forms 
of customer deposits may decrease when customers perceive 
alternative investments, such as the stock market, as providing a 
better risk/return tradeoff. When customers move money out of 
bank deposits and into other investments, we may lose a 
relatively low-cost source of funds, increasing our funding costs 
and negatively affecting our liquidity. 

If we are unable to continue to fund our assets through 
customer deposits or access capital markets on favorable terms 
or if we suffer an increase in our borrowing costs or otherwise fail 
to manage our liquidity effectively (including on an intra-day or 
intra-affiliate basis), our liquidity, net interest margin, financial 
results and condition may be materially adversely affected. As we 
did during the financial crisis, we may also need, or be required by 

our regulators, to raise additional capital through the issuance of 
common stock, which could dilute the ownership of existing 
stockholders, or reduce or even eliminate our common stock 
dividend to preserve capital or to raise additional capital. 

For more information, refer to the “Risk Management – 

Asset/Liability Management” section in this Report. 

Adverse changes in our credit ratings could have a material 
adverse effect on our liquidity, cash flows, financial results and 
condition.  Our borrowing costs and ability to obtain funding are 
influenced by our credit ratings. Reductions in one or more of our 
credit ratings could adversely affect our ability to borrow funds 
and raise the costs of our borrowings substantially and could 
cause creditors and business counterparties to raise collateral 
requirements or take other actions that could adversely affect 
our ability to raise funding. Credit ratings and credit ratings 
agencies’ outlooks are based on the ratings agencies’ analysis of 
many quantitative and qualitative factors, such as our capital 
adequacy, liquidity, asset quality, business mix, the level and 
quality of our earnings, rating agency assumptions regarding the 
probability and extent of federal financial assistance or support, 
and other rating agency specific criteria. In addition to credit 
ratings, our borrowing costs are affected by various other 
external factors, including market volatility and concerns or 
perceptions about the financial services industry generally. There 
can be no assurance that we will maintain our credit ratings and 
outlooks and that credit ratings downgrades in the future would 
not materially affect our ability to borrow funds and borrowing 
costs. 

Downgrades in our credit ratings also may trigger additional 
collateral or funding obligations which could negatively affect our 
liquidity, including as a result of credit-related contingent 
features in certain of our derivative contracts. Although a one or 
two notch downgrade in our current credit ratings would not be 
expected to trigger a material increase in our collateral or funding 
obligations, a more severe credit rating downgrade of our long-
term and short-term credit ratings could increase our collateral 
or funding obligations and the effect on our liquidity could be 
material. 

For information on our credit ratings, see the “Risk 

Management – Asset/Liability Management – Liquidity Risk and 
Funding – Credit Ratings” section and for information regarding 
additional collateral and funding obligations required of certain 
derivative instruments in the event our credit ratings were to fall 
below investment grade, see Note 16 (Derivatives) to Financial 
Statements in this Report. 

We rely on dividends from our subsidiaries for liquidity, and 
federal and state law, as well as certain contractual 
arrangements, can limit those dividends.  Wells Fargo & 
Company, the parent holding company (the “Parent”), is a 
separate and distinct legal entity from its subsidiaries. It receives 
substantially all of its funding and liquidity from dividends and 
other distributions from its subsidiaries. We generally use these 
dividends and distributions, among other things, to pay dividends 
on our common and preferred stock and interest and principal on 
our debt. Federal and state laws limit the amount of dividends 
and distributions that our bank and some of our nonbank 
subsidiaries, including our broker-dealer subsidiaries, may pay to 
the Parent. In addition, under a Support Agreement dated 
June 28, 2017, as amended and restated on June 26, 2019, 
among the Parent, WFC Holdings, LLC, an intermediate holding 
company and subsidiary of the Parent (the “IHC”), Wells Fargo 
Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”), Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Wells Fargo 
Clearing Services, LLC, and certain other direct and indirect 

107 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Risk Factors (continued) 

subsidiaries of the Parent designated as material entities for 
resolution planning purposes or identified as related support 
entities in our resolution plan, the IHC may be restricted from 
making dividend payments to the Parent if certain liquidity and/ 
or capital metrics fall below defined triggers or if the Parent’s 
board of directors authorizes it to file a case under the U.S. 
Bankruptcy Code. Also, our right to participate in a distribution of 
assets upon a subsidiary’s liquidation or reorganization is subject 
to the prior claims of the subsidiary’s creditors. 

For more information, refer to the “Regulation and 
Supervision – Dividend Restrictions” and “– Holding Company 
Structure” sections in our 2020 Form 10-K and to Note 28 
(Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions) to 
Financial Statements in this Report. 

REGULATORY RISKS 

Current and future legislation and/or regulation could require 
us to change certain of our business practices, reduce our 
revenue and earnings, impose additional costs on us or 
otherwise adversely affect our business operations and/or 
competitive position.  Our parent company, our subsidiary 
banks and many of our nonbank subsidiaries such as those 
related to our brokerage and mutual fund businesses, are subject 
to significant and extensive regulation under state and federal 
laws in the U.S., as well as the applicable laws of the various 
jurisdictions outside of the U.S. where they conduct business. 
These regulations protect depositors, federal deposit insurance 
funds, consumers, investors, employees, and the banking and 
financial system as a whole, not necessarily our security holders. 
Economic, market and political conditions during the past few 
years have led to a significant amount of legislation and 
regulation in the U.S. and abroad affecting the financial services 
industry, as well as heightened expectations and scrutiny of 
financial services companies from banking regulators. These laws 
and regulations may continue to affect the manner in which we 
do business and the products and services that we provide, affect 
or restrict our ability to compete in our current businesses or our 
ability to enter into or acquire new businesses, reduce or limit our 
revenue, affect our compliance and risk management activities, 
increase our capital requirements, impose additional fees, 
assessments or taxes on us, intensify the regulatory supervision 
of us and the financial services industry, and adversely affect our 
business operations or have other negative consequences. Our 
businesses and revenues in non-U.S. jurisdictions are also subject 
to risks from political, economic and social developments in 
those jurisdictions, including sanctions or business restrictions, 
asset freezes or confiscation, unfavorable political or diplomatic 
developments, or financial or social instability. In addition, 
greater government oversight and scrutiny of financial services 
companies has increased our operational and compliance costs as 
we must continue to devote substantial resources to enhancing 
our procedures and controls and meeting heightened regulatory 
standards and expectations. Any failure to meet regulatory 
requirements, standards or expectations, either in the U.S. or in 
non-U.S. jurisdictions, could result in fees, penalties, restrictions 
on our ability to engage in certain business activities, or other 
adverse consequences. 

Our consumer businesses, including our mortgage, auto, 

credit card and other consumer lending and non-lending 
businesses, are subject to numerous and, in many cases, highly 
complex consumer protection laws and regulations, as well as 
enhanced regulatory scrutiny and more and expanded regulatory 
examinations and/or investigations. In particular, the CFPB’s 
rules may continue to increase our compliance costs and require 

108 

changes in our business practices, which could limit or negatively 
affect the products and services that we offer our customers. If 
we fail to meet enhanced regulatory requirements and 
expectations with respect to our consumer businesses, we may 
be subject to increased costs, fines, penalties, restrictions on our 
business activities including the products and services we can 
provide, and/or harm to our reputation. 

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act established a 

comprehensive framework for regulating over-the-counter 
derivatives, and the CFTC, SEC, and other federal regulatory 
agencies have adopted rules regulating swaps, security-based 
swaps, and derivatives activities. These rules may continue to 
negatively impact customer demand for over-the-counter 
derivatives, impact our ability to offer customers new derivatives 
or amendments to existing derivatives, and increase our costs for 
engaging in swaps, security-based swaps, and other derivatives 
activities. 

We are also subject to various rules and regulations related 
to the prevention of financial crimes and combating terrorism, 
including the U.S. Patriot Act of 2001. These rules and 
regulations require us to, among other things, implement policies 
and procedures related to anti-money laundering, anti-bribery 
and corruption, fraud, compliance, suspicious activities, currency 
transaction reporting and due diligence on customers. Although 
we have policies and procedures designed to comply with these 
rules and regulations, to the extent they are not fully effective or 
do not meet heightened regulatory standards or expectations, 
we may be subject to fines, penalties, restrictions on certain 
activities, reputational harm, or other adverse consequences. 

Our businesses are also subject to laws and regulations 
enacted by U.S. and non-U.S. regulators and governmental 
authorities relating to the privacy of the information of 
customers, employees and others. These laws and regulations, 
among other things, increase our compliance obligations; have a 
significant impact on our businesses’ collection, processing, 
sharing, use, and retention of personal data and reporting of data 
breaches; and provide for significantly increased penalties for 
non-compliance. 

In addition, we are subject to a number of consent orders 

and regulatory agreements with certain of our regulators, 
including a February 2018 consent order with the FRB regarding 
the Board’s governance and oversight of the Company, and the 
Company’s compliance and operational risk management 
program. This consent order limits the Company’s total 
consolidated assets as defined under the consent order to the 
level as of December 31, 2017, until certain conditions are met. 
This limitation could continue to adversely affect our results of 
operations or financial condition. We are also subject to April 
2018 consent orders with the CFPB and OCC regarding the 
Company’s compliance risk management program and past 
practices involving certain automobile collateral protection 
insurance policies and certain mortgage interest rate lock 
extensions.

 Under the April 2018 consent order with the OCC, the Bank 
remains subject to requirements that were originally imposed in 
November 2016 to provide prior written notice to, and obtain 
non-objection from, the OCC with respect to changes in directors 
and senior executive officers, and remains subject to certain 
regulatory limitations on post-termination payments to certain 
individuals and employees. 

The Company may be subject to further actions, including 

the imposition of additional consent orders, regulatory 
agreements or civil money penalties, by federal regulators 
regarding similar or other issues. Compliance with the February 
2018 FRB consent order, the April 2018 CFPB and OCC consent 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
orders, and any other consent orders or regulatory actions, as 
well as the implementation of their requirements, may continue 
to increase the Company’s costs, require the Company to 
reallocate resources away from growing its existing businesses, 
negatively impact the Company’s capital and liquidity, and 
require the Company to undergo significant changes to its 
business, products and services. For more information on the 
February 2018 FRB consent order and the April 2018 CFPB and 
OCC consent orders, refer to the “Regulatory Matters” section in 
this Report. 

Other future regulatory initiatives that could significantly 

affect our business include proposals to reform the housing 
finance market in the United States. These proposals, among 
other things, consider ending the conservatorships of the GSEs 
and reducing or eliminating over time the role of the GSEs in 
buying mortgage loans or guaranteeing mortgage-backed 
securities (MBS), as well as the implementation of reforms 
relating to borrowers, lenders, and investors in the mortgage 
market. The extent and timing of any regulatory reform or the 
adoption of any legislation regarding the GSEs and/or the home 
mortgage market, as well as any effect on the Company’s 
business and financial results, are uncertain. 

Any other future legislation and/or regulation, if adopted, 
also could significantly change our regulatory environment and 
increase our cost of doing business, limit the activities we may 
pursue or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings 
associations, credit unions, and other financial services 
companies, and have a material adverse effect on our financial 
results and condition. 

For more information on the significant regulations and 
regulatory oversight initiatives that have affected or may affect 
our business, refer to the “Regulatory Matters” section in this 
Report and the “Regulation and Supervision” section in our 2020 
Form 10-K. 

We could be subject to more stringent capital, leverage or 
liquidity requirements or restrictions on our growth, activities 
or operations if regulators determine that our resolution or 
recovery plan is deficient.  Pursuant to rules adopted by the FRB 
and the FDIC, Wells Fargo has prepared and submitted a 
resolution plan, also known as a “living will,” that is designed to 
facilitate our rapid and orderly resolution in the event of material 
financial distress or failure. There can be no assurance that the 
FRB or FDIC will respond favorably to the Company’s resolution 
plans. If the FRB and/or FDIC determine that our resolution plan 
has deficiencies, they may impose more stringent capital, 
leverage or liquidity requirements on us or restrict our growth, 
activities or operations until we adequately remedy the 
deficiencies. If the FRB and/or FDIC ultimately determine that we 
have been unable to remedy any deficiencies, they could require 
us to divest certain assets or operations. On December 17, 2019, 
the FRB and FDIC announced that the Company’s 2019 
resolution plan did not have any deficiencies, but they identified a 
specific shortcoming that would need to be addressed. 

In addition to our resolution plans, we must also prepare and 

submit to the FRB a recovery plan that identifies a range of 
options that we may consider during times of idiosyncratic or 
systemic economic stress to remedy any financial weaknesses 
and restore market confidence without extraordinary 
government support. The Bank must also prepare and submit to 
the OCC a recovery plan. If either the FRB or the OCC determines 
that our recovery plan is deficient, they may impose fines, 
restrictions on our business or ultimately require us to divest 
assets. 

Our security holders may suffer losses in a resolution of 
Wells Fargo even if creditors of our subsidiaries are paid in full. 
If Wells Fargo were to fail, it may be resolved in a bankruptcy 
proceeding or, if certain conditions are met, under the resolution 
regime created by the Dodd-Frank Act known as the “orderly 
liquidation authority.” The orderly liquidation authority allows for 
the appointment of the FDIC as receiver for a systemically 
important financial institution that is in default or in danger of 
default if, among other things, the resolution of the institution 
under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code would have serious adverse 
effects on financial stability in the United States. If the FDIC is 
appointed as receiver for the Parent, then the orderly liquidation 
authority, rather than the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, would 
determine the powers of the receiver and the rights and 
obligations of our security holders. The FDIC’s orderly liquidation 
authority requires that security holders of a company in 
receivership bear all losses before U.S. taxpayers are exposed to 
any losses, and allows the FDIC to disregard the strict priority of 
creditor claims under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in certain 
circumstances. 

The strategy described in our most recent resolution plan is 
a single point of entry strategy, in which the Parent would likely 
be the only material legal entity to enter resolution proceedings. 
However, we are not obligated to maintain a single point of entry 
strategy, and the strategy described in our resolution plan is not 
binding in the event of an actual resolution of Wells Fargo, 
whether conducted under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or by the 
FDIC under the orderly liquidation authority. The FDIC has 
announced that a single point of entry strategy may be a 
desirable strategy under its implementation of the orderly 
liquidation authority, but not all aspects of how the FDIC might 
exercise this authority are known and additional rulemaking is 
possible. 

To facilitate the orderly resolution of systemically important 
financial institutions in case of material distress or failure, federal 
banking regulations require that institutions, such as Wells Fargo, 
maintain a minimum amount of equity and unsecured debt to 
absorb losses and recapitalize operating subsidiaries. Federal 
banking regulators have also required measures to facilitate the 
continued operation of operating subsidiaries notwithstanding 
the failure of their parent companies, such as limitations on 
parent guarantees, and have issued guidance encouraging 
institutions to take legally binding measures to provide capital 
and liquidity resources to certain subsidiaries to facilitate an 
orderly resolution. In response to the regulators’ guidance and to 
facilitate the orderly resolution of the Company, on June 28, 
2017, the Parent entered into a support agreement, as amended 
and restated on June 26, 2019 (the “Support Agreement”), with 
WFC Holdings, LLC, an intermediate holding company and 
subsidiary of the Parent (the “IHC”), the Bank, and certain other 
direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Parent. Pursuant to the 
Support Agreement, the Parent transferred a significant amount 
of its assets to the IHC and will continue to transfer assets to the 
IHC from time to time. In the event of our material financial 
distress or failure, the IHC will be obligated to use the transferred 
assets to provide capital and/or liquidity to the Bank and certain 
other direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Parent. Under the 
Support Agreement, the IHC will provide funding and liquidity to 
the Parent through subordinated notes and a committed line of 
credit. If certain liquidity and/or capital metrics fall below defined 
triggers, or if the Parent’s board of directors authorizes it to file a 
case under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the subordinated notes 
would be forgiven, the committed line of credit would terminate, 
and the IHC’s ability to pay dividends to the Parent would be 
restricted, any of which could materially and adversely impact the 

109 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Risk Factors (continued) 

Parent’s liquidity and its ability to satisfy its debts and other 
obligations, and could result in the commencement of 
bankruptcy proceedings by the Parent at an earlier time than 
might have otherwise occurred if the Support Agreement were 
not implemented. 

Any resolution of the Company will likely impose losses on 
shareholders, unsecured debt holders and other creditors of the 
Parent, while the Parent’s subsidiaries may continue to operate. 
Creditors of some or all of our subsidiaries may receive 
significant or full recoveries on their claims, while the Parent’s 
security holders could face significant or complete losses. This 
outcome may arise whether the Company is resolved under the 
U.S. Bankruptcy Code or by the FDIC under the orderly 
liquidation authority, and whether the resolution is conducted 
using a single point of entry strategy or using a multiple point of 
entry strategy, in which the Parent and one or more of its 
subsidiaries would each undergo separate resolution 
proceedings. Furthermore, in a single point of entry or multiple 
point of entry strategy, losses at some or all of our subsidiaries 
could be transferred to the Parent and borne by the Parent’s 
security holders. Moreover, if either resolution strategy proved 
to be unsuccessful, our security holders could face greater losses 
than if the strategy had not been implemented. 

For more information, refer to the “Regulatory Matters – 
‘Living Will’ Requirements and Related Matters” section in this 
Report. 

Bank regulations and rules may require higher capital and 
liquidity levels, limiting our ability to pay common stock 
dividends, repurchase our common stock, invest in our 
business, or provide loans or other products and services to our 
customers.  The Company and each of our insured depository 
institutions are subject to various regulatory capital adequacy 
requirements administered by federal banking regulators. In 
particular, the Company is subject to rules issued by federal 
banking regulators to implement Basel III risk-based capital 
requirements for U.S. banking organizations. These capital rules, 
among other things, establish required minimum ratios relating 
capital to different categories of assets and exposures. Federal 
banking regulators have also finalized rules to impose a leverage 
ratio and a supplementary leverage ratio on large BHCs like 
Wells Fargo and our insured depository institutions. The FRB has 
also finalized rules to address the amount of equity and 
unsecured long-term debt a U.S. G-SIB must hold to improve its 
resolvability and resiliency, often referred to as total loss 
absorbing capacity (TLAC). Similarly, federal banking regulators 
have issued final rules that implement a liquidity coverage ratio 
and a net stable funding ratio. 

In addition, as part of its obligation to impose enhanced 
capital and risk-management standards on large financial firms 
pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, the FRB has issued a capital 
plan rule that establishes capital planning and other 
requirements that govern capital distributions, including 
dividends and share repurchases, by certain BHCs, including 
Wells Fargo. The FRB has also finalized a number of regulations 
implementing enhanced prudential requirements for large BHCs 
like Wells Fargo regarding risk-based capital and leverage, risk 
and liquidity management, single counterparty credit limits, and 
imposing debt-to-equity limits on any BHC that regulators 
determine poses a grave threat to the financial stability of the 
United States. The FRB and OCC have also finalized rules 
implementing stress testing requirements for large BHCs and 
national banks. In addition, the FRB has proposed a rule to 
establish remediation requirements for large BHCs experiencing 
financial distress and has proposed additional requirements 

110 

regarding effective risk management practices at large BHCs, 
including its expectations for boards of directors and senior 
management. The OCC, under separate authority, has also 
established heightened governance and risk management 
standards for large national banks, such as the Bank. 

The Basel standards and federal regulatory capital, leverage, 

liquidity, TLAC, and capital planning requirements may limit or 
otherwise restrict how we utilize our capital, including common 
stock dividends and stock repurchases, and may require us to 
increase our capital and/or liquidity. Any requirement that we 
increase our regulatory capital, regulatory capital ratios or 
liquidity, including as a result of business growth, acquisitions or a 
change in our risk profile, could require us to liquidate assets or 
otherwise change our business, product offerings and/or 
investment plans, which may negatively affect our financial 
results. Although not currently anticipated, proposed capital 
requirements and/or our regulators may require us to raise 
additional capital in the future. Issuing additional common stock 
may dilute the ownership of existing stockholders. In addition, 
federal banking regulations may continue to increase our 
compliance costs as well as limit our ability to invest in our 
business or provide loans or other products and services to our 
customers. 

For more information, refer to the “Capital Management,” 
“Risk Management – Asset/Liability Management – Liquidity Risk 
and Funding – Liquidity Standards,” and “Regulatory Matters” 
sections in this Report and the “Regulation and Supervision” 
section in our 2020 Form 10-K. 

FRB policies, including policies on interest rates, can 
significantly affect business and economic conditions and our 
financial results and condition.  The FRB regulates the supply of 
money in the United States. Its policies determine in large part 
our cost of funds for lending and investing and the return we 
earn on those loans and investments, both of which affect our 
net interest income and net interest margin. The FRB’s interest 
rate policies also can materially affect the value of financial 
instruments we hold, such as debt securities and MSRs. In 
addition, its policies can affect our borrowers, potentially 
increasing the risk that they may fail to repay their loans. 
Changes in FRB policies, including its target range for the federal 
funds rate or actions taken to increase or decrease the size of its 
balance sheet, are beyond our control and can be hard to predict. 
As noted above, a declining or low interest rate environment and 
a flattening yield curve which may result from the FRB’s actions 
could negatively affect our net interest income and net interest 
margin as it may result in us holding lower yielding loans and debt 
securities on our consolidated balance sheet. 

CREDIT RISKS 

Increased credit risk, including as a result of a deterioration in 
economic conditions or changes in market conditions, could 
require us to increase our provision for credit losses and 
allowance for credit losses and could have a material adverse 
effect on our results of operations and financial condition. 
When we loan money or commit to loan money we incur credit 
risk, or the risk of losses if our borrowers do not repay their loans. 
As one of the largest lenders in the U.S., the credit performance 
of our loan portfolios significantly affects our financial results 
and condition. As noted above, if the current economic 
environment were to deteriorate, more of our customers may 
have difficulty in repaying their loans or other obligations which 
could result in a higher level of credit losses and provision for 
credit losses. We reserve for credit losses by establishing an 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
allowance through a charge to earnings. The amount of this 
allowance is based on our assessment of credit losses inherent in 
our loan portfolio (including unfunded credit commitments). The 
process for determining the amount of the allowance is critical to 
our financial results and condition. It requires difficult, subjective 
and complex judgments about the future, including forecasts of 
economic or market conditions that might impair the ability of 
our borrowers to repay their loans. We might increase the 
allowance because of changing economic conditions, including 
falling home prices and higher unemployment, significant loan 
growth, changes in consumer behavior or other market 
conditions that adversely affect borrowers, or other factors. 
Additionally, the regulatory environment or external factors, such 
as natural disasters, disease pandemics, political or social 
matters, or trade policies, also can influence recognition of credit 
losses in our loan portfolios and impact our allowance for credit 
losses. 

Future allowance levels may increase or decrease based on a 
variety of factors, including loan balance changes, portfolio credit 
quality and mix changes, and changes in general economic 
conditions. While we believe that our allowance for credit losses 
was appropriate at December 31, 2020, there is no assurance 
that it will be sufficient to cover future credit losses, especially if 
housing and employment conditions worsen. In the event of 
significant deterioration in economic conditions or if we 
experience significant loan growth, we may be required to build 
reserves in future periods, which would reduce our earnings. 
For more information, refer to the “Risk Management – 
Credit Risk Management” and “Critical Accounting Policies – 
Allowance for Credit Losses” sections in this Report. 

We may have more credit risk and higher credit losses to the 
extent our loans are concentrated by loan type, industry 
segment, borrower type, or location of the borrower or 
collateral.  Our credit risk and credit losses can increase if our 
loans are concentrated to borrowers engaged in the same or 
similar activities or to borrowers who individually or as a group 
may be uniquely or disproportionately affected by economic or 
market conditions. Similarly, challenging economic or market 
conditions, or trade policies, affecting a particular industry or 
geography may also impact related or dependent industries or 
the ability of borrowers living in such affected areas or working in 
such industries to meet their financial obligations. We 
experienced the effect of concentration risk in 2009 and 2010 
when we incurred greater than expected losses in our residential 
real estate loan portfolio due to a housing slowdown and greater 
than expected deterioration in residential real estate values in 
many markets, including the Central Valley California market and 
several Southern California metropolitan statistical areas. As 
California is our largest banking state in terms of loans and 
deposits, deterioration in real estate values and underlying 
economic conditions in those markets or elsewhere in California 
could result in materially higher credit losses. In addition, changes 
in consumer behavior or other market conditions, such as in 
response to climate change and other environmental and 
sustainability concerns, may adversely affect borrowers in certain 
industries or sectors, which may increase our credit risk and 
reduce the demand by these borrowers for our products and 
services. Moreover, deterioration in macro-economic conditions 
generally across the country could result in materially higher 
credit losses, including for our residential real estate loan 
portfolio, which includes nonconforming mortgage loans we 
retain on our balance sheet. We may experience higher 
delinquencies and higher loss rates as our consumer real estate 

secured lines of credit reach their contractual end of draw period 
and begin to amortize. 

We are currently one of the largest CRE lenders in the U.S. A 
deterioration in economic conditions that negatively affects the 
business performance of our CRE borrowers, including increases 
in interest rates, declines in commercial property values, and/or 
changes in consumer behavior or other market conditions, could 
result in materially higher credit losses and have a material 
adverse effect on our financial results and condition. 

Challenges and/or changes in non-U.S. economic conditions 

may increase our non-U.S. credit risk. Economic difficulties in 
non-U.S. jurisdictions could also indirectly have a material 
adverse effect on our credit performance and results of 
operations and financial condition to the extent they negatively 
affect the U.S. economy and/or our borrowers who have non-U.S. 
operations. 

Due to regulatory requirements, we must clear certain 

derivative transactions through central counterparty 
clearinghouses (CCPs), which results in credit exposure to these 
CCPs. Similarly, because we are a member of various CCPs, we 
may be required to pay a portion of any losses incurred by the 
CCP in the event that one or more members of the CCP defaults 
on its obligations. In addition, we are exposed to the risk of non-
performance by our clients for which we clear transactions 
through CCPs to the extent such non-performance is not 
sufficiently covered by available collateral. 

In order to reduce credit risk and obtain additional funding, 

from time to time we may securitize or sell similar types or 
categories of loans that we originate, such as mortgage loans and 
auto loans. The agreements under which we do this generally 
contain various representations and warranties regarding the 
origination and characteristics of the loans. We may be required 
to repurchase the loans, reimburse investors and others, or incur 
other losses, including regulatory fines and penalties, as a result 
of any breaches in these contractual representations and 
warranties. For more information about our repurchase 
obligations with respect to mortgage loans, refer to the “Risk 
Factors – Risks Related to Our Mortgage Business” section in this 
Report. 

For more information regarding credit risk, refer to the “Risk 

Management – Credit Risk Management” section and Note 4 
(Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses) to Financial 
Statements in this Report. 

OPERATIONAL, STRATEGIC AND LEGAL RISKS 

A failure in or breach of our operational or security systems, 
controls or infrastructure, or those of our third-party vendors 
and other service providers, could disrupt our businesses, 
damage our reputation, increase our costs and cause losses.  As 
a large financial institution that serves customers through 
numerous physical locations, ATMs, the internet, mobile banking 
and other distribution channels across the U.S. and 
internationally, we depend on our ability to process, record and 
monitor a large number of customer transactions on a 
continuous basis. As our customer base and locations have 
expanded throughout the U.S. and internationally, as we have 
increasingly used the internet and mobile banking to provide 
products and services to our customers, and as customer, public, 
legislative and regulatory expectations regarding operational and 
information security have increased, our operational systems, 
controls and infrastructure must continue to be safeguarded and 
monitored for potential failures, disruptions and breakdowns. 
Our business, financial, accounting, data processing systems or 
other operating systems and facilities may stop operating 

111 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Factors (continued) 

properly, become insufficient based on our evolving business 
needs, or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of 
factors including events that are wholly or partially beyond our 
control. For example, there could be sudden increases in 
customer transaction volume; electrical or telecommunications 
outages; degradation or loss of internet, website or mobile 
banking availability; climate change related impacts and natural 
disasters such as earthquakes, tornados, and hurricanes; disease 
pandemics; events arising from local or larger scale political or 
social matters, including terrorist acts; and, as described below, 
cyber attacks or other information security breaches. 
Furthermore, enhancements and upgrades to our infrastructure 
or operating systems may be time-consuming, entail significant 
costs, and create risks associated with implementing new 
systems and integrating them with existing ones. Due to the 
complexity and interconnectedness of our systems, the process 
of enhancing our infrastructure and operating systems, including 
their security measures and controls, can itself create a risk of 
system disruptions and security issues. Similarly, we may not be 
able to timely recover critical business processes or operations 
that have been disrupted, which may further increase any 
associated costs and consequences of such disruptions. Although 
we have business continuity plans and other safeguards in place 
to help provide operational resiliency, our business operations 
may be adversely affected by significant and widespread 
disruption to our physical infrastructure or operating systems 
that support our businesses and customers. For example, on 
February 7, 2019, we experienced system issues caused by an 
automatic power shutdown at one of our main data center 
facilities. Although applications and related workloads were 
systematically re-routed to back-up data centers throughout the 
day, certain of our services, including our online and mobile 
banking systems, certain mortgage origination systems, and 
certain ATM functions, experienced disruptions that delayed 
service to our customers. 

As a result of financial institutions and technology systems 

becoming more interconnected and complex, any operational 
incident at a third party may increase the risk of loss or material 
impact to us or the financial industry as a whole. Furthermore, 
third parties on which we rely, including those that facilitate our 
business activities or to which we outsource operations, such as 
exchanges, clearing houses, financial intermediaries or vendors 
that provide services or security solutions for our operations, 
could also be sources of operational risk to us, including from 
information breaches or loss, breakdowns, disruptions or failures 
of their own systems or infrastructure, or any deficiencies in the 
performance of their responsibilities. We are also exposed to the 
risk that a disruption or other operational incident at a common 
service provider to those third parties could impede their ability 
to provide services or perform their responsibilities for us. In 
addition, we must meet regulatory requirements and 
expectations regarding our use of third-party service providers, 
and any failure by our third-party service providers to meet their 
obligations to us or to comply with applicable laws, rules, 
regulations, or Wells Fargo policies could result in fines, penalties, 
restrictions on our business, or other negative consequences. 

Disruptions or failures in the physical infrastructure, controls 

or operating systems that support our businesses and 
customers, failures of the third parties on which we rely to 
adequately or appropriately provide their services or perform 
their responsibilities, or our failure to effectively manage or 
oversee our third-party relationships, could result in business 
disruptions, loss of revenue or customers, legal or regulatory 
proceedings, compliance and other costs, violations of applicable 
privacy and other laws, reputational damage, or other adverse 

112 

consequences, any of which could materially adversely affect our 
results of operations or financial condition. 

A cyber attack or other information security breach of our 
technologies, computer systems or networks, or those of our 
third-party vendors and other service providers, could disrupt 
our businesses, result in the disclosure or misuse of 
confidential or proprietary information, damage our 
reputation, increase our costs and cause losses.  Information 
security risks for large financial institutions such as Wells Fargo 
have generally increased in recent years in part because of the 
proliferation of new technologies, the use of the internet, mobile 
devices, and cloud technologies to conduct financial transactions, 
and the increased sophistication and activities of organized 
crime, hackers, terrorists, activists, and other external parties, 
including foreign state-sponsored parties. Those parties also may 
continue to attempt to misrepresent personal or financial 
information to obtain loans or other financial products from us or 
attempt to fraudulently induce employees, customers, or other 
users of our systems to disclose confidential information in order 
to gain access to our data or that of our customers. As noted 
above, our operations rely on the secure processing, transmission 
and storage of confidential information in our computer systems 
and networks. Our banking, brokerage, investment advisory, and 
capital markets businesses rely on our digital technologies, 
computer and email systems, software, hardware, and networks 
to conduct their operations. In addition, to access our products 
and services, our customers may use personal smartphones, 
tablets, and other mobile devices that are beyond our control 
systems. Although we believe we have robust information 
security procedures and controls, our technologies, systems, 
networks, and our customers’ devices may become the target of 
cyber attacks or other information security breaches that could 
result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, 
loss or destruction of Wells Fargo’s or our customers’ 
confidential, proprietary and other information, or otherwise 
disrupt Wells Fargo’s or its customers’ or other third parties’ 
business operations. For example, various retailers have reported 
they were victims of cyber attacks in which large amounts of 
their customers’ data, including debit and credit card 
information, was obtained. In these situations, we generally incur 
costs to replace compromised cards and address fraudulent 
transaction activity affecting our customers. We are also exposed 
to the risk that an employee or other person acting on behalf of 
the Company fails to comply with applicable policies and 
procedures and inappropriately circumvents controls for 
personal gain or other improper purposes. 

Due to the increasing interconnectedness and complexity of 

financial institutions and technology systems, an information 
security incident at a third party may increase the risk of loss or 
material impact to us or the financial industry as a whole. In 
addition, third parties on which we rely, including those that 
facilitate our business activities or to which we outsource 
operations, such as internet, mobile technology, hardware, 
software, and cloud service providers, could be sources of 
information security risk to us. If those third parties fail to 
adequately or appropriately safeguard their technologies, 
systems, networks, hardware, and software, we may suffer 
material harm, including business disruptions, losses or 
remediation costs, reputational damage, legal or regulatory 
proceedings, or other adverse consequences. 

To date we have not experienced any material losses relating 

to cyber attacks or other information security breaches, but 
there can be no assurance that we will not suffer such losses in 
the future. Our risk and exposure to these matters remains 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
heightened because of, among other things, the evolving nature 
of these threats, the prominent size and scale of Wells Fargo and 
its role in the financial services industry, our plans to continue to 
implement our digital and mobile banking channel strategies and 
develop additional remote connectivity solutions to serve our 
customers when and how they want to be served, our geographic 
footprint and international presence, the outsourcing of some of 
our business operations, and the current global economic and 
political environment. For example, Wells Fargo and other 
financial institutions continue to be the target of various evolving 
and adaptive cyber attacks, including malware, ransomware, 
phishing, and denial-of-service, as part of an effort to disrupt the 
operations of financial institutions, potentially test their 
cybersecurity capabilities, commit fraud, or obtain confidential, 
proprietary or other information. Cyber attacks have also 
focused on targeting online applications and services, such as 
online banking, as well as cloud-based and other products and 
services provided by third parties, and have targeted the 
infrastructure of the internet, causing the widespread 
unavailability of websites and degrading website performance. As 
a result, information security and the continued development 
and enhancement of our controls, processes and systems 
designed to protect our networks, computers, software and data 
from attack, damage or unauthorized access remain a priority for 
Wells Fargo. We are also proactively involved in industry 
cybersecurity efforts and working with other parties, including 
our third-party service providers and governmental agencies, to 
continue to enhance defenses and improve resiliency to 
cybersecurity and other information security threats. As these 
threats continue to evolve, we may continue to be required to 
expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or 
enhance our protective measures or to investigate and 
remediate any information security vulnerabilities or incidents. 
Because the investigation of any information security breach is 
inherently unpredictable and would require time to complete, we 
may not be able to immediately address the consequences of a 
breach, which may further increase any associated costs and 
consequences. Moreover, to the extent our insurance covers 
aspects of information security risk, such insurance may not be 
sufficient to cover all losses associated with an information 
security breach. 

Cyber attacks or other information security breaches 
affecting us or third parties on which we rely, including those that 
facilitate our business activities or to which we outsource 
operations, or security breaches of the networks, systems or 
devices that our customers use to access our products and 
services, could result in business disruptions, loss of revenue or 
customers, legal or regulatory proceedings, compliance and other 
costs, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, reputational 
damage, or other adverse consequences, any of which could 
materially adversely affect our results of operations or financial 
condition. 

Our framework for managing risks may not be fully effective in 
mitigating risk and loss to us.  Our risk management framework 
seeks to mitigate risk and loss to us. We have established 
processes and procedures intended to identify, measure, 
monitor, report and analyze the types of risk to which we are 
subject, including liquidity risk, credit risk, market risk, interest 
rate risk, operational risk, legal and compliance risk, and 
reputational risk, among others. However, as with any risk 
management framework, there are inherent limitations to our 
risk management strategies as there may exist, or develop in the 
future, risks that we have not appropriately anticipated, 
identified or managed. Our risk management framework is also 

dependent on ensuring that effective operational controls and a 
sound culture exist throughout the Company. The inability to 
develop effective operational controls or to foster the 
appropriate culture in each of our lines of business, including the 
inability to align performance management and compensation to 
achieve the desired culture, could adversely impact the 
effectiveness of our risk management framework. Similarly, if we 
are unable to effectively manage our business or operations, we 
may be exposed to increased risks or unexpected losses. We are 
also exposed to risks if we do not accurately or completely 
execute a process or transaction, whether due to human error or 
otherwise, or if an employee fails to comply with applicable 
policies and procedures or inappropriately circumvents controls. 
In certain instances, we rely on models to measure, monitor and 
predict risks, such as market, interest rate and credit risks, as well 
as to help inform business decisions; however, there is no 
assurance that these models will appropriately or sufficiently 
capture all relevant risks or accurately predict future events or 
exposures. Furthermore, certain of our models are subject to 
regulatory review and approval, and any failure to meet 
regulatory standards or expectations could result in fines, 
penalties, restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business 
activities, or other adverse consequences, and any required 
modifications or changes to these models can impact our capital 
ratios and requirements and result in increased operational and 
compliance costs. In addition, we rely on data to aggregate and 
assess our various risk exposures and business activities, and any 
issues with the quality or effectiveness of our data, including our 
aggregation, management, and validation procedures, could 
result in ineffective risk management practices, business 
decisions or customer service, inefficient use of resources, or 
inaccurate regulatory or other risk reporting. We also use 
artificial intelligence to help further inform our business decisions 
and risk management practices, but there is no assurance that 
artificial intelligence will appropriately or sufficiently replicate 
certain outcomes or accurately predict future events or 
exposures. Previous financial and credit crises and resulting 
regulatory reforms highlighted both the importance and some of 
the limitations of managing unanticipated risks, and our 
regulators remain focused on ensuring that financial institutions 
build and maintain robust risk management policies and 
practices. If our risk management framework proves ineffective, 
we could suffer unexpected losses which could materially 
adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition. 

We may be exposed to additional legal or regulatory 
proceedings, costs, and other adverse consequences related to 
sales practices and other instances where customers may have 
experienced financial harm.  Various government entities and 
offices have undertaken formal or informal inquiries, 
investigations or examinations arising out of certain sales 
practices of the Company, and various non-governmental parties 
have filed lawsuits against us seeking damages or other remedies 
related to these sales practices. The Company has entered into 
various settlements to resolve certain of these investigations 
and proceedings, as a result of which we have incurred monetary 
penalties, costs, and restrictions. In connection with any still 
pending matters, we may incur additional monetary penalties 
and other sanctions or be required to make admissions of 
wrongdoing and comply with other conditions, which can lead to 
restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business activities 
or offer certain products or services, limitations on our ability to 
access capital markets, limitations on capital distributions, the 
loss of customers, and/or other direct and indirect adverse 
consequences. The ultimate resolution of any of these pending 

113 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Factors (continued) 

legal proceedings or government investigations, depending on 
the sanctions and remedy sought and granted, could materially 
adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. 
We may continue to incur additional costs and expenses in order 
to address and defend these pending legal proceedings and 
government investigations, and we may continue to have 
increased compliance and other costs related to these matters. 
Furthermore, negative publicity or public opinion resulting from 
these matters may increase the risk of reputational harm to our 
business, which can impact our ability to keep and attract 
customers, affect our ability to attract and retain qualified 
employees, result in the loss of revenue, or have other material 
adverse effects on our results of operations and financial 
condition. 

Furthermore, we may identify other areas or instances 
where customers may have experienced financial harm, including 
as a result of our continuing efforts to rebuild trust and to 
strengthen our risk and control infrastructure. For example, we 
have identified certain issues related to past practices involving 
certain automobile collateral protection insurance policies and 
certain issues related to the unused portion of guaranteed 
automobile protection waiver or insurance agreements. The 
identification of such other areas or instances where customers 
may have experienced financial harm could lead to, and in some 
cases has already resulted in, additional remediation costs, loss of 
revenue or customers, legal or regulatory proceedings, 
compliance and other costs, reputational damage, or other 
adverse consequences. 

For more information, refer to the “Overview – Retail Sales 

Practices Matters” and “– Other Customer Remediation 
Activities” sections and Note 15 (Legal Actions) to Financial 
Statements in this Report. 

We may incur fines, penalties and other negative 
consequences from regulatory violations or from any failure to 
meet regulatory standards or expectations.  We maintain 
systems and procedures designed to ensure that we comply with 
applicable laws and regulations. However, we are subject to 
heightened compliance and regulatory oversight and 
expectations, particularly due to the evolving and increasing 
regulatory landscape we operate in. We are also subject to 
consent orders and agreements with regulators that subject us 
to various conditions and restrictions. In addition, a single event 
or issue may give rise to numerous and overlapping 
investigations and proceedings, either by multiple federal and 
state agencies in the U.S. or by multiple regulators and other 
governmental entities in different jurisdictions. Also, the laws 
and regulations in jurisdictions in which we operate may be 
different or even conflict with each other, such as differences 
between U.S. federal and state law or differences between U.S. 
and non-U.S. laws as to the products and services we may offer 
or other business activities we may engage in, which can lead to 
compliance difficulties or issues. Furthermore, many legal and 
regulatory regimes require us to report transactions and other 
information to regulators and other governmental authorities, 
self-regulatory organizations, exchanges, clearing houses and 
customers. We may be subject to fines, penalties, restrictions on 
our business, or other negative consequences if we do not timely, 
completely, or accurately provide regulatory reports, customer 
notices or disclosures. Moreover, some legal/regulatory 
frameworks provide for the imposition of fines or penalties for 
noncompliance even though the noncompliance was inadvertent 
or unintentional and even though there were systems and 
procedures in place at the time designed to ensure compliance. 
For example, we are subject to regulations issued by the Office of 

114 

Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that prohibit financial institutions 
from participating in the transfer of property belonging to the 
governments of certain non-U.S. countries and designated 
nationals of those countries. OFAC may impose penalties or 
restrictions on certain activities for inadvertent or unintentional 
violations even if reasonable processes are in place to prevent the 
violations. Any violation of these or other applicable laws or 
regulatory requirements, even if inadvertent or unintentional, or 
any failure to meet regulatory standards or expectations, 
including any failure to satisfy the conditions of any consent 
orders or regulatory agreements, could result in fees, penalties, 
restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business activities, 
reputational harm, loss of customers or other negative 
consequences. 

Reputational harm, including as a result of our actual or alleged 
conduct or public opinion of the financial services industry 
generally, could adversely affect our business, results of 
operations, and financial condition.  Reputation risk, or the risk 
to our business, earnings and capital from negative public 
opinion, is inherent in our business and has increased 
substantially because of our size and profile in the financial 
services industry and sales practices related matters and other 
instances where customers may have experienced financial harm. 
Negative public opinion about the financial services industry 
generally or Wells Fargo specifically could adversely affect our 
reputation and our ability to keep and attract customers. 
Negative public opinion could result from our actual or alleged 
conduct in any number of activities, including sales practices; 
mortgage, auto or other consumer lending practices; loan 
origination or servicing activities; mortgage foreclosure actions; 
management of client accounts or investments; lending, 
investing or other business relationships; identification and 
management of potential conflicts of interest from transactions, 
obligations and interests with and among our customers; 
environmental, social and governance practices; regulatory 
compliance; risk management; incentive compensation practices; 
and disclosure, sharing or inadequate protection or improper use 
of customer information, and from actions taken by government 
regulators and community or other organizations in response to 
that conduct. Although we have policies and procedures in place 
intended to detect and prevent conduct by employees and third-
party service providers that could potentially harm customers or 
our reputation, there is no assurance that such policies and 
procedures will be fully effective in preventing such conduct. 
Furthermore, our actual or perceived failure to address or 
prevent any such conduct or otherwise to effectively manage our 
business or operations could result in significant reputational 
harm. In addition, because we conduct most of our businesses 
under the “Wells Fargo” brand, negative public opinion about one 
business also could affect our other businesses. Moreover, 
actions by the financial services industry generally or by certain 
members or individuals in the industry also can adversely affect 
our reputation. The proliferation of social media websites utilized 
by Wells Fargo and other third parties, as well as the personal use 
of social media by our employees and others, including personal 
blogs and social network profiles, also may increase the risk that 
negative, inappropriate or unauthorized information may be 
posted or released publicly that could harm our reputation or 
have other negative consequences, including as a result of our 
employees interacting with our customers in an unauthorized 
manner in various social media outlets. 

Wells Fargo and other financial institutions have been 
targeted from time to time by protests and demonstrations, 
which have included disrupting the operation of our retail 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
banking locations and have resulted in negative public 
commentary about financial institutions, including the fees 
charged for various products and services. Wells Fargo and other 
financial institutions have also been subject to negative publicity 
as a result of providing financial services to or making 
investments in industries or organizations subject to stakeholder 
concerns. There can be no assurance that continued protests or 
negative public opinion of the Company specifically or large 
financial institutions generally will not harm our reputation and 
adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial 
condition. 

If we are unable to develop and execute effective business 
plans or strategies or manage change effectively, our 
competitive standing and results of operations could suffer. 
We are subject to rapid changes in technology, regulation, and 
product innovation, face intense competition for customers, 
sources of revenue, capital, services, qualified employees, and 
other essential business resources, and are subject to heightened 
regulatory expectations particularly with respect to compliance 
and risk management. In order to meet these challenges, we may 
undertake business plans or strategies related to, among other 
things, our organizational structure, our compliance and risk 
management framework, our expenses and efficiency, the types 
of products and services we offer, the types of businesses we 
engage in, the geographies in which we operate, the manner in 
which we serve our clients and customers, the third parties with 
which we do business, and the methods and distribution channels 
by which we offer our products and services. Accomplishing 
these business plans or strategies may be complex, time 
intensive, require significant financial, technological, 
management and other resources, may divert management 
attention and resources away from other areas of the Company, 
and may impact our expenses and ability to generate revenue. 
There is no guarantee that any business plans or strategies, 
including our current efficiency initiatives, will ultimately be 
successful. To the extent we are unable to develop or execute 
effective business plans or strategies or manage change 
effectively, our competitive position, reputation, prospects for 
growth, and results of operations may be adversely affected. 

In addition, from time to time, we may decide to divest 
certain businesses or assets. Difficulties in executing a divestiture 
may cause us not to realize any expected cost savings or other 
benefits from the divestiture, or may result in higher than 
expected losses of employees or harm our ability to retain 
customers. The divestiture or winding down of certain businesses 
or assets may also result in the impairment of goodwill or other 
long-lived assets related to those businesses or assets. 

Similarly, we may explore opportunities to expand our 
products, services, and assets through strategic acquisitions of 
companies or businesses in the financial services industry. We 
generally must receive federal regulatory approvals before we 
can acquire a bank, bank holding company, or certain other 
financial services businesses. We cannot be certain when or if, or 
on what terms and conditions, any required regulatory approvals 
will be granted. We might be required to sell banks, branches 
and/or business units or assets or issue additional equity as a 
condition to receiving regulatory approval for an acquisition. 
When we do announce an acquisition, our stock price may fall 
depending on the size of the acquisition, the type of business to 
be acquired, the purchase price, and the potential dilution to 
existing stockholders or our earnings per share if we issue 
common stock in connection with the acquisition. Furthermore, 
difficulty in integrating an acquired company or business may 
cause us not to realize expected revenue increases, cost savings, 

increases in geographic or product presence, and other projected 
benefits from the acquisition. The integration could result in 
higher than expected deposit attrition, loss of key employees, an 
increase in our compliance costs or risk profile, disruption of our 
business or the acquired business, or otherwise harm our ability 
to retain customers and employees or achieve the anticipated 
benefits of the acquisition. Time and resources spent on 
integration may also impair our ability to grow our existing 
businesses. Many of the foregoing risks may be increased if the 
acquired company or business operates internationally or in a 
geographic location where we do not already have significant 
business operations and/or employees. 

We are exposed to potential financial loss or other adverse 
consequences from legal actions.  Wells Fargo and some of its 
subsidiaries are involved in judicial, regulatory, governmental, 
arbitration, and other proceedings or investigations concerning 
matters arising from the conduct of our business activities, and 
many of those proceedings and investigations expose 
Wells Fargo to potential financial loss. There can be no assurance 
as to the ultimate outcome of any of these legal actions. We 
establish accruals for legal actions when potential losses 
associated with the actions become probable and the costs can 
be reasonably estimated. We may still incur costs for a legal 
action even if we have not established an accrual. In addition, the 
actual cost of resolving a legal action may be substantially higher 
than any amounts accrued for that action. The ultimate 
resolution of a pending legal proceeding or investigation, 
depending on the remedy sought and granted, could materially 
adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. 
As noted above, we are subject to heightened regulatory 

oversight and scrutiny, which may lead to regulatory 
investigations, proceedings or enforcement actions. In addition 
to imposing monetary penalties and other sanctions, regulatory 
authorities may require criminal pleas or other admissions of 
wrongdoing and compliance with other conditions in connection 
with settling such matters, which can lead to reputational harm, 
loss of customers, restrictions on the ability to access capital 
markets, limitations on capital distributions, the inability to 
engage in certain business activities or offer certain products or 
services, and/or other direct and indirect adverse effects. 

For more information, refer to Note 15 (Legal Actions) to 

Financial Statements in this Report. 

MORTGAGE BUSINESS RISKS 

Our mortgage banking revenue can be volatile from quarter to 
quarter, including from the impact of changes in interest rates, 
and we rely on the GSEs to purchase our conforming loans to 
reduce our credit risk and provide liquidity to fund new 
mortgage loans.  We are one of the largest mortgage originators 
and residential mortgage servicers in the U.S., and we earn 
revenue from fees we receive for originating mortgage loans and 
for servicing mortgage loans. As a result of our mortgage 
servicing business, we have a sizable portfolio of MSRs. Changes 
in interest rates can affect prepayment assumptions and thus 
the fair value of our MSRs. When interest rates fall, borrowers are 
usually more likely to prepay their mortgage loans by refinancing 
them at a lower rate. As the likelihood of prepayment increases, 
the fair value of our MSRs can decrease. We also measure at fair 
value certain residential mortgage loans within LHFS and other 
interests we hold related to residential loan sales and 
securitizations. Similar to other interest-bearing securities, the 
value of these residential mortgage LHFS and other interests 
may be negatively affected by changes in interest rates. For 

115 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk Factors (continued) 

example, if market interest rates increase relative to the yield on 
these residential mortgage LHFS and other interests, their fair 
value may fall. 

When rates rise, the demand for mortgage loans usually 

tends to fall, reducing the revenue we receive from loan 
originations. Under the same conditions, revenue from our MSRs 
can increase through increases in fair value. When rates fall, 
mortgage originations usually tend to increase and the value of 
our MSRs usually tends to decline, also with some offsetting 
revenue effect. Even though they can act as a “natural hedge,” 
the hedge is not perfect, either in amount or timing. For example, 
the negative effect on revenue from a decrease in the fair value 
of residential MSRs is generally immediate, but any offsetting 
revenue benefit from more originations and the MSRs relating to 
the new loans would generally accrue over time. It is also possible 
that, because of economic conditions and/or a weak or 
deteriorating housing market, even if interest rates were to fall 
or remain low, mortgage originations may also fall or any increase 
in mortgage originations may not be enough to offset the 
decrease in the MSRs value caused by the lower rates. 

We typically use derivatives and other instruments to hedge 
our mortgage banking interest rate risk. We may not hedge all of 
our risk, and we may not be successful in hedging any of the risk. 
Hedging is a complex process, requiring sophisticated models 
and constant monitoring, and is not a perfect science. We may 
use hedging instruments that may not perfectly correlate with 
the value or income being hedged. We could incur significant 
losses from our hedging activities. There may be periods where 
we elect not to use derivatives and other instruments to hedge 
mortgage banking interest rate risk. 

We rely on the GSEs to guarantee or purchase mortgage 

loans that meet their conforming loan requirements and on 
government insuring agencies, such as the Federal Housing 
Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs 
(VA), to insure or guarantee loans that meet their policy 
requirements. In order to meet customer needs, we also 
originate loans that do not conform to either the GSEs or 
government insuring agency standards, which are referred to as 
“nonconforming” loans. We generally retain these 
nonconforming loans on our balance sheet. When we retain a 
loan on our balance sheet not only do we keep the credit risk of 
the loan but we also do not receive any sale proceeds that could 
be used to generate new loans. If we were unable or unwilling to 
retain nonconforming loans on our balance sheet, whether due to 
regulatory, business or other reasons, our ability to originate new 
nonconforming loans may be reduced, thereby reducing the 
interest income we could earn from these loans. Similarly, if the 
GSEs or government insuring agencies were to limit or reduce 
their purchases, insuring or guaranteeing of loans, our ability to 
fund, and thus originate new mortgage loans, could also be 
reduced. We cannot assure that the GSEs or government insuring 
agencies will not materially limit their purchases, insuring or 
guaranteeing of conforming loans or change their criteria for 
what constitutes a conforming loan (e.g., maximum loan amount 
or borrower eligibility). Each of the GSEs is currently in 
conservatorship, with its primary regulator, the Federal Housing 
Finance Agency (FHFA) acting as conservator. While the FHFA 
has stated that it intends to end the conservatorship, we cannot 
predict if, when or precisely how the conservatorship will end, or 
any associated changes to the GSEs business structure and 
operations that could result. As noted above, there are various 
proposals to reform the housing finance market in the U.S., 
including the role of the GSEs in the housing finance market. The 
impact of any such regulatory reform regarding the housing 
finance market and the GSEs, including any changes to the GSE’s 

116 

structure, capital requirements, or market presence, as well as 
any effect on the Company’s business and financial results, are 
uncertain. 

For more information, refer to the “Risk Management – 
Asset/Liability Management – Mortgage Banking Interest Rate 
and Market Risk,” “Critical Accounting Policies – Valuation of 
Residential Mortgage Servicing Rights” and “Critical Accounting 
Policies – Fair Value of Financial Instruments” sections in this 
Report. 

We may be required to repurchase mortgage loans or 
reimburse investors and others as a result of breaches in 
contractual representations and warranties, and we may incur 
other losses as a result of real or alleged violations of statutes 
or regulations applicable to the origination of our residential 
mortgage loans.  We often sell residential mortgage loans that 
we originate to various parties, including GSEs, SPEs that issue 
private label MBS, and other financial institutions that purchase 
mortgage loans for investment or private label securitization. We 
may also pool FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed mortgage loans 
which back securities guaranteed by GNMA. The agreements 
under which we sell mortgage loans and the insurance or 
guaranty agreements with the FHA and VA contain various 
representations and warranties regarding the origination and 
characteristics of the mortgage loans. We may be required to 
repurchase mortgage loans or indemnify or reimburse the 
securitization trust, investor or insurer for credit losses incurred 
on loans in the event of a breach of contractual representations 
or warranties. We establish a mortgage repurchase liability that 
reflects management’s estimate of losses for loans for which we 
have a repurchase obligation. Because the level of mortgage loan 
repurchase losses depends upon economic factors, investor 
demand strategies and other external conditions that may 
change over the life of the underlying loans, the level of the 
liability for mortgage loan repurchase losses is difficult to 
estimate, requires considerable management judgment, and is 
subject to change. If economic conditions or the housing market 
worsen, we could have increased repurchase obligations and 
increased loss severity on repurchases, requiring significant 
additions to the repurchase liability. 

Additionally, for residential mortgage loans that we 

originate, borrowers may allege that the origination of the loans 
did not comply with applicable laws or regulations in one or more 
respects and assert such violation as an affirmative defense to 
payment or to the exercise by us of our remedies, including 
foreclosure proceedings, or in an action seeking statutory and 
other damages in connection with such violation. If we are not 
successful in demonstrating that the loans in dispute were 
originated in accordance with applicable statutes and regulations, 
we could become subject to monetary damages and other civil 
penalties, including the loss of certain contractual payments or 
the inability to exercise certain remedies under the loans. 

For more information, refer to the “Risk Management – 

Credit Risk Management – Liability for Mortgage Loan 
Repurchase Losses” section in this Report. 

We may be terminated as a servicer or master servicer, be 
required to repurchase a mortgage loan or reimburse investors 
for credit losses on a mortgage loan, or incur costs, liabilities, 
fines and other sanctions if we fail to satisfy our servicing 
obligations, including our obligations with respect to 
mortgage loan foreclosure actions.  We act as servicer and/or 
master servicer for mortgage loans included in securitizations 
and for unsecuritized mortgage loans owned by investors. As a 
servicer or master servicer for those loans we have certain 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
contractual obligations to the securitization trusts, investors or 
other third parties, including certain foreclosure obligations or, if 
applicable, considering alternatives to foreclosure such as loan 
modifications or short-sales, as well as certain servicing 
obligations for properties that fall within a flood zone. If we fail to 
satisfy our servicing obligations, we may face a number of 
consequences, including termination as servicer or master 
servicer, requirements to indemnify the securitization trustee 
against losses from any failure by us to perform our servicing 
obligations, and/or contractual obligations to repurchase a 
mortgage loan or reimburse investors for credit losses, any of 
which could significantly reduce our net servicing income. 

We may incur costs, liabilities to borrowers, title insurers 

and/or securitization investors, legal proceedings, or other 
adverse consequences if we fail to meet our obligations with 
respect to mortgage foreclosure actions or we experience delays 
in the foreclosure process. Our net servicing income and the fair 
value of our MSRs may be negatively affected to the extent our 
servicing costs increase because of higher foreclosure or other 
servicing related costs. We may be subject to fines and other 
sanctions imposed by federal or state regulators as a result of 
actual or perceived deficiencies in our mortgage servicing 
practices, including with respect to our foreclosure, loan 
modification, or forbearance practices or our servicing of flood 
zone properties. Any of these actions may harm our reputation, 
negatively affect our residential mortgage origination or 
servicing business, or result in material fines, penalties, equitable 
remedies, or other enforcement actions. 

For more information, refer to the “Risk Management – 

Credit Risk Management – Liability for Mortgage Loan 
Repurchase Losses” and “– Risks Relating to Servicing Activities,” 
and “Critical Accounting Policies – Valuation of Residential 
Mortgage Servicing Rights” sections and Note 14 (Pledged 
Assets and Collateral) and Note 15 (Legal Actions) to Financial 
Statements in this Report. 

COMPETITIVE RISKS 

We face significant and increasing competition in the rapidly 
evolving financial services industry.  We compete with other 
financial institutions in a highly competitive industry that is 
undergoing significant changes as a result of financial regulatory 
reform, technological advances, increased public scrutiny, and 
current economic conditions. Our success depends on our ability 
to develop and maintain deep and enduring relationships with 
our customers based on the quality of our customer service, the 
wide variety of products and services that we can offer our 
customers and the ability of those products and services to 
satisfy our customers’ needs and preferences, the pricing of our 
products and services, the extensive distribution channels 
available for our customers, our innovation, and our reputation. 
Continued or increased competition in any one or all of these 
areas may negatively affect our customer relationships, market 
share and results of operations and/or cause us to increase our 
capital investment in our businesses in order to remain 
competitive. In addition, our ability to reposition or reprice our 
products and services from time to time may be limited and 
could be influenced significantly by the current economic, 
regulatory and political environment for large financial 
institutions as well as by the actions of our competitors. 
Furthermore, any changes in the types of products and services 
that we offer our customers and/or the pricing for those 
products and services could result in a loss of customer 
relationships and market share and could materially adversely 
affect our results of operations. 

Continued technological advances and the growth of 

e-commerce have made it possible for non-depository 
institutions to offer products and services that traditionally were 
banking products, and for financial institutions and other 
companies to provide electronic and internet-based financial 
solutions, including electronic securities trading, lending and 
payment solutions. In addition, technological advances, including 
digital currencies, may diminish the importance of depository 
institutions and other financial intermediaries in the transfer of 
funds between parties. We may not respond effectively to these 
and other competitive threats from existing and new 
competitors and may be forced to sell products at lower prices, 
increase our investment in our business to modify or adapt our 
existing products and services, and/or develop new products and 
services to respond to our customers’ needs and preferences. To 
the extent we are not successful in developing and introducing 
new products and services or responding or adapting to the 
competitive landscape or to changes in customer preferences, we 
may lose customer relationships and our revenue growth and 
results of operations may be materially adversely affected. 

Our ability to attract and retain qualified employees is critical 
to the success of our business and failure to do so could 
adversely affect our business performance, competitive 
position and future prospects.  The success of Wells Fargo is 
heavily dependent on the talents and efforts of our employees, 
including our senior leaders, and in many areas of our business, 
including commercial banking, brokerage, investment advisory, 
capital markets, risk management and technology, the 
competition for highly qualified personnel is intense. We also 
seek to retain a pipeline of employees to provide continuity of 
succession for our senior leadership positions. In order to attract 
and retain highly qualified employees, we must provide 
competitive compensation, effectively manage employee 
performance and development, and foster a diverse and inclusive 
environment. As a large financial institution and additionally to 
the extent we remain subject to consent orders we may be 
subject to limitations on compensation by our regulators that 
may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain these 
qualified employees, especially if some of our competitors may 
not be subject to these same compensation limitations. If we are 
unable to continue to attract and retain qualified employees, 
including successors for senior leadership positions, our business 
performance, competitive position and future prospects may be 
adversely affected. 

FINANCIAL REPORTING RISKS 

Changes in accounting policies or accounting standards, and 
changes in how accounting standards are interpreted or 
applied, could materially affect how we report our financial 
results and condition.  Our accounting policies are fundamental 
to determining and understanding our financial results and 
condition. As described below, some of these policies require use 
of estimates and assumptions that may affect the value of our 
assets or liabilities and financial results. Any changes in our 
accounting policies could materially affect our financial 
statements. 

From time to time the FASB and the SEC change the 
financial accounting and reporting standards that govern the 
preparation of our external financial statements. For example, on 
January 1, 2020, we adopted Accounting Standards Update 
2016-13 – Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), which 
replaced the previous “incurred loss” model for the allowance for 

117 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley) requires 
our management to evaluate the Company’s disclosure controls 
and procedures and its internal control over financial reporting 
and requires our auditors to issue a report on our internal control 
over financial reporting. We are required to disclose, in our annual 
report on Form 10-K, the existence of any “material weaknesses” 
in our internal controls. We cannot assure that we will not 
identify one or more material weaknesses as of the end of any 
given quarter or year, nor can we predict the effect on our stock 
price of disclosure of a material weakness. In addition, our 
customers may rely on the effectiveness of our internal controls 
as a service provider, and any deficiency in those controls could 
affect our customers and damage our reputation or business. 
Sarbanes-Oxley also limits the types of non-audit services our 
outside auditors may provide to us in order to preserve their 
independence from us. If our auditors were found not to be 
“independent” of us under SEC rules, we could be required to 
engage new auditors and re-file financial statements and audit 
reports with the SEC. We could be out of compliance with SEC 
rules until new financial statements and audit reports were filed, 
limiting our ability to raise capital and resulting in other adverse 
consequences. 

*  *  * 

Any factor described in this Report or in any of our other SEC 

filings could by itself, or together with other factors, adversely 
affect our financial results and condition. Refer to our quarterly 
reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC in 2021 for material 
changes to the above discussion of risk factors. There are factors 
not discussed above or elsewhere in this Report that could 
adversely affect our financial results and condition. 

Risk Factors (continued) 

credit losses with an “expected loss” model referred to as the 
Current Expected Credit Loss model, or CECL. 

In addition, accounting standard setters and those who 
interpret the accounting standards (such as the FASB, SEC, 
banking regulators and our outside auditors) may change or even 
reverse their previous interpretations or positions on how these 
standards should be applied. Changes in financial accounting and 
reporting standards and changes in current interpretations may 
be beyond our control, can be hard to predict and could 
materially affect how we report our financial results and 
condition. We may be required to apply a new or revised standard 
retroactively or apply an existing standard differently, also 
retroactively, in each case potentially resulting in our restating 
prior period financial statements in material amounts. 

For more information, refer to the “Current Accounting 

Developments” section in this Report. 

Our financial statements are based in part on assumptions and 
estimates which, if wrong, could cause unexpected losses in 
the future, and our financial statements depend on our internal 
controls over financial reporting.  Pursuant to U.S. GAAP, we are 
required to use certain assumptions and estimates in preparing 
our financial statements, including in determining credit loss 
reserves, reserves for mortgage repurchases, reserves related to 
litigation and the fair value of certain assets and liabilities, among 
other items. Several of our accounting policies are critical 
because they require management to make difficult, subjective 
and complex judgments about matters that are inherently 
uncertain and because it is likely that materially different 
amounts would be reported under different conditions or using 
different assumptions. For a description of these policies, refer to 
the “Critical Accounting Policies” section in this Report. If 
assumptions or estimates underlying our financial statements 
are incorrect, we may experience material losses. 

Certain of our financial instruments, including derivative 
assets and liabilities, debt securities, certain loans, MSRs, private 
equity investments, structured notes and certain repurchase and 
resale agreements, among other items, require a determination 
of their fair value in order to prepare our financial statements. 
Where quoted market prices are not available, we may make fair 
value determinations based on internally developed models or 
other means which ultimately rely to some degree on 
management judgment, and there is no assurance that our 
models will capture or appropriately reflect all relevant inputs 
required to accurately determine fair value. Some of these and 
other assets and liabilities may have no direct observable price 
levels, making their valuation particularly subjective, being based 
on significant estimation and judgment. In addition, sudden 
illiquidity in markets or declines in prices of certain loans and 
securities may make it more difficult to value certain balance 
sheet items, which may lead to the possibility that such 
valuations will be subject to further change or adjustment and 
could lead to declines in our earnings. 

118 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
Controls and Procedures 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures 

The Company’s management evaluated the effectiveness, as of December 31, 2020, of the Company’s disclosure controls and 
procedures. The Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer participated in the evaluation. Based on this evaluation, the 
Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were 
effective as of December 31, 2020. 

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as a process 
designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by the 
Company’s Board, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and 
the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) 
and includes those policies and procedures that: 
• 

pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of 
assets of the Company; 
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in 
accordance with GAAP, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations 
of management and directors of the Company; and 
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the 
Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. 

• 

• 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of 

any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in 
conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. No change occurred during any quarter in 
2020 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. 
Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting is set forth below and should be read with these limitations in mind. 

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 
The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for the 
Company. Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, 
using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control – 
Integrated Framework (2013). Based on this assessment, management concluded that as of December 31, 2020, the Company’s internal 
control over financial reporting was effective. 

KPMG LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that audited the Company’s financial statements included in this 
Annual Report, issued an audit report on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. KPMG’s audit report appears on the 
following page. 

119 

Wells Fargo & Company 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors 
Wells Fargo & Company: 

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

We have audited Wells Fargo & Company and subsidiaries’ (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 
2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring 
Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control 
over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued 
by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), 
the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of income, 
comprehensive income, changes in equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2020, and 
the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), and our report dated February 23, 2021 expressed an unqualified 
opinion on those consolidated financial statements. 

Basis for Opinion 

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of 
the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control 
over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on 
our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company 
in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission 
and the PCAOB. 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 
obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. 
Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, 
assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control 
based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. 
We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of 
financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting 
principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the 
maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the 
company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in 
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in 
accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding 
prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect 
on the financial statements. 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections 
of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in 
conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

San Francisco, California 
February 23, 2021 

120 

Wells Fargo & CompanyFinancial Statements 

Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries 
Consolidated Statement of Income 

(in millions, except per share amounts) 

Interest income 

Debt securities 

Loans held for sale (1) 

Loans 

Equity securities 

Other interest income 

Total interest income 

Interest expense 

Deposits 

Short-term borrowings 

Long-term debt 

Other interest expense 

Total interest expense 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income (2) 

Deposit and lending-related fees 

Brokerage fees 

Trust and investment management fees 

Investment banking fees 

Card fees 

Mortgage banking 

Net gains on trading and securities 

Other 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense(3) 

Personnel 

Technology, telecommunications and equipment 

Occupancy 

Operating losses 

Professional and outside services 

Advertising and promotion 

Restructuring charges 

Other 

Total noninterest expense 

Income before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Net income before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income from noncontrolling interests 

Wells Fargo net income 

Less: Preferred stock dividends and other 

Wells Fargo net income applicable to common stock 

Per share information 

Earnings per common share 

Diluted earnings per common share 

Average common shares outstanding 

Diluted average common shares outstanding 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

$ 

11,234 

947 

34,109 

554 

954 

47,798 

2,804 

250 

4,471 

438 

7,963 

39,835 

6,602 

9,375 

2,872 

1,865 

3,544 

3,493 

2,710 

2,044 

32,505 

72,340 

14,129 

14,955 

892 

44,146 

962 

5,128 

66,083 

8,635 

2,316 

7,350 

551 

18,852 

47,231 

7,293 

9,237 

3,038 

1,797 

4,016 

2,715 

3,976 

5,760 

37,832 

85,063 

2,687 

14,406 

917 

43,974 

992 

4,358 

64,647 

5,622 

1,717 

6,703 

610 

14,652 

49,995 

7,369 

9,436 

3,316 

1,757 

3,907 

3,017 

2,225 

5,386 

36,413 

86,408 

1,744 

34,811 

35,128 

33,085 

3,099 

3,263 

3,523 

6,706 

600 

1,499 

4,129 

57,630 

581 

(3,005) 

3,586 

285 

3,301 

1,591 

1,710 

0.42 

0.41 

4,118.0 

4,134.2 

$ 

$ 

$ 

3,276 

2,945 

4,321 

6,745 

1,076 

— 

4,687 

58,178 

24,198 

4,157 

20,041 

492 

19,549 

1,611 

17,938 

4.08 

4.05 

4,393.1 

4,425.4 

2,903 

2,888 

3,124 

6,588 

857 

— 

6,681 

56,126 

28,538 

5,662 

22,876 

483 

22,393 

1,704 

20,689 

4.31 

4.28 

4,799.7 

4,838.4 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 

In 2020, interest income on mortgage loans held for sale was reclassified into loans held for sale. Prior period balances have been revised to conform with the current period presentation. 
In 2020, service charges on deposit accounts service charges on deposit accounts, cash network fees, wire transfer and other remittance fees, certain other fees, and certain fees associated with 
lending activities were combined into a single line item for deposit and lending-related fees; insurance income, lease income and certain other fees were reclassified to other noninterest income; and 
net gains from trading activities, net gains on debt securities, and net gains from equity securities were combined into a single line for net gains on trading and securities. Prior period balances have 
been revised to conform with the current period presentation. 
In 2020, personnel-related expenses were combined into a single line item, expenses for outside professional services, contract services, and outside data processing were combined into a single line 
item for professional and outside services expense; expenses for technology and equipment and telecommunications were combined into a single line item for technology, telecommunications and 
equipment expense; and certain other expenses were reclassified to other noninterest expense. Prior period balances have been revised to conform with the current period presentation. 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

121 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income 

(in millions) 

Net income before noncontrolling interests 

Other comprehensive income (loss), after tax: 

Net change in debt securities 

Net change in derivatives and hedging activities 

Defined benefit plans adjustments 

Net change in foreign currency translation adjustments 

Other comprehensive income (loss), after tax 

Total comprehensive income before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Other comprehensive income (loss) from noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income from noncontrolling interests 

Wells Fargo comprehensive income 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

$ 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

3,586 

1,487 

149 

(181) 

51 

1,506 

5,092 

1 

285 

2019 

20,041 

4,193 

207 

73 

71 

4,544 

24,585 

— 

492 

2018 

22,876 

(3,206) 

(180) 

(135) 

(155) 

(3,676) 

19,200 

(2) 

483 

$ 

4,806 

24,093 

18,719 

122 

Wells Fargo & CompanyWells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries 
Consolidated Balance Sheet 

(in millions, except shares) 

Assets 

Cash and due from banks 

Interest-earning deposits with banks 

Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale agreements 

Debt securities: 

Trading, at fair value 

Available-for-sale, at fair value (includes amortized cost of $215,533 and $260,060, net of allowance for credit losses) (1) 

Held-to-maturity, at amortized cost, net of allowance for credit losses (fair value $212,307 and $156,860) (1) 

Loans held for sale (includes $18,806 and $17,578 carried at fair value) (2) 

Loans 

Allowance for loan losses 

Net loans 

Mortgage servicing rights (includes $6,125 and $11,517 carried at fair value) (2) 

Premises and equipment, net 

Goodwill 

Derivative assets 

Equity securities (includes $34,009 and $41,936 carried at fair value) 

Other assets 

Total assets (3) 

Liabilities 

Noninterest-bearing deposits 

Interest-bearing deposits 

Total deposits 

Short-term borrowings 

Derivative liabilities 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities (includes $22,441 and $17,430 carried at fair value) 

Long-term debt 

Total liabilities (4) 

Equity 

Wells Fargo stockholders’ equity: 

Preferred stock 

Common stock – $1-2/3 par value, authorized 9,000,000,000 shares; issued 5,481,811,474 shares 

Additional paid-in capital 

Retained earnings 

Cumulative other comprehensive income (loss) 

Treasury stock – 1,337,799,931 shares and 1,347,385,537 shares 

Unearned ESOP shares 

Total Wells Fargo stockholders’ equity 

Noncontrolling interests 

Total equity 

Total liabilities and equity 

Dec 31, 
2020 

28,236 

236,376 

264,612 

65,672 

75,095 

220,392 

205,720 

36,384 

887,637 

(18,516) 

869,121 

7,437 

8,895 

26,392 

25,846 

62,260 

87,337 

Dec 31, 
2019 

21,757 

119,493 

141,250 

102,140 

79,733 

263,459 

153,933 

24,319 

962,265 

(9,551) 

952,714 

12,947 

9,309 

26,390 

14,203 

68,241 

78,917 

1,955,163 

1,927,555 

$ 

$ 

$ 

467,068 

937,313 

1,404,381 

58,999 

16,509 

76,404 

212,950 

1,769,243 

21,136 

9,136 

60,197 

162,890 

194 

(67,791) 

(875) 

184,887 

1,033 

185,920 

$ 

1,955,163 

344,496 

978,130 

1,322,626 

104,512 

9,079 

75,163 

228,191 

1,739,571 

21,549 

9,136 

61,049 

166,697 

(1,311) 

(68,831) 

(1,143) 

187,146 

838 

187,984 

1,927,555 

(1) 

(2) 

Prior to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, the allowance for credit losses (ACL) related to available-for-sale (AFS) and held-to-maturity (HTM) debt securities was not applicable. For 
additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements in this Report. 
In 2020, loans held for sale and mortgage loans held for sale were combined into a single line item, and mortgage servicing rights measured at fair value and at amortized cost were combined into a 
single line item. Prior period balances have been revised to conform with the current period presentation. 

(3)  Our consolidated assets at December 31, 2020 and 2019, included the following assets of certain variable interest entities (VIEs) that can only be used to settle the liabilities of those VIEs: Debt 

securities, $967 million and $540 million; Net loans, $10.9 billion and $13.2 billion; All other assets, $310 million and $658 million; and Total assets, $12.1 billion and $14.4 billion, respectively. Prior 
period balances have been conformed to current period presentation. 

(4)  Our consolidated liabilities at December 31, 2020 and 2019, include the following VIE liabilities for which the VIE creditors do not have recourse to Wells Fargo: Long-term debt, $203 million and 
$587 million; All other liabilities, $900 million and $639 million; and Total liabilities, $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. Prior period balances have been conformed to current period 
presentation. 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

123 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries 
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 

Preferred stock 

Common stock 

Wells Fargo stockholders’ equity 

($ and shares in millions) 

Shares 

Amount 

Shares 

Amount 

Additional 
paid-in 
capital 

Retained 
earnings 

Cumulative 
other 
comprehensive 
income (loss) 

Treasury 
stock 

Unearned 

ESOP  Noncontrolling 
interests 
shares 

Total 
equity 

Balance December 31, 2017 

Cumulative effect from change in 

accounting policies (1) 

11.7 

$  25,358 

4,891.6 

$ 

9,136 

60,893 

145,263 

(2,144) 

(29,892) 

(1,678) 

1,143 

208,079 

94 

(118) 

(24) 

Balance January 1, 2018 

11.7 

25,358 

4,891.6 

9,136 

60,893 

145,357 

(2,262) 

(29,892) 

(1,678) 

1,143 

208,055 

Adoption of accounting standard (2) 

Net income 

Other comprehensive income (loss), 

net of tax 

Noncontrolling interests 

Common stock issued 

Common stock repurchased 

Preferred stock redeemed (3) 

Preferred stock issued to ESOP 

Preferred stock released by ESOP 

Preferred stock converted to 

common shares 

Common stock warrants repurchased/ 

exercised 

Preferred stock issued 

Common stock dividends 

Preferred stock dividends 

Stock incentive compensation 

expense 

Net change in deferred compensation 

and related plans 

41.2 

(375.5) 

(2.2) 

1.1 

(1,995) 

1,100 

(1.2) 

(1,249) 

24.0 

— 

— 

Net change 

(2.3) 

(2,144) 

(310.3) 

— 

400 

22,393 

(321) 

(155) 

(7,955) 

(1,556) 

(400) 

(3,674) 

— 

483 

22,876 

(2) 

(3,676) 

2,073 

(20,633) 

1,243 

15 

(724) 

(1,143) 

1,319 

(717) 

1,676 

(20,633) 

(2,150) 

— 

1,249 

— 

(325) 

— 

(7,889) 

(1,556) 

1,041 

(885) 

12,806 

(4,074) 

(17,302) 

176 

(243) 

(10,989) 

7 

(76) 

— 

43 

(70) 

6 

(325) 

— 

66 

1,041 

(900) 

(208) 

9.4 

$  23,214 

4,581.3 

$ 

9,136 

60,685 

158,163 

(6,336) 

(47,194) 

(1,502) 

900 

197,066 

9.4 

23,214 

4,581.3 

9,136 

60,685 

157,671 

(5,855) 

(47,194) 

(1,502) 

(492) 

481 

Balance December 31, 2018 

Cumulative effect from change in 

accounting policies (4) 

Balance January 1, 2019 

Net income 

Other comprehensive income (loss), 

net of tax 

Noncontrolling interests 

Common stock issued 

Common stock repurchased 

Preferred stock redeemed (5) 

Preferred stock issued to ESOP 

Preferred stock released by ESOP 

Preferred stock converted to 

common shares 

Common stock warrants repurchased/ 

exercised 

Preferred stock issued 

Common stock dividends 

Preferred stock dividends 

Stock incentive compensation 

expense 

Net change in deferred compensation 

and related plans 

48.7 

(502.4) 

(1.6) 

(1,330) 

— 

— 

(0.3) 

(335) 

6.8 

— 

— 

19,549 

(382) 

(220) 

(8,530) 

(1,391) 

4,544 

2,530 

(24,533) 

— 

359 

351 

15 

9,026 

4,544 

(21,637) 

359 

— 

9 

— 

— 

(24) 

(16) 

— 

— 

86 

1,234 

(925) 

364 

(11) 

197,055 

20,041 

4,544 

(554) 

2,157 

(24,533) 

(1,550) 

— 

335 

— 

— 

— 

(8,444) 

(1,391) 

1,234 

(910) 

(9,071) 

187,984 

900 

492 

— 

(554) 

(62) 

838 

Net change 

(1.9) 

(1,665) 

(446.9) 

— 

Balance December 31, 2019 

7.5 

$  21,549 

4,134.4 

$ 

9,136 

61,049 

166,697 

(1,311) 

(68,831) 

(1,143) 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 
(4) 

(5) 

Effective January 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-04 – Liabilities – Extinguishments of Liabilities (Subtopic 405-20): Recognition of Breakage for Certain Prepaid 
Stored-Value Products, ASU 2016-01 – Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, and ASU 2014-09 – Revenue from 
Contracts With Customers (Topic 606) and subsequent related Updates. 
Represents the reclassification from other comprehensive income to retained earnings as a result of our adoption of ASU 2018-02 – Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other 
Comprehensive Income, in third quarter 2018. 
Represents the impact of the redemption of preferred stock, Series J, in third quarter 2018. 
Effective January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU 2016-02 – Leases (Topic 842) and subsequent related Updates, ASU 2017-08 – Receivables – Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): 
Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities. 
Represents the impact of the partial redemption of preferred stock, Series K, in third quarter 2019. 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

(continued on following page) 

124 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(continued from previous page) 

Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries 
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 

Preferred stock 

Common stock 

Wells Fargo stockholders’ equity 

($ and shares in millions) 

Shares 

Amount 

Shares 

Amount 

Additional 
 paid-in 
capital 

Retained 
earnings 

Cumulative 
other 
comprehensive 
income (loss) 

Treasury 
stock 

Unearned

ESOP  Noncontrolling 
interests 
shares 

Total 
equity 

Balance December 31, 2019 

7.5 

$  21,549 

4,134.4 

$ 

9,136 

61,049 

166,697 

(1,311) 

(68,831) 

(1,143) 

838 

187,984 

Cumulative effect from change
in accounting policies (1) 

991 

Balance January 1, 2020 

7.5 

21,549 

4,134.4 

9,136 

61,049 

167,688 

(1,311) 

(68,831) 

(1,143) 

Net income 

Other comprehensive income

(loss), net of tax 

Noncontrolling interests 

Common stock issued 

Common stock repurchased 

Preferred stock redeemed (2) 

(1.9) 

(3,347) 

Preferred stock issued to ESOP 

— 

— 

Preferred stock released by ESOP 

Preferred stock converted to 

common shares 

Common stock warrants 

repurchased/exercised 

Preferred stock issued 

Common stock dividends 

Preferred stock dividends 

Stock incentive compensation 

expense 

Net change in deferred

compensation and related plans 

(0.2) 

(249) 

9.7 

0.1 

3,183 

3,301 

1,505 

75.6 

(75.7) 

207 

(1,449) 

3,961 

(3,415) 

(301) 

(5,059) 

(1,290) 

46 

— 

(19) 

(243) 

— 

(67) 

44 

643 

(1,463) 

492 

2 

— 

268 

268 

(875) 

Net change 

(2.0) 

(413) 

9.6 

— 

(852) 

(4,798) 

1,505 

1,040 

Balance December 31, 2020 

5.5 

$ 

21,136 

4,144.0 

$ 

9,136 

60,197 

162,890 

194 

(67,791) 

(1)  We adopted CECL effective January 1, 2020. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) for more information. 
(2) 

Represents the impact of the redemption of the remaining preferred stock, Series K, in first quarter 2020, and Series T and Series V in fourth quarter 2020. 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 

991 

188,975 

3,586 

1,506 

(91) 

2,719 

(3,415) 

(3,602) 

— 

249 

— 

— 

3,116 

(5,015) 

(1,290) 

643 

(1,461) 

(3,055) 

838 

285 

1 

(91) 

195 

1,033 

185,920 

125 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries 
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 

(in millions) 

Cash flows from operating activities: 
Net income before noncontrolling interests 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: 

Provision for credit losses 
Changes in fair value of MSRs and LHFS carried at fair value 
Depreciation, amortization and accretion 
Other net (gains) losses (1) 
Stock-based compensation 

Originations and purchases of loans held for sale (1) 
Proceeds from sales of and paydowns on loans held for sale (1) 
Net change in: 

Debt and equity securities, held for trading 
Deferred income taxes 
Derivative assets and liabilities 
Other assets 
Other accrued expenses and liabilities 

Net cash provided by operating activities 

Cash flows from investing activities: 
Net change in: 

2020 

Year ended December 31,  

2019 

2018 

$ 

3,586 

20,041 

22,876 

14,129 
4,321 
8,736 
5,258 
1,766 
(181,961) 
122,592 

43,214 
(3,314) 
(5,492) 
(12,304) 

1,520 

2,051 

2,687 
3,702 
7,075 
(5,513) 
2,274 
(159,309) 
114,155 

22,066 
(3,246) 
(2,665) 
3,034 

2,429 

6,730 

1,744 
453 
5,593 
(7,551) 
2,255 
(154,934) 
120,160 

35,054 
1,970 
1,513 
7,805 

(865) 

36,073 

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale agreements 

36,468 

(21,933) 

(1,184) 

Available-for-sale debt securities: 

Proceeds from sales 
Prepayments and maturities 
Purchases 

Held-to-maturity debt securities: 
Paydowns and maturities 
Purchases 

Equity securities, not held for trading: 

Proceeds from sales and capital returns 
Purchases 

Loans: 

Loans originated by banking subsidiaries, net of principal collected 
Proceeds from sales (including participations) of loans held for investment 
Purchases (including participations) of loans 
Principal collected on nonbank entities’ loans 
Loans originated by nonbank entities 

Proceeds from sales of foreclosed assets and short sales 
Other, net 

Net cash provided (used) by investing activities 

Cash flows from financing activities: 
Net change in: 
Deposits 
Short-term borrowings 

Long-term debt: 

Proceeds from issuance 
Repayment 
Preferred stock: 

Proceeds from issuance 
Redeemed 
Cash dividends paid 

Common stock: 

Proceeds from issuance 
Stock tendered for payment of withholding taxes 
Repurchased 
Cash dividends paid 

Net change in noncontrolling interests 
Other, net 

Net cash used by financing activities 

Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of year 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of year 

Supplemental cash flow disclosures: 

Cash paid for interest 

Cash paid for income taxes, net (2) 

48,638 
78,174 
(91,545) 

36,641 
(46,755) 

12,187 
(8,677) 

53,718 
9,359 
(1,313) 
7,927 
(13,052) 
1,147 

(363) 

122,554 

81,755 
(45,513) 

38,136 

(65,347) 

3,116 
(3,602) 
(1,290) 

571 
(340) 
(3,415) 
(4,852) 
(102) 
(360) 

(1,243) 

123,362 

141,250 

264,612 

8,414 

1,175 

9,386 
46,542 
(57,015) 

13,684 
(8,649) 

6,143 
(6,865) 

(23,698) 
12,038 
(2,033) 
3,912 
(5,274) 
2,666 

1,465 

(29,631) 

36,137 
(1,275) 

53,381 

(60,996) 

— 
(1,550) 
(1,391) 

380 
(302) 
(24,533) 
(8,198) 
(513) 
(276) 

(9,136) 

(32,037) 

173,287 

141,250 

18,834 

7,493 

7,320 
36,725 
(60,067) 

10,934 
— 

6,242 
(6,433) 

(18,619) 
16,294 
(2,088) 
6,791 
(6,482) 
3,592 

(779) 

(7,754) 

(48,034) 
2,531 

47,595 

(40,565) 

— 
(2,150) 
(1,622) 

632 
(331) 
(20,633) 
(7,692) 
(462) 
(248) 

(70,979) 

(42,660) 

215,947 

173,287 

14,366 

(135) 

$ 

$ 

(1) 
(2) 

Prior periods have been revised to conform to the current period presentation. 
In 2020, we presented cash paid for income taxes on a net basis with a reduction for cash received for refunds of income taxes paid. Prior period balances have been revised to conform with the 
current period presentation. 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. See Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) for noncash activities. 

126 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to Financial Statements 

-See the Glossary of Acronyms at the end of this Report for terms used throughout the Financial Statements and related Notes. 

Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services 
company. We provide banking, investment and mortgage 
products and services, as well as consumer and commercial 
finance, through banking locations and offices, the internet and 
other distribution channels to individuals, businesses and 
institutions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in 
countries outside the U.S. When we refer to “Wells Fargo,” “the 
Company,” “we,” “our” or “us,” we mean Wells Fargo & Company 
and Subsidiaries (consolidated). Wells Fargo & Company (the 
Parent) is a financial holding company and a bank holding 
company. We also hold a majority interest in a real estate 
investment trust, which has publicly traded preferred stock 
outstanding. 

Our accounting and reporting policies conform with U.S. 
generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and practices in 
the financial services industry. To prepare the financial 
statements in conformity with GAAP, management must make 
estimates based on assumptions about future economic and 
market conditions (for example, unemployment, market liquidity, 
real estate prices, etc.) that affect the reported amounts of 
assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, 
income and expenses during the reporting period and the related 
disclosures. Although our estimates contemplate current 
conditions and how we expect them to change in the future, it is 
reasonably possible that actual conditions could be worse than 
anticipated in those estimates, which could materially affect our 
results of operations and financial condition. Management has 
made significant estimates in several areas, including: 
• 

allowance for credit losses (Note 4 (Loans and Related 
Allowance for Credit Losses)); 
valuations of residential mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) 
(Note 8 (Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities) and 
Note 9 (Mortgage Banking Activities)); 
valuations of financial instruments (Note 16 (Derivatives) 
and Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities)); 
liabilities for contingent litigation losses (Note 15 (Legal 
Actions)); 
income taxes (Note 23 (Income Taxes)); and 
goodwill impairment (Note 10 (Intangible Assets)). 

Actual results could differ from those estimates. 

Accounting Standards Adopted in 2020 
In 2020, we adopted the following new accounting guidance: 
• 

Accounting Standards Update (ASU or Update) 2020-04 – 
Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects 
of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting 
ASU 2019-04 – Codification Improvements to Topic 326, 
Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives 
and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments. This 
Update includes guidance on recoveries of financial assets, 
which is included in the discussion for ASU 2016-13 below. 
ASU 2018-17 – Consolidation (Topic 810): Targeted 
Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest 
Entities 
ASU 2018-15 – Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-
Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for 
Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing 
Arrangement That Is a Service Contract (a consensus of the 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Emerging Issues 
Task Force) 
ASU 2018-13 – Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): 
Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure 
Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. 
ASU 2017-04 – Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 
350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment 
ASU 2016-13 – Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 
326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments 
and related subsequent Updates 

ASU 2020-04 provides optional, temporary relief to ease the 
burden of accounting for reference rate reform activities that 
affect contractual modifications of floating rate financial 
instruments indexed to interbank offering rates (IBORs) and 
hedge accounting relationships. Modifications of qualifying 
contracts are accounted for as the continuation of an existing 
contract rather than as a new contract. Modifications of 
qualifying hedging relationships will not require discontinuation 
of the existing hedge accounting relationships. The application of 
the relief for qualifying existing hedging relationships may be 
made on a hedge-by-hedge basis and across multiple reporting 
periods. 

We adopted ASU 2020-04 in second quarter 2020, and the 

guidance will be followed until the Update terminates on 
December 31, 2022. This guidance is applied on a prospective 
basis. The Update did not have a material impact on our 
consolidated financial statements. 

ASU 2018-17 updates the guidance used by decision-makers of 
VIEs. Indirect interests held through related parties in common 
control arrangements are to be considered on a proportional 
basis for determining whether fees paid to decision-makers and 
service providers are variable interests. This is consistent with 
how indirect interests held through related parties under 
common control are considered for determining whether a 
reporting entity must consolidate a VIE. We adopted the 
guidance in first quarter 2020. The Update did not have a 
material impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

ASU 2018-15 clarifies the accounting for implementation costs 
related to a cloud computing arrangement that is a service 
contract and enhances disclosures around implementation costs 
for internal-use software and cloud computing arrangements. 
The guidance aligns the requirements for capitalizing 
implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a 
service contract with the requirements for capitalizing 
implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use 
software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal-use 
software license). It also requires the expense related to the 
capitalized implementation costs be presented in the same line 
item in the statement of income as the fees associated with the 
hosting element of the arrangement and capitalized 
implementation costs be presented in the balance sheet in the 
same line item that a prepayment for the fees of the associated 
hosting arrangement are presented. We adopted the guidance in 
first quarter 2020. The Update did not have a material impact on 
our consolidated financial statements. 

127 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued) 

ASU 2018-13 clarifies, eliminates and adds certain fair value 
measurement disclosure requirements for assets and liabilities, 
which affects our disclosures in Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets 
and Liabilities). Although the ASU became effective on 
January 1, 2020, it permitted early adoption of individual 
requirements without causing others to be early adopted and, as 
such, we partially adopted the Update during third quarter 2018 
and the remainder of the requirements in first quarter 2020. The 
Update did not have a material impact on our consolidated 
financial statements. 

ASU 2017-04 simplifies the goodwill impairment test by 
eliminating the requirement to assign the fair value of a 
reporting unit to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit 
(including any unrecognized intangible assets) as if the reporting 
unit had been acquired in a business combination. The Update 
requires that a goodwill impairment loss is recognized if the fair 
value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, 
including goodwill. The goodwill impairment loss is limited to the 
amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The guidance 
did not change the qualitative assessment of goodwill. We 
adopted the guidance in first quarter 2020. This guidance is 
applied on a prospective basis, and accordingly, the Update did 
not have a material impact on our consolidated financial 
statements. 

ASU 2016-13 changes the accounting for the measurement of 
credit losses on loans and debt securities. For loans and held-to-
maturity (HTM) debt securities, the Update requires a current 

expected credit loss (CECL) measurement to estimate the 
allowance for credit losses (ACL) for the remaining contractual 
term, adjusted for prepayments, of the financial asset (including 
off-balance sheet credit exposures) using historical experience, 
current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. 
Also, the Update eliminates the existing guidance for purchased 
credit-impaired (PCI) loans, but requires an allowance for 
purchased financial assets with more than an insignificant 
deterioration of credit since origination. In addition, the Update 
modifies the other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) model 
for available-for-sale (AFS) debt securities to require an 
allowance for credit impairment instead of a direct write-down, 
which allows for reversal of credit impairments in future periods 
based on improvements in credit. Upon adoption in first quarter 
2020, we recognized an overall decrease in our ACL of 
approximately $1.3 billion (pre-tax) as a cumulative effect 
adjustment from a change in accounting policies, which increased 
our retained earnings and regulatory capital amounts and ratios. 
Loans previously classified as PCI were automatically transitioned 
to purchased credit-deteriorated (PCD) classification. We 
recognized an ACL for these new PCD loans and made a 
corresponding adjustment to the loan balance, with no impact to 
net income or transition adjustment to retained earnings. For 
more information on the impact of CECL by type of financial 
asset, see Table 1.1. Prior to adopting this Update, we recorded 
an allowance for loan losses based on management’s estimate of 
probable credit losses inherent in the loan portfolio referred to as 
the incurred credit loss methodology. 

Table 1.1:  ASU 2016-13 Adoption Impact to Allowance for Credit Losses (1) 

(in billions) 

Total commercial (2) 

Residential mortgage (3) 

Credit card (4) 

Auto (4) 

Other consumer (4) 

Total consumer 

Total loans 

Available-for-sale and held-to-maturity debt securities and 

other assets (5) 

Total 

Balance 
Outstanding 

ACL Balance 

Coverage 

Dec 31, 2019 

ASU 2016-13 
Adoption
Impact 

Jan 1, 2020

ACL Balance 

Coverage 

$ 

515.7 

323.4 

41.0 

47.9 

34.3 

446.5 

962.3 

420.0 

$ 

1,382.3 

6.2 

0.9 

2.3 

0.5 

0.6 

4.2 

10.5 

0.1 

10.6 

1.2  %  $ 

(2.9) 

0.3 

5.5 

1.0 

1.6 

0.9 

1.1 

NM 

NM  $ 

— 

0.7 

0.3 

0.6 

1.5 

(1.3) 

— 

(1.3) 

3.4 

0.9 

2.9 

0.7 

1.2 

5.7 

9.1 

0.1 

9.3 

0.7  % 

0.3 

7.1 

1.5 

3.5 

1.3 

0.9 

NM  

NM  

NM – Not meaningful 
(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

Amounts presented in this table may not equal the sum of its components due to rounding. 
Decrease reflecting shorter contractual maturities given limitation to contractual terms. 
Impact reflects an increase due to longer contractual terms, offset by expectation of recoveries in collateral value on mortgage loans previously written down significantly below current recovery 
value. 
Increase due to longer contractual terms or indeterminate maturities. 
Excludes other financial assets in the scope of CECL that do not have an ACL based on the nature of the asset. 

(4) 
(5) 

128 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 1.2 summarizes financial assets and liabilities by form 

and measurement accounting model. 

Table 1.2:  Accounting Model for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities 

Balance sheet caption 

Measurement model(s) 

Financial statement Note reference 

Cash and due from banks 

Interest-earning deposits with banks 

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale 

agreements 

Debt securities: 

Trading 

Available-for-sale 

Held-to-maturity 

Loans held for sale 

Loans 

Derivative assets and liabilities 

Equity securities: 

Marketable 

Nonmarketable 

Other assets 

Deposits 

Short-term borrowings 

Amortized cost 

Amortized cost 

Amortized cost 

FV-NI (1) 

FV-OCI (2) 

Amortized cost 

FV-NI (1) 
LOCOM (3) 

Amortized cost 
FV-NI (1) 

FV-NI (1) 
FV-OCI (2) 

FV-NI (1) 

FV-NI (1) 
Cost method 
Equity method 
MA (4) 

Note 28:  Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions 

Note 28:  Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions 

N/A 

Note 2:  Trading Activities 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Note 3:  Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Note 3:  Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities 

Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Note 2:  Trading Activities 
Note 16:  Derivatives 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Note 2:  Trading Activities 
Note 6:  Equity Securities 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Note 2:  Trading Activities 
Note 6:  Equity Securities 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Amortized cost (5) 

Note 7:  Premises, Equipment, and Other Assets 

Amortized cost 

Amortized cost 

Note 11:  Deposits 

N/A 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities 

Amortized cost (6) 

Note 2:  Trading Activities 
Note 5:  Leasing Activity 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

Long-term debt 

Amortized cost 

Note 12:  Long-Term Debt 

FV-NI represents the fair value through net income accounting model. 
FV-OCI represents the fair value through other comprehensive income accounting model. 
LOCOM represents the lower of cost or fair value accounting model. 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4)  MA represents the measurement alternative accounting model. 
(5)  Other assets are generally measured at amortized cost, except for bank-owned life insurance which is measured at cash surrender value. 
(6) 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities are generally measured at amortized cost, except for trading short-sale liabilities which are measured at FV-NI. 

Consolidation 
Our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of 
the Parent and our subsidiaries in which we have a controlling 
financial interest. When our consolidated subsidiaries follow 
specialized industry accounting, that accounting is retained in 
consolidation. 

We are also a variable interest holder in certain entities in 

which equity investors do not have the characteristics of a 
controlling financial interest or where the entity does not have 
enough equity at risk to finance its activities without additional 
subordinated financial support from other parties (collectively 
referred to as variable interest entities (VIEs)). Our variable 
interest arises from contractual, ownership or other monetary 
interests in the entity, which change with fluctuations in the fair 
value of the entity’s net assets. We consolidate a VIE if we are the 
primary beneficiary, which is when we have both the power to 
direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE and a 
variable interest that could potentially be significant to the VIE. 
To determine whether or not a variable interest we hold could 
potentially be significant to the VIE, we consider both qualitative 
and quantitative factors regarding the nature, size and form of 
our involvement with the VIE. We assess whether or not we are 
the primary beneficiary of a VIE on an ongoing basis.

 Significant intercompany accounts and transactions are 
eliminated in consolidation. When we have significant influence 

over operating and financing decisions for a company but do not 
own a majority of the voting equity interests, we account for the 
investment using the equity method of accounting, which 
requires us to recognize our proportionate share of the 
company’s earnings. If we do not have significant influence, we 
account for the equity security under the fair value method, cost 
method or measurement alternative. 

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash include cash on hand, 
cash items in transit, and amounts due from or held with other 
depository institutions. See Note 28 (Regulatory Capital 
Requirements and Other Restrictions) for more information on 
the restrictions on cash and cash equivalents. 

Trading Activities 
We engage in trading activities to accommodate the investment 
and risk management activities of our customers. These 
activities predominantly occur in our Corporate and Investment 
Banking reportable operating segment. Trading assets and 
liabilities include debt securities, equity securities, loans, 
derivatives and short sales, which are reported within our 
consolidated balance sheet based on the accounting 
classification of the instrument. In addition, debt securities that 

129 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued) 

are held for investment purposes that we have elected to 
account for under the fair value method, are classified as trading. 

Our trading assets and liabilities are carried on our 

consolidated balance sheet at fair value with changes in fair value 
recognized in net gains from trading activities and interest 
income and interest expense recognized in net interest income. 
Customer accommodation trading activities include our 
actions as an intermediary to buy and sell financial instruments 
and market-making activities. We also take positions to manage 
our exposure to customer accommodation activities. We hold 
financial instruments for trading in long positions, as well as short 
positions, to facilitate our trading activities. As an intermediary, 
we interact with market buyers and sellers to facilitate the 
purchase and sale of financial instruments to meet the 
anticipated or current needs of our customers. For example, we 
may purchase or sell a derivative to a customer who wants to 
manage interest rate risk exposure. We typically enter into an 
offsetting derivative or security position to manage our exposure 
to the customer transaction. We earn income based on the 
transaction price difference between the customer transaction 
and the offsetting position, which is reflected in earnings where 
the fair value changes and related interest income and expense of 
the positions are recorded. 

Our market-making activities include taking long and short 

trading positions to facilitate customer order flow. These 
activities are typically executed on a short-term basis. As a 
market-maker we earn income due to: (1) the difference 
between the price paid or received for the purchase and sale of 
the security (bid-ask spread), (2) the net interest income of the 
positions, and (3) the changes in fair value of the trading 
positions held on our consolidated balance sheet. Additionally, we 
may enter into separate derivative or security positions to 
manage our exposure related to our long and short trading 
positions taken in our market-making activities. Income earned 
on these market-making activities are reflected in earnings 
where the fair value changes and related interest income and 
expense of the positions are recorded. 

Debt Securities 
Our investments in debt securities that are not held for trading 
purposes are classified as either debt securities AFS or HTM. 

Investments in debt securities for which the Company does 

not have the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity are 
classified as AFS. AFS debt securities are measured at fair value, 
with unrealized gains and losses reported in cumulative other 
comprehensive income (OCI). The amount reported in OCI is net 
of the ACL and applicable income taxes. Investments in debt 
securities for which the Company has the positive intent and 
ability to hold to maturity are classified as HTM. HTM debt 
securities are measured at amortized cost, net of ACL. 

INTEREST INCOME AND GAIN/LOSS RECOGNITION  Unamortized 
premiums and discounts are recognized in interest income over 
the contractual life of the security using the effective interest 
method, except for purchased callable debt securities carried at a 
premium. For purchased callable debt securities carried at a 
premium, the premium is amortized into interest income to the 
next call date using the effective interest method. As principal 
repayments are received on securities (e.g., mortgage-backed 
securities (MBS)), a proportionate amount of the related 
premium or discount is recognized in income so that the 
effective interest rate on the remaining portion of the security 
continues unchanged. 

130 

We recognize realized gains and losses on the sale of debt 

securities in net gains on trading and securities within 
noninterest income using the specific identification method. 

IMPAIRMENT AND CREDIT LOSSES  Unrealized losses on AFS debt 
securities are driven by a number of factors, including changes in 
interest rates and credit spreads which impact most types of 
debt securities, and prepayment rates which impact MBS and 
collateralized loan obligations (CLO). Additional considerations 
for certain types of AFS debt securities include: 
•  Debt securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies, 

including federal agency MBS, are not impacted by credit 
movements given the explicit or implicit guarantees 
provided by the U.S. government. 

•  Debt securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions are 
most impacted by changes in the relationship between 
municipal and term funding credit curves rather than by 
changes in the credit quality of the underlying securities. 
Structured securities, such as MBS and CLO, are also 
impacted by changes in projected collateral losses of assets 
underlying the security. 

• 

For AFS debt securities where fair value is less than 

amortized cost basis, we recognize impairment in earnings if we 
have the intent to sell the security or if it is more likely than not 
that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its 
amortized cost basis. Impairment is recognized in net gains on 
trading and securities within noninterest income equal to the 
entire difference between the amortized cost basis, net of ACL, 
and the fair value of the AFS debt security. Following the 
recognition of this impairment, the AFS debt security’s new 
amortized cost basis is fair value. 

For AFS debt securities where fair value is less than 

amortized cost basis where we did not recognize impairment in 
earnings, we record an ACL as of the balance sheet date to the 
extent unrealized loss is due to credit losses. See the “Allowance 
for Credit Losses” section in this Note for our accounting policies 
relating to the ACL for debt securities, which also includes debt 
securities classified as HTM. 

TRANSFERS BETWEEN CATEGORIES OF DEBT SECURITIES  Upon 
transfer of a debt security from the AFS to HTM classification, 
the amortized cost is reset to fair value adjusted for any ACL 
previously recorded under the AFS debt security model. 
Unrealized gains or losses at the transfer date continue to be 
reported in cumulative OCI. The cumulative OCI balance is 
amortized into earnings over the same period as the unamortized 
premiums and discounts using the effective interest method. 
Any ACL previously recorded under the AFS debt security model 
is reversed and an ACL under the HTM debt security model is re-
established. The reversal and re-establishment of the ACL are 
recorded to provision for credit losses. 

NONACCRUAL AND PAST DUE, AND CHARGE-OFF POLICIES  We 
generally place debt securities on nonaccrual status using factors 
similar to those described for loans. When we place a debt 
security on nonaccrual status, we reverse the accrued unpaid 
interest receivable against interest income and suspend the 
amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. If the 
ultimate collectability of the principal is in doubt on a nonaccrual 
debt security, any cash collected is first applied to reduce the 
security’s amortized cost basis to zero, followed by recovery of 
amounts previously charged off, and subsequently to interest 
income. Generally, we return a debt security to accrual status 
when all delinquent interest and principal become current under 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
the contractual terms of the security and collectability of 
remaining principal and interest is no longer doubtful. 
Our debt securities are considered past due when 

contractually required principal or interest payments have not 
been made on the due dates. 

Our charge-off policy for debt securities are similar to those 
described for loans. Subsequent to charge-off, the debt security 
will be designated as nonaccrual and follow the process described 
above for any cash received. 

Unearned income, deferred fees and costs, and discounts 

and premiums are amortized to interest income over the 
contractual life of the loan using the effective interest method. 
Loan commitment fees are generally deferred and amortized into 
noninterest income on a straight-line basis over the 
commitment period. 

Loans also include financing leases where we are the lessor. 

See the “Leasing Activity” section in this Note for our accounting 
policy for leases. 

Securities Purchased and Sold Agreements 
Securities purchased under resale agreements and securities sold 
under repurchase agreements are accounted for as collateralized 
financing transactions and are recorded at the acquisition or sale 
price plus accrued interest. We monitor the fair value of 
securities purchased and sold as well as the collateral pledged and 
received. Additional collateral is pledged or returned to maintain 
the appropriate collateral position for the transactions. These 
financing transactions do not create material credit risk given the 
collateral provided and the related monitoring process. We 
include securities sold under repurchase agreements in short-
term borrowings on our consolidated balance sheet. At 
December 31, 2020, and 2019, short-term borrowings were 
primarily comprised of securities sold under repurchase 
agreements. 

Loans Held for Sale 
Loans held for sale (LHFS) generally includes commercial and 
residential mortgages originated for sale in the securitization or 
whole loan market. We have elected the fair value option for a 
majority of residential LHFS (see Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets 
and Liabilities)). The remaining residential LHFS are held at the 
lower of cost or fair value (LOCOM) and are measured on a pool 
level basis. 

Commercial LHFS are generally held at LOCOM and are 

measured on an individual loan basis. We have elected the fair 
value option for certain commercial loans included in LHFS that 
are used in market-making activities for our trading business. 

Gains and losses on residential LHFS are generally recorded 

in mortgage banking noninterest income. Gains and losses on 
trading LHFS are recognized in net gains from trading activities. 
Gains and losses on other LHFS are recognized in other 
noninterest income. Direct loan origination costs and fees for 
LHFS under the fair value option are recognized in earnings at 
origination. For LHFS recorded at LOCOM, loan costs and fees 
are deferred at origination and are recognized in earnings at time 
of sale. Interest income on LHFS is calculated based upon the 
note rate of the loan and is recorded in interest income. 

When a determination is made at the time of commitment 
to originate loans as held for investment, it is our intent to hold 
these loans to maturity or for the foreseeable future, subject to 
periodic review under our management evaluation processes, 
including corporate asset/liability management. If subsequent 
changes occur, including changes in interest rates, our business 
strategy, or other market conditions, we may change our intent 
to hold these loans. When management makes this 
determination, we immediately transfer these loans to the LHFS 
portfolio at LOCOM. 

Loans 
Loans are reported at their outstanding principal balances net of 
any unearned income, cumulative charge-offs, unamortized 
deferred fees and costs on originated loans and unamortized 
premiums or discounts on purchased loans. 

NONACCRUAL AND PAST DUE LOANS  We generally place loans on 
nonaccrual status when: 
• 

the full and timely collection of interest or principal becomes 
uncertain (generally based on an assessment of the 
borrower’s financial condition and the adequacy of collateral, 
if any), such as in bankruptcy or other circumstances; 
they are 90 days (120 days with respect to residential 
mortgages) past due for interest or principal, unless the loan 
is both well-secured and in the process of collection or the 
loan is in an active payment deferral as a result of the 
COVID-19 pandemic; 
part of the principal balance has been charged off; or 
for junior lien mortgages, we have evidence that the related 
first lien mortgage may be 120 days past due or in the 
process of foreclosure regardless of the junior lien 
delinquency status.

• 

• 
• 

 Credit card loans are not placed on nonaccrual status, but are 

generally fully charged off when the loan reaches 180 days past 
due. 

When we place a loan on nonaccrual status, we reverse the 
accrued unpaid interest receivable against interest income and 
suspend amortization of any net deferred fees. If the ultimate 
collectability of the recorded loan balance is in doubt on a 
nonaccrual loan, the cost recovery method is used and cash 
collected is applied to first reduce the carrying value of the loan. 
Otherwise, interest income may be recognized to the extent cash 
is received. Generally, we return a loan to accrual status when all 
delinquent interest and principal become current under the 
terms of the loan agreement and collectability of remaining 
principal and interest is no longer doubtful. 

We typically re-underwrite modified loans at the time of a 

restructuring to determine if there is sufficient evidence of 
sustained repayment capacity based on the borrower’s financial 
strength, including documented income, debt to income ratios 
and other factors. If the borrower has demonstrated 
performance under the previous terms and the underwriting 
process shows the capacity to continue to perform under the 
restructured terms, the loan will generally remain in accruing 
status. When a loan classified as a troubled debt restructuring 
(TDR) performs in accordance with its modified terms, the loan 
either continues to accrue interest (for performing loans) or will 
return to accrual status after the borrower demonstrates a 
sustained period of performance (generally six consecutive 
months of payments, or equivalent, inclusive of consecutive 
payments made prior to the modification). Loans will be placed 
on nonaccrual status and a corresponding charge-off is recorded 
if we believe it is probable that principal and interest 
contractually due under the modified terms of the agreement 
will not be collectible. 

Our loans are considered past due when contractually 
required principal or interest payments have not been made on 
the due dates. 

131 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued) 

LOAN CHARGE-OFF POLICIES  For commercial loans, we generally 
fully charge off or charge down to net realizable value (fair value 
of collateral, less estimated costs to sell) for loans secured by 
collateral when: 
•  management judges the loan to be uncollectible; 
• 

repayment is deemed to be protracted beyond reasonable 
time frames; 
the loan has been classified as a loss by either our internal 
loan review process or our banking regulatory agencies; 
the customer has filed bankruptcy and the loss becomes 
evident owing to a lack of assets; or 
the loan is 180 days past due unless both well-secured and in 
the process of collection. 

• 

• 

• 

For consumer loans, we fully charge off or charge down to 

net realizable value when deemed uncollectible due to 
bankruptcy or other factors, or no later than reaching a defined 
number of days past due, as follows: 
• 

Residential mortgages – We generally charge down to net 
realizable value when the loan is 180 days past due. 
Auto loans – We generally fully charge off when the loan is 
120 days past due. 
Credit card loans – We generally fully charge off when the 
loan is 180 days past due. 

• 

• 

•  Unsecured loans (closed end) – We generally fully charge off 

when the loan is 120 days past due. 

•  Unsecured loans (open end) – We generally fully charge off 

when the loan is 180 days past due. 

•  Other secured loans – We generally fully or partially charge 
down to net realizable value when the loan is 120 days past 
due. 

TROUBLED DEBT RESTRUCTURINGS  In situations where, for 
economic or legal reasons related to a borrower’s financial 
difficulties, we grant a concession for other than an insignificant 
period of time to the borrower that we would not otherwise 
consider, the related loan is classified as a TDR. These modified 
terms may include interest rate reductions, principal forgiveness, 
term extensions, payment forbearance and other actions 
intended to minimize our economic loss and to avoid foreclosure 
or repossession of the collateral, if applicable. For modifications 
where we forgive principal, the entire amount of such principal 
forgiveness is immediately charged off. Loans classified as TDRs, 
including loans in trial payment periods (trial modifications), are 
considered impaired loans. Other than resolutions such as 
foreclosures, sales and transfers to held-for-sale, we may remove 
loans held for investment from TDR classification, but only if 
they have been refinanced or restructured at market terms and 
qualify as a new loan. 

TROUBLED DEBT RESTRUCTURINGS AND OTHER RELIEF RELATED 
TO COVID-19  On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Senate approved the 
Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES 
Act) providing optional, temporary relief from accounting for 
certain loan modifications as troubled debt restructurings 
(TDRs). Under the CARES Act, TDR relief is available to banks for 
loan modifications related to the adverse effects of Coronavirus 
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (COVID-related modifications) 
granted to borrowers that are current as of December 31, 2019. 
TDR relief applies to COVID-related modifications made from 
March 1, 2020, until the earlier of December 31, 2020, or 60 days 
following the termination of the national emergency declared by 
the President of the United States. In first quarter 2020, we 
elected to apply the TDR relief provided by the CARES Act. On 
December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 

132 

(CAA) was signed into law which extended the expiration of the 
TDR relief to no later than January 1, 2022. 

On April 7, 2020, federal banking regulators issued the 
Interagency Statement on Loan Modifications and Reporting for 
Financial Institutions Working with Customers Affected by the 
Coronavirus (Revised) (the Interagency Statement). The guidance 
in the Interagency Statement provides additional TDR relief as it 
clarifies that it is not necessary to consider the impact of the 
COVID-19 pandemic on the financial condition of a borrower in 
connection with a short-term (e.g., six months or less) COVID-
related modification provided the borrower is current at the date 
the modification program is implemented. 

For COVID-related modifications in the form of payment 
deferrals or payment forbearance, delinquency status will not 
advance and loans that were accruing at the time the relief is 
provided will generally not be placed on nonaccrual status during 
the deferral period. Interest accrued during payment deferrals or 
payment forbearance may be included in the principal balance of 
the loans and charge-offs will generally be based on delinquency 
status after the loan exits the deferral or forbearance period. 
COVID-related modifications that do not meet the provisions of 
the CARES Act or the Interagency Statement will be assessed for 
TDR classification. 

On April 10, 2020, the FASB Staff issued Accounting for Lease 

Concessions Related to the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a 
question and answer guide (the guide). The guide provided an 
election for leases accounted for under Accounting Standards 
Codification (ASC) 842, Leases, that were modified due to 
COVID-19 and met certain criteria so as to not require a new 
lease classification test upon modification. In second quarter 
2020, we elected to apply the lease modification relief provided 
by the guide. 

FORECLOSED ASSETS  Foreclosed assets obtained through our 
lending activities primarily include real estate. Generally, loans 
have been written down to their net realizable value prior to 
foreclosure. Any further reduction to their net realizable value is 
recorded with a charge to the ACL at foreclosure. We allow up to 
90 days after foreclosure to finalize determination of net 
realizable value. Thereafter, changes in net realizable value are 
recorded to noninterest expense. The net realizable value of 
these assets is reviewed and updated periodically depending on 
the type of property. Certain government-guaranteed mortgage 
loans upon foreclosure are included in accounts receivable, not 
foreclosed assets. These receivables were loans insured by the 
Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or guaranteed by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and are measured based on 
the balance expected to be recovered from the FHA or VA. 

Allowance for Credit Losses 
The ACL is management’s estimate of the current expected 
credit losses in the loan portfolio and unfunded credit 
commitments, at the balance sheet date, excluding loans and 
unfunded credit commitments carried at fair value or held for 
sale. Additionally, we maintain an ACL for AFS and HTM debt 
securities, other financing receivables measured at amortized 
cost, and other off-balance sheet credit exposures. While we 
attribute portions of the allowance to specific financial asset 
classes (loan and debt security portfolios), loan portfolio 
segments (commercial and consumer) or major security type, the 
entire ACL is available to absorb credit losses of the Company. 
Our ACL process involves procedures to appropriately 

consider the unique risk characteristics of our financial asset 
classes, portfolio segments, and major security types. For each 
loan portfolio segment and each major HTM debt security type, 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
losses are estimated collectively for groups of loans or securities 
with similar risk characteristics. For loans and securities that do 
not share similar risk characteristics with other financial assets, 
the losses are estimated individually, which primarily includes our 
impaired large commercial loans and non-accruing HTM debt 
securities. For AFS debt securities, losses are estimated at the 
individual security level. 

Our ACL amounts are influenced by a variety of factors, 

including changes in loan and debt security volumes, portfolio 
credit quality, and general economic conditions. General 
economic conditions are forecasted using economic variables 
which will create volatility as those variables change over time. 
See Table 1.3 for key economic variables used for our loan 
portfolios. 

Table 1.3:  Key Economic Variables 

Loan Portfolio 

Total commercial 

Residential mortgage 

Other consumer (including credit card, auto, and other consumer) 

• 

Our approach for estimating expected life-time credit losses for 
loans and debt securities includes the following key components: 
An initial loss forecast period of two years for all portfolio 
• 
segments and classes of financing receivables and off-
balance-sheet credit exposures. This period reflects 
management’s expectation of losses based on forward-
looking economic scenarios over that time. We forecast 
multiple economic scenarios that generally include a base 
scenario with an optimistic (upside) and one or more 
pessimistic (downside) scenarios, which are weighted by 
management to estimate future credit losses. 
Long-term average loss expectations estimated by reverting 
to the long-term average, on a linear basis, for each of the 
economic variables forecasted during the initial loss forecast 
period. These long-term averages are based on observations 
over multiple economic cycles. The reversion period, which 
may be up to two years, is assessed on a quarterly basis. 
The remaining contractual term of a loan is adjusted for 
expected prepayments and certain expected extensions, 
renewals, or modifications. We extend the contractual term 
when we are not able to unconditionally cancel contractual 
renewals or extension options. We also incorporate any 
scenarios where we reasonably expect to provide an 
extension through a TDR. Credit card loans have 
indeterminate maturities, which requires that we determine 
a contractual life by estimating the application of future 
payments to the outstanding loan amount. 

• 

•  Utilization of discounted cash flow (DCF) methods to 

measure credit impairment for loans modified in a troubled 
debt restructuring, unless they are collateral dependent and 
measured at the fair value of the collateral. The DCF 
methods obtain estimated life-time credit losses using the 
initial and historical mean loss forecast periods described 
above. 
For AFS debt securities and certain beneficial interests 
classified as HTM, we utilize DCF methods to measure the 
ACL, which incorporate expected credit losses using the 
conceptual components described above. For most HTM 
debt securities, the ACL is measured using an expected loss 
model, similar to the methodology used for loans. 

• 

The ACL for financial assets held at amortized cost is a 

valuation account that is deducted from, or added to, the 
amortized cost basis of the financial assets to present the net 
amount expected to be collected. When credit expectations 
change, the valuation account is adjusted with changes reported 
in provision for credit losses. If amounts previously charged off 
are subsequently expected to be collected, we may recognize a 

Key economic variables 

•  Gross domestic product 
•  Commercial real estate asset prices, where applicable 
•  Unemployment rate 

•  Home price index 
•  Unemployment rate 

•  Unemployment rate 

negative allowance, which is limited to the amount that was 
previously charged off. For financial assets with an ACL 
estimated using DCF methods, changes in the ACL due to the 
passage of time are recorded in interest income. The ACL for AFS 
debt securities reflects the amount of unrealized loss related to 
expected credit losses, limited by the amount that fair value is 
less than the amortized cost basis (fair value floor) and cannot 
have an associated negative allowance. 

For certain financial assets, such as residential real estate 

loans guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage 
Association (GNMA), an agency of the federal government, U. S. 
Treasury and Agency mortgage backed debt securities, as well as 
certain sovereign debt securities, the Company has not 
recognized an ACL as our expectation of nonpayment of the 
amortized cost basis, based on historical losses, adjusted for 
current and forecasted conditions, is zero. 

A financial asset is collateral-dependent when the borrower 
is experiencing financial difficulty and repayment is expected to 
be provided substantially through the sale or operation of the 
collateral. When a collateral-dependent financial asset is 
probable of foreclosure, we will measure the ACL based on the 
fair value of the collateral. If we intend to sell the underlying 
collateral, we will measure the ACL based on the collateral’s net 
realizable value (fair value of collateral, less estimated costs to 
sell). In most situations, based on our charge-off policies, we will 
immediately write-down the financial asset to the fair value of 
the collateral or net realizable value. For consumer loans, 
collateral-dependent financial assets may have collateral in the 
form of residential real estate, autos or other personal assets. For 
commercial loans, collateral-dependent financial assets may have 
collateral in the form of commercial real estate or other business 
assets. 

We do not generally record an ACL for accrued interest 

receivables because uncollectible accrued interest is reversed 
through interest income in a timely manner in line with our non-
accrual and past due policies for loans and debt securities. For 
consumer credit card and certain consumer lines of credit, we 
include an ACL for accrued interest and fees since these loans are 
neither placed on nonaccrual status nor written off until the loan 
is 180 days past due. Accrued interest receivables are included in 
other assets, except for certain revolving loans, such as credit 
card loans. 

COMMERCIAL LOAN PORTFOLIO SEGMENT ACL METHODOLOGY  
Generally, commercial loans, which include net investments in 
lease financing, are assessed for estimated losses by grading each 
loan using various risk factors as identified through periodic 
reviews. Our estimation approach for the commercial portfolio 

133 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued) 

reflects the estimated probability of default in accordance with 
the borrower’s financial strength and the severity of loss in the 
event of default, considering the quality of any underlying 
collateral. Probability of default, loss severity at the time of 
default, and exposure at default are statistically derived through 
historical observations of default and losses after default within 
each credit risk rating. These estimates are adjusted as 
appropriate for risks identified from current and forecasted 
economic conditions and credit quality trends. Unfunded credit 
commitments are evaluated based on a conversion factor to 
derive a funded loan equivalent amount. The estimated 
probability of default and loss severity at the time of default are 
applied to the funded loan equivalent amount to estimate losses 
for unfunded credit commitments. 

CONSUMER LOAN PORTFOLIO SEGMENT ACL METHODOLOGY  For 
consumer loans, we determine the allowance using a pooled 
approach based on the individual risk characteristics of the loans 
within those pools. Quantitative modeling methodologies that 
estimate probability of default, loss severity at the time of 
default and exposure at default are typically leveraged to 
estimate expected loss. These methodologies pool loans, 
generally by product types with similar risk characteristics, such 
as residential real estate mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. 
As appropriate and to achieve greater accuracy, we may further 
stratify selected portfolios by sub-product, risk pool, loss type, 
geographic location and other predictive characteristics. We use 
attributes such as delinquency status, Fair Isaac Corporation 
(FICO) scores, and loan-to-value ratios (where applicable) in the 
development of our consumer loan models, in addition to home 
price trends, unemployment trends, and other economic 
variables that may influence the frequency and severity of losses 
in the consumer portfolio. 

OTHER QUALITATIVE FACTORS  The ACL includes amounts for 
qualitative factors which may not be adequately reflected in our 
loss models. These amounts represent management’s judgment 
of risks in the processes and assumptions used in establishing the 
ACL. Generally, these amounts are established at a granular level 
below our loan portfolio segments. We also consider economic 
environmental factors, modeling assumptions and performance, 
process risk, and other subjective factors, including industry 
trends and emerging risk assessments. 

OFF-BALANCE SHEET CREDIT EXPOSURES  Our off-balance sheet 
credit exposures include unfunded loan commitments (generally 
in the form of revolving lines of credit), financial guarantees not 
accounted for as insurance contracts or derivatives, including 
standby letters of credit, and other similar instruments. For off-
balance sheet credit exposures, we recognize an ACL associated 
with the unfunded amounts. We do not recognize an ACL for 
commitments that are unconditionally cancelable at our 
discretion. Additionally, we recognize an ACL for financial 
guarantees that create off-balance sheet credit exposure, such as 
loans sold with credit recourse and factoring guarantees. ACL for 
off-balance sheet credit exposures are reported as a liability in 
accrued expenses and other liabilities on our consolidated 
balance sheet. 

OTHER FINANCIAL ASSETS  Other financial assets are evaluated for 
expected credit losses. These other financial assets include 
accounts receivable for fees, receivables from government-
sponsored entities, such as Federal National Mortgage 
Association (FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage 
Corporation (FHLMC), and GNMA, and other accounts receivable 

134 

from high-credit quality counterparties, such as central clearing 
counterparties. Many of these financial assets are generally not 
expected to have an ACL as there is a zero loss expectation (for 
example, government guarantee) or no historical credit losses. 
Some financial assets, such as loans to employees, maintain an 
ACL that is presented on a net basis with the related amortized 
cost amounts in other assets on our consolidated balance sheet. 
Given the nature of these financial assets, provision for credit 
losses is not recognized separately from the regular income or 
expense associated with these financial assets. 

Securities purchased under resale agreements are generally 
over-collateralized by securities or cash and are generally short-
term in nature. We have elected the practical expedient for these 
financial assets given collateral maintenance provisions. These 
provisions require that we monitor the collateral value and 
customers are required to replenish collateral, if needed. 
Accordingly, we generally do not maintain an ACL for these 
financial assets. 

Purchased Credit Deteriorated Financial Assets 
Financial assets acquired that are of poor credit quality and with 
more than an insignificant evidence of credit deterioration since 
their origination or issuance are PCD assets. PCD assets include 
HTM and AFS debt securities and loans. PCD assets are recorded 
at their purchase price plus an ACL estimated at the time of 
acquisition. Under this approach, there is no provision for credit 
losses recognized at acquisition; rather, there is a gross-up of the 
purchase price of the financial asset for the estimate of expected 
credit losses and a corresponding ACL recorded. Changes in 
estimates of expected credit losses after acquisition are 
recognized as provision for credit losses in subsequent periods. In 
general, interest income recognition for PCD financial assets is 
consistent with interest income recognition for the similar non-
PCD financial asset. 

Leasing Activity 
AS LESSOR  We lease equipment to our customers under 
financing or operating leases. Financing leases are presented in 
loans and are recorded at the discounted amounts of lease 
payments receivable plus the estimated residual value of the 
leased asset. Leveraged leases, which are a form of financing 
leases, are reduced by related non-recourse debt from third-
party investors. Lease payments receivable reflect contractual 
lease payments adjusted for renewal or termination options that 
we believe the customer is reasonably certain to exercise. The 
residual value reflects our best estimate of the expected sales 
price for the equipment at lease termination based on sales 
history adjusted for recent trends in the expected exit markets. 
Many of our leases allow the customer to extend the lease at 
prevailing market terms or purchase the asset for fair value at 
lease termination. 

Our allowance for loan losses for financing leases considers 

both the collectability of the lease payments receivable as well as 
the estimated residual value of the leased asset. We typically 
purchase residual value insurance on our financing leases so that 
our risk of loss at lease termination will be less than 10% of the 
initial value of the lease. In addition, we have several channels for 
re-leasing or marketing those assets. 

In connection with a lease, we may finance the customer’s 

purchase of other products or services from the equipment 
vendor and allocate the contract consideration between the use 
of the asset and the purchase of those products or services based 
on information obtained from the vendor. Amounts allocated to 
financing of vendor products or services are reported in loans as 
commercial and industrial loans, rather than as lease financing. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our primary income from financing leases is interest income 

recognized using the effective interest method. Variable lease 
revenues, such as reimbursement for property taxes associated 
with the leased asset, are included in lease income within 
noninterest income. 

Operating lease assets are presented in other assets, net of 

accumulated depreciation. Periodic depreciation expense is 
recorded on a straight-line basis to the estimated residual value 
over the estimated useful life of the leased asset. On a periodic 
basis, operating lease assets are reviewed for impairment and 
impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of 
operating lease assets exceeds fair value and is not recoverable. 
The carrying amount of leased assets is deemed not recoverable 
if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to 
result from the lease payments and the estimated residual value 
upon the eventual disposition of the equipment. Depreciation of 
leased assets and impairment loss are presented in operating 
leases expense within other noninterest expense. 

Operating lease rental income for leased assets is recognized 
in lease income within noninterest income on a straight-line basis 
over the lease term. Variable revenues on operating leases 
include reimbursements of costs, including property taxes, which 
fluctuate over time, as well as rental revenue based on usage. For 
leases of railcars, revenue for maintenance services provided 
under the lease is recognized in lease income. 

We elected to exclude from revenues and expenses any sales 

tax incurred on lease payments which are reimbursed by the 
lessee. Substantially all of our leased assets are protected against 
casualty loss through third-party insurance. 

AS LESSEE  We enter into lease agreements to obtain the right to 
use assets for our business operations, substantially all of which 
are real estate. Lease liabilities and right-of-use (ROU) assets are 
recognized when we enter into operating or financing leases and 
represent our obligations and rights to use these assets over the 
period of the leases and may be re-measured for certain 
modifications, resolution of certain contingencies involving 
variable consideration, or our exercise of options (renewal, 
extension, or termination) under the lease. 

Operating lease liabilities include fixed and in-substance 

fixed payments for the contractual duration of the lease, 
adjusted for renewals or terminations which were considered 
probable of exercise when measured. The lease payments are 
discounted using a rate determined when the lease is recognized. 
As we typically do not know the discount rate implicit in the 
lease, we estimate a discount rate that we believe approximates a 
collateralized borrowing rate for the estimated duration of the 
lease. The discount rate is updated when re-measurement events 
occur. The related operating lease ROU assets may differ from 
operating lease liabilities due to initial direct costs, deferred or 
prepaid lease payments and lease incentives. 

We present operating lease liabilities in accrued expenses 
and other liabilities and the related operating lease ROU assets in 
other assets. The amortization of operating lease ROU assets 
and the accretion of operating lease liabilities are reported 
together as fixed lease expense and are included in net occupancy 
expense within noninterest expense. The fixed lease expense is 
recognized on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease. 
Some of our operating leases include variable lease 
payments which are periodic adjustments of our payments for 
the use of the asset based on changes in factors such as 
consumer price indices, fair market value rents, tax rates imposed 
by taxing authorities, or lessor cost of insurance. To the extent 
not included in operating lease liabilities and operating lease ROU 

assets, these variable lease payments are recognized as incurred 
in net occupancy expense within noninterest expense. 

For substantially all of our leased assets, we account for 
consideration paid under the contract for maintenance or other 
services as lease payments. In addition, for certain asset classes, 
we have elected to exclude leases with original terms of less than 
one year from the operating lease ROU assets and lease 
liabilities. The related short-term lease expense is included in net 
occupancy expense. 

Finance lease (formerly capital lease) liabilities are presented 

in long-term debt and the associated finance ROU assets are 
presented in premises and equipment. 

Securitizations and Beneficial Interests 
Securitizations are transactions in which financial assets are sold 
to a Special Purpose Entity (SPE), which then issues beneficial 
interests in the form of senior and subordinated interests 
collateralized by the transferred financial assets. In some cases, 
we may obtain beneficial interests issued by the SPE. 
Additionally, from time to time, we may re-securitize certain 
financial assets in a new securitization transaction. 

The assets and liabilities transferred to a SPE are excluded 

from our consolidated balance sheet if the transfer qualifies as a 
sale and we are not required to consolidate the SPE. 

For transfers of financial assets recorded as sales, we 
recognize and initially measure at fair value all assets obtained 
(including beneficial interests or mortgage servicing rights) and 
all liabilities incurred. We record a gain or loss in noninterest 
income for the difference between assets obtained (net of 
liabilities incurred) and the carrying amount of the assets sold. 
Interests obtained from, and liabilities incurred in, securitizations 
with off-balance sheet entities may include debt and equity 
securities, loans, MSRs, derivative assets and liabilities, other 
assets, and other obligations such as liabilities for mortgage 
repurchase losses or long-term debt and are accounted for as 
described within this Note. 

Mortgage Servicing Rights 
We recognize MSRs resulting from a sale or securitization of 
loans that we originate (asset transfers) or through a direct 
purchase of such rights. We initially record all of our MSRs at fair 
value. Subsequently, residential loan MSRs are carried at fair 
value. All of our MSRs related to our commercial mortgage loans 
are subsequently measured at LOCOM. The valuation and 
sensitivity of MSRs is discussed further in Note 8 (Securitizations 
and Variable Interest Entities), Note 9 (Mortgage Banking 
Activities) and Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities). 

For MSRs carried at fair value, changes in fair value are 
reported in mortgage banking noninterest income in the period 
in which the change occurs. MSRs subsequently measured at 
LOCOM are amortized in proportion to, and over the period of, 
estimated net servicing income. The amortization of MSRs is 
reported in mortgage banking noninterest income, analyzed 
monthly and adjusted to reflect changes in prepayment speeds, 
as well as other factors. 

MSRs accounted for at LOCOM are periodically evaluated 

for impairment based on the fair value of those assets. For 
purposes of impairment evaluation and measurement, we 
stratify MSRs based on the predominant risk characteristics of 
the underlying loans, including investor and product type. If, by 
individual stratum, the carrying amount of these MSRs exceeds 
fair value, a valuation allowance is established. The valuation 
allowance is adjusted as the fair value changes. 

135 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued) 

Premises and Equipment 
Premises and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated 
depreciation and amortization. We use the straight-line method 
of depreciation and amortization. Estimated useful lives range up 
to 40 years for buildings, up to 10 years for furniture and 
equipment, and the shorter of the estimated useful life (up to 
8 years) or the lease term for leasehold improvements. 

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets 
Goodwill is recorded for business combinations when the 
purchase price is higher than the fair value of the acquired net 
assets, including identifiable intangible assets. 

We assess goodwill for impairment at a reporting unit level 
on an annual basis or more frequently in certain circumstances. 
We have determined that our reporting units are at the 
reportable operating segment level or one level below. We 
identify the reporting units based on how the segments and 
reporting units are managed, taking into consideration the 
economic characteristics, nature of the products and services, 
and customers of the segments and reporting units. We allocate 
goodwill to applicable reporting units based on their relative fair 
value at the time we acquire a business and when we have a 
significant business reorganization. If we sell a business, a portion 
of goodwill is included with the carrying amount of the divested 
business. 

We have the option of performing a qualitative assessment 
of goodwill. We may also elect to bypass the qualitative test and 
proceed directly to a quantitative test. If we perform a qualitative 
assessment of goodwill to test for impairment and conclude it is 
more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is greater 
than its carrying amount, quantitative tests are not required. 
However, if we determine it is more likely than not that a 
reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount, we 
complete a quantitative assessment to determine if there is 
goodwill impairment. We apply various quantitative valuation 
methodologies, including discounted cash flow and earnings 
multiple approaches, to determine the estimated fair value, 
which is compared with the carrying value of each reporting unit. 
A goodwill impairment loss is recognized if the fair value is less 
than the carrying amount, including goodwill. The goodwill 
impairment loss is limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to 
the reporting unit. We recognize impairment losses as a charge 
to other noninterest expense and a reduction to the carrying 
value of goodwill. Subsequent reversals of goodwill impairment 
are prohibited. 

We amortize customer relationship intangible assets on an 

accelerated basis over useful lives not exceeding 10 years. We 
review intangible assets for impairment whenever events or 
changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts 
may not be recoverable. Impairment is indicated if the sum of 
undiscounted estimated future net cash flows is less than the 
carrying value of the asset. Impairment is permanently 
recognized by writing down the asset to the extent that the 
carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value. 

Derivatives and Hedging Activities 
DERIVATIVES  We recognize all derivatives on our consolidated 
balance sheet at fair value. On the date we enter into a derivative 
contract, we categorize the derivative as either an accounting 
hedge, economic hedge or part of our customer accommodation 
trading and other portfolio. 

Accounting hedges are either fair value or cash flow hedges. 

Fair value hedges represent the hedge of the fair value of a 
recognized asset or liability or an unrecognized firm 
commitment, including hedges of foreign currency exposure. 

136 

Cash flow hedges represent the hedge of a forecasted 
transaction or the variability of cash flows to be paid or received 
related to a recognized asset or liability. 

Economic hedges and customer accommodation trading and 

other derivatives do not qualify for, or we have elected not to 
apply, hedge accounting. Economic hedges are derivatives we use 
to manage interest rate, foreign currency and certain other risks 
associated with our non-trading activities. Customer 
accommodation trading and other derivatives primarily 
represents derivatives related to our trading business activities. 
We report changes in the fair values of these derivatives in 
noninterest income. 

FAIR VALUE HEDGES  We record changes in the fair value of the 
derivative in income, except for certain derivatives in which a 
portion is recorded to OCI. We record basis adjustments to the 
amortized cost of the hedged asset or liability due to the changes 
in fair value related to the hedged risk with the offset recorded in 
earnings. We present derivative gains or losses in the same 
income statement category as the hedged asset or liability, as 
follows: 
• 

For fair value hedges of interest rate risk, amounts are 
reflected in net interest income; 
For hedges of foreign currency risk, amounts representing 
the fair value changes less the accrual for periodic cash flow 
settlements are reflected in noninterest income. The 
periodic cash flow settlements are reflected in net interest 
income; 
For hedges of both interest rate risk and foreign currency 
risk, amounts representing the fair value change less the 
accrual for periodic cash flow settlements is attributed to 
both net interest income and noninterest income. The 
periodic cash flow settlements are reflected in net interest 
income. 

• 

• 

The entire derivative gain or loss is included in the 
assessment of hedge effectiveness for all fair value hedge 
relationships, except for hedges of foreign-currency 
denominated AFS debt securities and long-term debt liabilities 
hedged with cross-currency swaps. The change in fair value of 
these swaps attributable to cross-currency basis spread changes 
is excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness. The 
initial fair value of the excluded component is amortized to net 
interest income and the difference between changes in fair value 
of the excluded component and the amount recorded in earnings 
is recorded in OCI. 

CASH FLOW HEDGES  We record changes in the fair value of the 
derivative in OCI. We subsequently reclassify gains and losses 
from these changes in fair value from OCI to earnings in the same 
period(s) that the hedged transaction affects earnings and in the 
same income statement category as the hedged item. For cash 
flow hedges of interest rate risk associated with floating-rate 
commercial loans and long-term debt, these amounts are 
reflected in net interest income. For cash flow hedges of foreign 
currency risk associated with fixed-rate long-term debt, these 
amounts are reflected in net interest income. The entire gain or 
loss on these derivatives is included in the assessment of hedge 
effectiveness. 

DOCUMENTATION AND EFFECTIVENESS ASSESSMENT FOR 
ACCOUNTING HEDGES  For fair value and cash flow hedges 
qualifying for hedge accounting, we formally document at 
inception the relationship between hedging instruments and 
hedged items, our risk management objective, strategy and our 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
  
evaluation of effectiveness for our hedge transactions. This 
process includes linking all derivatives designated as fair value or 
cash flow hedges to specific assets and liabilities on our 
consolidated balance sheet or to specific forecasted transactions. 
We assess hedge effectiveness using regression analysis, both at 
inception of the hedging relationship and on an ongoing basis. 
For fair value hedges, the regression analysis involves regressing 
the periodic change in fair value of the hedging instrument 
against the periodic changes in fair value of the asset or liability 
being hedged due to changes in the hedged risk(s). For cash flow 
hedges, the regression analysis involves regressing the periodic 
changes in fair value of the hedging instrument against the 
periodic changes in fair value of a hypothetical derivative. The 
hypothetical derivative has terms that identically match and 
offset the cash flows of the forecasted transaction being hedged 
due to changes in the hedged risk(s). The initial assessment for 
fair value and cash flow hedges includes an evaluation of the 
quantitative measures of the regression results used to validate 
the conclusion of high effectiveness. Periodically, as required, we 
also formally assess whether the derivative we designated in 
each hedging relationship is expected to be and has been highly 
effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of the 
hedged item using the regression analysis method. 

DISCONTINUING HEDGE ACCOUNTING  We discontinue hedge 
accounting prospectively when (1) a derivative is no longer highly 
effective in offsetting changes in the fair value or cash flows of a 
hedged item, (2) a derivative expires or is sold, terminated or 
exercised, (3) we elect to discontinue the designation of a 
derivative as a hedge, or (4) in a cash flow hedge, a derivative is 
de-designated because it is no longer probable that a forecasted 
transaction will occur. 

When we discontinue fair value hedge accounting, we no 
longer adjust the previously hedged asset or liability for changes 
in fair value. The remaining cumulative adjustments to the 
hedged item and accumulated amounts reported in OCI are 
accounted for in the same manner as other components of the 
carrying amount of the asset or liability. For example, for financial 
debt instruments such as AFS debt securities, loans or long-term 
debt, these amounts are amortized into net interest income over 
the remaining life of the asset or liability similar to other 
amortized cost basis adjustments. If the hedged item is 
derecognized, the accumulated amounts reported in OCI are 
immediately reclassified to net interest income. If the derivative 
continues to be held after fair value hedge accounting ceases, we 
carry the derivative on the consolidated balance sheet at its fair 
value with changes in fair value included in noninterest income. 
When we discontinue cash flow hedge accounting and it is 

probable that the forecasted transaction will occur, the 
accumulated amount reported in OCI at the de-designation date 
continues to be reported in OCI until the forecasted transaction 
affects earnings at which point the related OCI amount is 
reclassified to net interest income. If cash flow hedge accounting 
is discontinued and it is probable the forecasted transaction will 
no longer occur, the accumulated gains and losses reported in 
OCI at the de-designation date is immediately reclassified to 
noninterest income. If the derivative continues to be held after 
cash flow hedge accounting ceases, we carry the derivative on our 
consolidated balance sheet at its fair value with changes in fair 
value included in noninterest income. 

EMBEDDED DERIVATIVES  We may purchase or originate financial 
instruments that contain an embedded derivative. At inception 
of the financial instrument, we assess (1) if the economic 
characteristics of the embedded derivative are not clearly and 

closely related to the economic characteristics of the host 
contract, (2) if the financial instrument that embodies both the 
embedded derivative and the host contract is not measured at 
fair value with changes in fair value reported in earnings, and (3) if 
a separate instrument with the same terms as the embedded 
instrument would meet the definition of a derivative. If the 
embedded derivative meets all of these conditions, we separate 
it from the hybrid contract by recording the bifurcated derivative 
at fair value and the remaining host contract at the difference 
between the basis of the hybrid instrument and the fair value of 
the bifurcated derivative. The bifurcated derivative is carried at 
fair value with changes recorded in noninterest income and 
reported within our consolidated balance sheet as a derivative 
asset or liability. The accounting for the remaining host contract 
is the same as other assets and liabilities of a similar type and 
reported within our consolidated balance sheet based upon the 
accounting classification of the instrument. 

COUNTERPARTY CREDIT RISK AND NETTING  By using derivatives, 
we are exposed to counterparty credit risk, which is the risk that 
counterparties to the derivative contracts do not perform as 
expected. If a counterparty fails to perform, our counterparty 
credit risk is equal to the amount reported as a derivative asset 
on our consolidated balance sheet. The amounts reported as a 
derivative asset are derivative contracts in a gain position, and to 
the extent subject to legally enforceable master netting 
arrangements, net of derivatives in a loss position with the same 
counterparty and cash collateral received. We minimize 
counterparty credit risk through credit approvals, limits, 
monitoring procedures, executing master netting arrangements 
and obtaining collateral, where appropriate. Counterparty credit 
risk related to derivatives is considered in determining fair value 
and our assessment of hedge effectiveness. To the extent 
derivatives subject to master netting arrangements meet the 
applicable requirements, including determining the legal 
enforceability of the arrangement, it is our policy to present 
derivative balances and related cash collateral amounts net on 
our consolidated balance sheet. We incorporate adjustments to 
reflect counterparty credit risk (credit valuation adjustments 
(CVA)) in determining the fair value of our derivatives. CVA, 
which considers the effects of enforceable master netting 
agreements and collateral arrangements, reflects market-based 
views of the credit quality of each counterparty. We estimate 
CVA based on observed credit spreads in the credit default swap 
market and indices indicative of the credit quality of the 
counterparties to our derivatives. 

Cash collateral exchanged related to our interest rate 
derivatives, and certain commodity and equity derivatives, with 
centrally cleared counterparties is recorded as a reduction of the 
derivative fair value asset and liability balances, as opposed to 
separate non-derivative receivables or payables. This cash 
collateral, also referred to as variation margin, is exchanged 
based upon derivative fair value changes, typically on a one-day 
lag. For additional information on our derivatives and hedging 
activities, see Note 16 (Derivatives). 

Equity Securities 
Equity securities exclude investments that represent a 
controlling interest in the investee. Marketable equity securities 
have readily determinable fair values and include, but are not 
limited to securities used in our trading activities. Marketable 
equity securities are recorded at fair value with realized and 
unrealized gains and losses recognized in net gains on trading and 
securities in noninterest income. Dividend income from 
marketable equity securities is recognized in interest income. 

137 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued) 

Nonmarketable equity securities do not have readily 
determinable fair values. These securities are accounted for 
under one of the following accounting methods: 
• 

Fair value: This method is an election. The securities are 
recorded at fair value with unrealized gains or losses 
reflected in noninterest income; 
Equity method: This method is applied when we have the 
ability to exert significant influence over the investee. These 
securities are carried at cost and adjusted for our share of 
the investee’s earnings or losses, less any dividends received 
and/or impairments; 
Cost method: This method is required for specific securities, 
such as Federal Reserve Bank stock and Federal Home Loan 
Bank stock. These investments are held at amortized cost 
less any impairments. If impaired, the carrying value is 
written down to the fair value of the security; 

• 

• 

•  Measurement alternative: This method is followed by all 

remaining nonmarketable equity securities. These securities 
are initially carried at amortized cost and are remeasured to 
fair value as of the date of an orderly observable transaction 
of the same or similar security of the same issuer. These 
securities are also adjusted for any impairments. 

Equity method adjustments for our share of the investee’s 

earnings or losses are recognized in other noninterest income. All 
other realized and unrealized gains and losses, including 
impairment losses, from nonmarketable equity securities are 
recognized in net gains on trading and securities in noninterest 
income. Dividends from equity method securities are recognized 
as a reduction of the investment carrying value. Dividend income 
from all other nonmarketable equity securities is recognized in 
interest income. 

Our review for impairment for equity method, cost method 

and measurement alternative securities includes an analysis of 
the facts and circumstances of each security, the intent or 
requirement to sell the security, the expectations of cash flows, 
capital needs and the viability of its business model. For equity 
method and cost method investments, we reduce the asset’s 
carrying value when we consider declines in value to be other 
than temporary. For securities accounted for under the 
measurement alternative, we reduce the asset’s carrying value 
when the fair value is less than carrying value, without the 
consideration of recovery. 

Pension Accounting 
We sponsor a frozen noncontributory qualified defined benefit 
retirement plan, the Wells Fargo & Company Cash Balance Plan 
(Cash Balance Plan), which covers eligible employees of 
Wells Fargo. We also sponsor nonqualified defined benefit plans 
that provide supplemental defined benefit pension benefits to 
certain eligible employees. We account for our defined benefit 
pension plans using an actuarial model. Principal assumptions 
used in determining the net periodic pension cost and the 
pension obligation include the discount rate, the expected long-
term rate of return on plan assets and projected mortality rates. 
A discount rate is used to estimate the present value of our 

future pension benefit obligations. We use a consistent 
methodology to determine the discount rate using a yield curve 
with maturity dates that closely match the estimated timing of 
the expected benefit payments for our plans. The yield curve is 
derived from a broad-based universe of high-quality corporate 
bonds as of the measurement date. 

Our determination of the reasonableness of our expected 

long-term rate of return on plan assets is highly quantitative by 
nature. We evaluate the current asset allocations and expected 

138 

returns under two sets of conditions: (1) projected returns using 
several forward-looking capital market assumptions, and (2) 
historical returns for the main asset classes dating back to 1970 
or the earliest period for which historical data was readily 
available for the asset classes included. Using long-term 
historical data allows us to capture multiple economic 
environments, which we believe is relevant when using historical 
returns. We place greater emphasis on the forward-looking 
return and risk assumptions than on historical results. We use the 
resulting projections to derive a base line expected rate of return 
and risk level for the Cash Balance Plan’s prescribed asset mix. 
We evaluate the portfolio based on: (1) the established target 
asset allocations over short term (one-year) and longer term 
(ten-year) investment horizons, and (2) the range of potential 
outcomes over these horizons within specific standard 
deviations. We perform the above analyses to assess the 
reasonableness of our expected long-term rate of return on plan 
assets. We consider the expected rate of return to be a long-
term average view of expected returns. 

Mortality rate assumptions are based on mortality tables 

published by the Society of Actuaries adjusted to reflect our 
specific experience. 

At year end, we re-measure our defined benefit plan 
liabilities and related plan assets and recognize any resulting 
actuarial gain or loss in other comprehensive income. We 
generally amortize net actuarial gain or loss in excess of a 5% 
corridor from accumulated OCI into net periodic pension cost 
over the estimated average remaining participation period, which 
at December 31, 2020, is 19 years. See Note 21 (Employee 
Benefits and Other Expenses) for additional information on our 
pension accounting. 

Income Taxes 
We file income tax returns in the jurisdictions in which we 
operate and evaluate income tax expense in two components: 
current and deferred income tax expense. Current income tax 
expense represents our estimated taxes to be paid or refunded 
for the current period and includes income tax expense related to 
uncertain tax positions. Uncertain tax positions that meet the 
more likely than not recognition threshold are measured to 
determine the amount of benefit to recognize. An uncertain tax 
position is measured at the largest amount of benefit that 
management believes has a greater than 50% likelihood of 
realization upon settlement. Tax benefits not meeting our 
realization criteria represent unrecognized tax benefits. 

Deferred income taxes are based on the balance sheet 
method and deferred income tax expense results from changes 
in deferred tax assets and liabilities between periods. Under the 
balance sheet method, the net deferred tax asset or liability is 
based on the tax effects of the differences between the book and 
tax basis of assets and liabilities, and enacted changes in tax rates 
and laws are recognized in the period in which they occur. 
Deferred tax assets are recognized subject to management’s 
judgment that realization is more likely than not. A valuation 
allowance reduces deferred tax assets to the realizable amount. 
See Note 23 (Income Taxes) to Financial Statements in this 
Report for a further description of our provision for income taxes 
and related income tax assets and liabilities. 

Stock-Based Compensation 
We have stock-based employee compensation plans as more 
fully discussed in Note 19 (Common Stock and Stock Plans). Our 
Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan provides awards for 
employee services in the form of incentive and nonqualified 
stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares, 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
restricted share rights (RSRs), performance share awards (PSAs) 
and stock awards without restrictions. Stock options have not 
been issued in the last three years and no stock options were 
outstanding at December 31, 2020. Stock-based awards are 
measured at fair value on the grant date. The cost is recognized 
in personnel expense, net of actual forfeitures, in our 
consolidated statement of income normally over the vesting 
period of the award; awards with graded vesting are expensed on 
a straight-line method. Awards to employees who are retirement 
eligible at the grant date are subject to immediate expensing 
upon grant. Awards to employees who become retirement 
eligible before the final vesting date are expensed between the 
grant date and the date the employee becomes retirement 
eligible. Except for retirement and other limited circumstances, 
RSRs are canceled when employment ends. 

Beginning in 2013, certain RSRs and all PSAs granted include 

discretionary conditions that can result in forfeiture and are 
measured at fair value initially and subsequently until the 
discretionary conditions end. For these awards, the associated 
compensation expense fluctuates with changes in our stock 
price. For PSAs, compensation expense also fluctuates based on 
the estimated outcome of meeting the performance 
conditions. The total expense that will be recognized on these 
awards is finalized upon the completion of the performance 
period (the determination of which awards will vest is a 
combination of performance conditions and discretion). 

Earnings Per Common Share 
We compute earnings per common share by dividing net income 
applicable to common stock (net income less dividends on 
preferred stock and the excess of consideration transferred over 
carrying value of preferred stock redeemed, if any) by the 
average number of common shares outstanding during the 
period. We compute diluted earnings per common share using 
net income applicable to common stock and adding the effect of 
common stock equivalents (e.g., restricted share rights) that are 
dilutive to the average number of common shares outstanding 
during the period. 

Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities 
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an 
asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction 
between market participants at the measurement date. Fair 
value is based on an exit price notion that maximizes the use of 
observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. 

We measure our assets and liabilities at fair value when we 
are required to record them at fair value, when we have elected 
the fair value option, and to fulfill fair value disclosure 
requirements. Assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value on a 
recurring or nonrecurring basis. Assets and liabilities that are 
recorded at fair value on a recurring basis require a fair value 
measurement at each reporting period. Those that are recorded 
at fair value on a nonrecurring basis are adjusted to fair value only 
as required through the application of an accounting method 
such as LOCOM, the measurement alternative, or write-downs of 
individual assets. 

We classify our assets and liabilities measured at fair value 

based upon a three-level hierarchy that assigns the highest 
priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets and the 
lowest priority to unobservable inputs. The three levels are as 
follows: 
• 

Level 1 – Valuation is based upon quoted prices for identical 
instruments traded in active markets. 
Level 2 – Valuation is based upon quoted prices for similar 
instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or 
similar instruments in markets that are not active, and 
model-based valuation techniques for which all significant 
assumptions are observable in the market. 
Level 3 – Valuation is generated from techniques that use 
significant assumptions that are not observable in the 
market. These unobservable assumptions reflect our 
estimates of assumptions that market participants would 
use in pricing the asset or liability. Valuation techniques 
include use of discounted cash flow models, market 
comparable pricing, option pricing models, and similar 
techniques. 

• 

• 

We monitor the availability of observable market data to 
assess the appropriate classification of financial instruments 
within the fair value hierarchy and transfers between Level 1, 
Level 2, and Level 3 accordingly. Observable market data includes 
but is not limited to quoted prices and market transactions. 
Changes in economic conditions or market liquidity generally will 
drive changes in availability of observable market data. Changes 
in availability of observable market data, which also may result in 
changing the valuation technique used, are generally the cause of 
transfers between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. The amounts 
reported as transfers represent the fair value as of the beginning 
of the quarter in which the transfer occurred. 

See Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities) for a more 
detailed discussion of the valuation methodologies that we apply 
to our assets and liabilities. 

139 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued) 

Supplemental Cash Flow Information 
Significant noncash activities are presented in Table 1.4. 

Table 1.4:  Supplemental Cash Flow Information 

(in millions) 

Available-for-sale debt securities purchased from securitization of LHFS (1) 

$ 

Held-to-maturity debt securities purchased from securitization of LHFS (1) 

Transfers from loans to LHFS (2) 

Transfers from available-for-sale debt securities to held-to-maturity debt securities 

Operating lease ROU assets acquired with operating lease liabilities (3) 

2020 

21,768 

9,912 

19,975 

31,815 

658 

Year ended December 31, 

2019 

— 

289 

6,453 

13,833 

5,804 

2018 

— 

149 

7,984 

16,479 

— 

(1) 

(2) 
(3) 

For the year ended December 31, 2020, predominantly represents agency mortgage-backed securities purchased upon settlement of the sale and securitization of our conforming residential 
mortgage loans. See Note 8 (Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities) for additional information. 
Prior periods have been revised to conform to the current period presentation. 
Includes amounts attributable to new leases and changes from modified leases. The year ended December 31, 2019, balance also includes $4.9 billion from adoption of ASU 2016-02 – Leases 
(Topic 842). 

Subsequent Events 
We have evaluated the effects of events that have occurred 
subsequent to December 31, 2020, and, except as disclosed in 
Note 15 (Legal Actions) and Note 18 (Preferred Stock), there 
have been no material events that would require recognition in 
our 2020 consolidated financial statements or disclosure in the 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements. 

140 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Note 2:  Trading Activities 

Table 2.1 presents a summary of our trading assets and liabilities 
measured at fair value through earnings. 

Table 2.1:  Trading Assets and Liabilities 

(in millions) 

Trading assets: 

Debt securities 

Equity securities 

Loans held for sale 

Gross trading derivative assets 

Netting (1) 

Total trading derivative assets 

Total trading assets 

Trading liabilities: 

Short sale 

Gross trading derivative liabilities 

Netting (1) 

Total trading derivative liabilities 

Total trading liabilities 

Dec 31, 
2020 

75,095 

23,032 

1,015 

58,767 

(34,301) 

24,466 

123,608 

22,441 

53,285 

(39,444) 

13,841

36,282 

$ 

$ 

Dec 31, 
2019 

79,733 

27,440 

972 

34,825 

(21,463) 

13,362 

121,507 

17,430 

33,861 

(26,074) 

7,787

25,217 

(1)

Represents balance sheet netting for trading derivative asset and liability balances, and trading portfolio level counterparty valuation adjustments.

Table 2.2 provides a summary of the net interest income 

earned from trading securities, and net gains and losses due to 
the realized and unrealized gains and losses from trading 
activities. 

Net interest income also includes dividend income on 
trading securities and dividend expense on trading securities we 
have sold, but not yet purchased. 

Table 2.2:  Net Interest Income and Net Gains (Losses) on Trading Activities 

(in millions) 

Interest income: 

Debt securities 

Equity securities 

Loans held for sale 

Total interest income 

Less: Interest expense 

Net interest income 

Net gains (losses) from trading activities (1): 

Debt securities 

Equity securities 

Loans held for sale 

Derivatives (2) 

Total net gains from trading activities 

Total trading-related net interest and noninterest income 

2020 

2,530 

366 

30 

2,926

442 

2,484

2,697 

(630) 

28 

(923) 

1,172

3,656 

$ 

$ 

Year ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

3,130 

579 

78 

3,787

525

3,262

1,053 

4,795 

12 

(4,867) 

993

4,255 

2,831 

587 

62 

3,480

587

2,893

(824) 

(4,240) 

(1) 

5,667 

602

3,495 

(1)
(2)

Represents realized gains (losses) from our trading activities and unrealized gains (losses) due to changes in fair value of our trading positions.
Excludes economic hedging of mortgage banking and asset/liability management activities, for which hedge results (realized and unrealized) are reported with the respective hedged activities.

141 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
  
Note 3:  Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities 

Table 3.1 provides the amortized cost, net of the ACL for debt 
securities, and fair value by major categories of AFS debt 
securities, which are carried at fair value, and HTM debt 
securities, which are carried at amortized cost, net of the ACL. 
The net unrealized gains (losses) for AFS debt securities are 
reported as a component of cumulative OCI, net of the ACL and 
applicable income taxes. Information on debt securities held for 
trading is included in Note 2 (Trading Activities). 

Outstanding balances exclude accrued interest receivable on 
AFS and HTM debt securities which are included in other assets. 
During 2020, we reversed accrued interest receivable on our AFS 
and HTM debt securities by reversing interest income. The 
interest income reversed was insignificant. See Note 7 (Premises, 
Equipment and Other Assets) for additional information on 
accrued interest receivable. 

Table 3.1:  Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities Outstanding 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 
Available-for-sale debt securities: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 
Non-U.S. government securities 
Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions (2) 
Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 
Non-agency mortgage-backed securities (3) 
Collateralized loan obligations 
Other debt securities 

Total available-for-sale debt securities 

Held-to-maturity debt securities: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 
Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 
Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 
Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 
Collateralized loan obligations 

Total held-to-maturity debt securities 

Total (4) 

December 31, 2019 

Available-for-sale debt securities: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Non-U.S. government securities 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions (2) 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities (3) 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Other debt securities 

Total available-for-sale debt securities 

Held-to-maturity debt securities: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Total held-to-maturity debt securities 

Total (4) 

Amortized 
cost net (1) 

Gross 
unrealized gains 

Gross 
unrealized losses 

Fair value 

$ 

21,954 

16,816 

19,263 

134,838 

3,745 

9,058 

9,859 

215,533 

47,295 

25,860 

115,437 

890 

16,238 

205,720 

$ 

421,253 

$ 

14,948 

— 

39,381 

160,318 

4,713 

29,153 

11,547 

260,060 

45,541 

13,486 

94,078 

791 

37 

153,933 

$ 

413,993 

205 

— 

224 

4,260 

30 

4 

399 

5,122 

1,472 

938 

4,182 

51 

148 

6,791 

11,913 

13 

— 

992 

2,299 

55 

25 

402

3,786 

617 

286 

2,083 

10 

— 

2,996 

6,782 

— 

(3) 

(81) 

(28) 

(46) 

(44) 

(61) 

22,159 

16,813 

19,406 

139,070 

3,729 

9,018 

10,197 

(263) 

220,392 

(170) 

(5) 

(21) 

(8) 

— 

(204) 

(467) 

(1) 

— 

(36) 

(164) 

(7) 

(123) 

(56)

(387) 

(19) 

(13) 

(25) 

(12) 

— 

(69) 

(456) 

48,597 

26,793 

119,598 

933 

16,386 

212,307 

432,699 

14,960 

— 

40,337 

162,453 

4,761 

29,055 

11,893

263,459 

46,139 

13,759 

96,136 

789 

37 

156,860

420,319 

(1) 

(2) 

Represents amortized cost of the securities, net of the ACL of $28 million related to AFS debt securities and $41 million related to HTM debt securities at December 31, 2020. Prior to our adoption 
of CECL on January 1, 2020, the allowance for credit losses related to AFS and HTM debt securities was not applicable and is therefore presented as $0 at December 31, 2019. For additional 
information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 
Includes investments in tax-exempt preferred debt securities issued by investment funds or trusts that predominantly invest in tax-exempt municipal securities. The amortized cost net of allowance 
for credit losses and fair value of these types of securities was $5.0 billion at December 31, 2020, and $5.8 billion at December 31, 2019. 
Predominantly consists of commercial mortgage-backed securities at both December 31, 2020 and 2019. 

(3) 
(4)  We held AFS and HTM debt securities from Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) that each exceeded 10% of stockholders’ equity, 

with an amortized cost of $99.8 billion and $88.7 billion and a fair value of $103.2 billion and $91.5 billion at December 31, 2020, and an amortized cost of $98.5 billion and $84.1 billion and a fair 
value of $100.3 billion and $85.5 billion at December 31, 2019, respectively. 

142 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 3.2 details the breakout of purchases of and transfers 

to HTM debt securities by major category of security. 

Table 3.2:  Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities Purchases and Transfers 

(in millions) 

Purchases of held-to-maturity debt securities (1): 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Collateralized loan obligations 

$ 

Total purchases of held-to-maturity debt securities 

Transfers from available-for-sale debt securities to held-to-maturity debt securities: 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Total transfers from available-for-sale debt securities to held-to-maturity debt securities 

$ 

(1) 

Inclusive of securities purchased but not yet settled and noncash purchases from securitization of LHFS. 

Table 3.3 shows the composition of interest income, 
provision for credit losses, and gross realized gains and losses 
from sales and impairment write-downs included in earnings 
related to AFS and HTM debt securities (pre-tax). 

Table 3.3:  Income Statement Impacts for Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

3,016 

1,906 

51,320 

126 

688 

57,056 

10,721 

5,522 

15,572 

31,815 

757 

1,583 

6,610 

288 

— 

9,238 

5,912 

7,921 

— 

13,833 

— 

— 

— 

149 

— 

149 

— 

16,479 

— 

16,479 

(in millions) 

Interest income (1): 

Available-for-sale 

Held-to-maturity 

Total interest income 

Provision for credit losses (2): 

Available-for-sale 

Held-to-maturity 

Total provision for credit losses 

Realized gains and losses (3): 

Gross realized gains 

Gross realized losses 

Impairment write-downs included in earnings: 

Credit-related (4) 

Intent-to-sell 

Total impairment write-downs included in earnings 

Net realized gains 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

$ 

$ 

4,992 

3,712 

8,704 

89 

35 

124 

931 

(43) 

— 

(15) 

(15) 

873 

8,092 

3,733 

11,825 

8,146 

3,429 

11,575 

— 

— 

— 

227 

(24) 

(27) 

(36) 

(63) 

140 

— 

— 

— 

155 

(19) 

(27) 

(1) 

(28) 

108 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 
(4) 

Excludes interest income from trading debt securities, which is disclosed in Note 2 (Trading Activities). 
Prior to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, the provision for credit losses from debt securities was not applicable and is therefore presented as $0 for prior periods. For additional information, 
see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 
Realized gains and losses relate to AFS debt securities. There were no realized gains or losses from HTM debt securities in all periods presented. 
For the year ended December 31, 2020, credit-related impairment recognized in earnings is classified as provision for credit losses due to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. For additional 
information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 

Credit Quality 
We monitor credit quality of debt securities by evaluating various 
attributes and utilize such information in our evaluation of the 
appropriateness of the ACL for debt securities. The credit quality 
indicators that we most closely monitor include credit ratings 
and delinquency status and are based on information as of our 
financial statement date. 

CREDIT RATINGS  Credit ratings express opinions about the credit 
quality of a debt security. We determine the credit rating of a 
security according to the lowest credit rating made available by 

national recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs). 
Debt securities rated investment grade, that is those with ratings 
similar to BBB-/Baa3 or above, as defined by NRSROs, are 
generally considered by the rating agencies and market 
participants to be low credit risk. Conversely, debt securities 
rated below investment grade, labeled as “speculative grade” by 
the rating agencies, are considered to be distinctively higher 
credit risk than investment grade debt securities. For debt 
securities not rated by NRSROs, we determine an internal credit
grade of the debt securities (used for credit risk management
purposes) equivalent to the credit ratings assigned by major

143 

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Note 3:  Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities (continued) 

credit agencies. Substantially all of our debt securities were rated 
by NRSROs at December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019. 
Table 3.4 shows the percentage of fair value of AFS debt 
securities and amortized cost of HTM debt securities determined 

Table 3.4:  Investment Grade Debt Securities 

to be rated investment grade, inclusive of securities rated based 
on internal credit grades. 

($ in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Total portfolio (1) 

Breakdown by category: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies (2) 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Collateralized loan obligations (3) 

All other debt securities (4) 

December 31, 2019 

Total portfolio (1) 

Breakdown by category: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies (2) 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Collateralized loan obligations (3) 

All other debt securities (4) 

Available-for-Sale 

Held-to-Maturity 

Fair value  % investment grade 

Amortized cost  % investment grade 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

220,392 

99% 

205,761 

161,229 

19,406 

9,018 

30,739 

100% 

99 

100 

93 

162,732 

25,870 

16,255 

904 

263,459 

99% 

153,933 

177,413 

40,337 

29,055 

16,654 

100% 

99 

100 

82 

139,619 

13,486 

37 

791 

99% 

100% 

100 

100 

6 

99% 

100% 

100 

100 

4 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 

92% and 95% were rated AA- and above at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
Includes federal agency mortgage-backed securities. 
98% were rated AA- and above at both December 31, 2020 and 2019. 
Includes non-U.S. government, non-agency mortgage-backed, and all other debt securities. 

DELINQUENCY STATUS AND NONACCRUAL DEBT SECURITIES 
Debt security issuers that are delinquent in payment of 
amounts due under contractual debt agreements have a 
higher probability of recognition of credit losses. As such, as 
part of our monitoring of the credit quality of the debt 
security portfolio, we consider whether debt securities we 
own are past due in payment of principal or interest 
payments and whether any securities have been placed into 
nonaccrual status. 

Debt securities that are past due and still accruing 
were insignificant at both December 31, 2020 and 2019. The 
carrying value of debt securities in nonaccrual status was 
insignificant at both December 31, 2020 and 2019. Charge-
offs on debt securities were insignificant for the year ended 
December 31, 2020. Purchased debt securities with credit 
deterioration (PCD) are not considered to be in nonaccrual 
status, as payments from issuers of these securities remain 
current. PCD securities were insignificant during the year 
ended December 31, 2020. 

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Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Unrealized Losses of Available-for-Sale Debt Securities 
Table 3.5 shows the gross unrealized losses and fair value of AFS 
debt securities by length of time those individual securities in 
each category have been in a continuous loss position. Debt 
securities on which we have recorded credit impairment are 
categorized as being “less than 12 months” or “12 months or 

more” in a continuous loss position based on the point in time 
that the fair value declined to below the (1) for the current period 
presented, amortized cost basis net of allowance for credit 
losses, or the (2) for the prior period presented, amortized cost 
basis. 

Table 3.5:  Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Value – Available-for-Sale Debt Securities 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Available-for-sale debt securities: 

Less than 12 months 

12 months or more 

Total 

Gross 
unrealized 
losses 

Fair value 

Gross 
unrealized 
losses 

Fair value 

Gross 
unrealized 
losses 

Fair value 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

$ 

Non-U.S. government securities 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Other debt securities 

— 

(3) 

(51) 

(27) 

(28) 

(27) 

(16) 

— 

16,812 

3,681 

11,310 

1,366 

5,082 

647 

— 

— 

(30) 

(1) 

(18) 

(17) 

(45) 

Total available-for-sale debt securities 

$ 

(152) 

38,898 

(111) 

December 31, 2019 

Available-for-sale debt securities: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Non-U.S. government securities 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Other debt securities 

Total available-for-sale debt securities 

$ 

$ 

— 

— 

(10) 

(50) 

(4) 

(13) 

(21) 

(98) 

— 

— 

2,776 

16,807 

1,147 

5,001 

1,959 

27,690 

(1) 

— 

(26) 

(114) 

(3) 

(110) 

(35) 

(289) 

— 

— 

1,101 

316 

534 

1,798 

1,604 

5,353 

2,423 

— 

2,418 

10,641 

244 

16,789 

708 

33,223 

— 

(3) 

(81) 

(28) 

(46) 

(44) 

(61) 

— 

16,812 

4,782 

11,626 

1,900 

6,880 

2,251 

(263) 

44,251 

(1) 

— 

(36) 

(164) 

(7) 

(123) 

(56) 

(387) 

2,423 

— 

5,194 

27,448 

1,391 

21,790 

2,667 

60,913 

We have assessed each debt security with gross unrealized 

For descriptions of the factors we consider when analyzing 

losses included in the previous table for credit impairment. As 
part of that assessment we evaluated and concluded that we do 
not intend to sell any of the debt securities, and that it is more 
likely than not that we will not be required to sell, prior to 
recovery of the amortized cost basis. We evaluate, where 
necessary, whether credit impairment exists by comparing the 
present value of the expected cash flows to the debt securities’ 
amortized cost basis. In prior periods, credit impairment was 
recorded as a write-down to the amortized cost basis of the 
security. In the current period, credit impairment is recorded as 
an ACL for debt securities. 

debt securities for impairment as well as methodology and 
significant inputs used to measure credit losses, see Note 1 
(Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 

145 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
Note 3:  Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities (continued) 

Contractual Maturities 
Table 3.6 and Table 3.7 show the remaining contractual 
maturities, amortized cost net of the ACL, fair value and 
weighted average effective yields of AFS and HTM debt 
securities, respectively. The remaining contractual principal 

Table 3.6:  Contractual Maturities – Available-for-Sale Debt Securities 

maturities for MBS do not consider prepayments. Remaining 
expected maturities will differ from contractual maturities 
because borrowers may have the right to prepay obligations 
before the underlying mortgages mature. 

By remaining contractual maturity ($ in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Available-for-sale debt securities (1): 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Non-U.S. government securities 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Other debt securities 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Total available-for-sale debt securities 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Total 

Within 
one year 

After 
one year 
through 
five years 

After 
five years 
through 
ten years 

After 
ten years 

$ 

21,954 

22,159 

0.47% 

$ 

16,816 

16,813 

(0.14%) 

$ 

19,263 

19,406 

2.09% 

$ 

134,838 

139,070 

2.74% 

$ 

$ 

3,745 

3,729 

2.17  %

9,058 

9,018 

1.75% 

$ 

9,859 

10,197 

3.29% 

$ 

$ 

215,533 

220,392 

2.21% 

1,512 

1,512 

0.11 

16,816 

16,813 

(0.14) 

1,501 

1,494 

1.49 

8 

8 

2.36 

— 

— 

 —

— 

— 

— 

381 

380 

3.89 

20,218 

20,207 

0.19 

14,272 

14,306 

0.33 

— 

— 

—

2,373 

2,420 

1.64 

239 

247 

2.07 

— 

— 

 — 

195 

194 

2.44 

2,762 

2,907 

4.46 

19,841 

20,074 

1.10 

4,037 

4,042 

0.61 

— 

— 

 —

4,594 

4,630 

1.23 

3,312 

3,413 

2.12 

266 

266 

1.90 

7,023 

6,996 

1.80 

3,202 

3,263 

3.22 

2,133 

2,299 

1.44 

— 

— 

 — 

10,795 

10,862 

2.65 

131,279 

135,402 

2.76 

3,479 

3,463 

2.19 

1,840 

1,828 

1.51 

3,514 

3,647 

2.37 

22,434 

22,610 

1.72 

153,040 

157,501 

2.69 

(1)  Weighted average yields displayed by maturity bucket are weighted based on amortized cost without effect for any related hedging derivatives and are shown pre-tax. 

146 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 3.7:  Contractual Maturities – Held-to-Maturity Debt Securities 

By remaining contractual maturity ($ in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Held-to-maturity debt securities (1): 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Total held-to-maturity debt securities 

Amortized cost, net 

Fair value 

Weighted average yield 

Total 

Within 
one year 

After 
one year 
through 
five years 

After 
five years 
through 
ten years 

After 
ten years 

$ 

47,295 

48,597 

2.14% 

$ 

25,860 

26,793 

2.16% 

$ 

115,437 

119,598 

2.51% 

$ 

890 

933 

3.16% 

$ 

16,238 

16,386 

1.75% 

$ 

205,720 

212,307 

2.33% 

30,759 

31,063 

2.13 

478 

481 

1.84 

— 

— 

—

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

12,755 

13,735 

2.34 

2,083 

2,154 

1.78 

— 

— 

 — 

15 

14 

1.48 

29 

29 

2.31 

31,237 

31,544 

2.13 

14,882 

15,932 

2.26 

— 

— 

— 

2,124 

2,228 

2.72 

700 

751 

1.41 

— 

— 

— 

8,441 

8,492 

1.72 

11,265 

11,471 

1.89 

3,781 

3,799 

1.57 

21,175 

21,930 

2.15 

114,737 

118,847 

2.52 

875 

919 

3.19 

7,768 

7,865 

1.78 

148,336 

153,360 

2.41 

(1)  Weighted average yields displayed by maturity bucket are weighted based on amortized cost and are shown pre-tax. 

147 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses 

Table 4.1 presents total loans outstanding by portfolio segment 
and class of financing receivable. Outstanding balances include 
unearned income, net deferred loan fees or costs, and 
unamortized discounts and premiums. These amounts were less 
than 1% of our total loans outstanding at December 31, 2020, 
and December 31, 2019. 

Outstanding balances exclude accrued interest receivable on 
loans, except for certain revolving loans, such as credit card loans. 

During 2020, we reversed accrued interest receivable of 
$43 million for our commercial portfolio segment and 
$195 million for our consumer portfolio segment. See Note 7 
(Premises, Equipment and Other Assets) for additional 
information on accrued interest receivable. 

Table 4.1:  Loans Outstanding 

(in millions) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer:

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total loans 

2020 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

December 31, 

$ 

318,805 

121,720 

21,805 

16,087 

478,417

354,125 

121,824 

19,939 

19,831 

350,199 

121,014 

22,496 

19,696 

333,125 

126,599 

24,279 

19,385 

330,840 

132,491 

23,916 

19,289 

515,719

513,405

503,388

506,536

276,674 

293,847 

285,065 

284,054 

275,579 

23,286 

36,664 

48,187 

24,409 

409,220

$ 

887,637 

29,509 

41,013 

47,873 

34,304 

446,546

962,265 

34,398 

39,025 

45,069 

36,148 

439,705

953,110 

39,713 

37,976 

53,371 

38,268 

453,382

956,770 

46,237 

36,700 

62,286 

40,266 

461,068

967,604 

Our non-U.S. loans are reported by respective class of 
financing receivable in the table above. Substantially all of our 
non-U.S. loan portfolio is commercial loans. Table 4.2 presents 
total non-U.S. commercial loans outstanding by class of financing 
receivable. 

Table 4.2:  Non-U.S. Commercial Loans Outstanding 

(in millions) 

Non-U.S. commercial loans: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

2020 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

December 31, 

$ 

63,128 

70,494 

62,564 

60,106 

7,278 

1,603 

629 

7,004 

1,434 

1,220 

6,731 

1,011 

1,159 

8,033 

655 

1,126 

55,396 

8,541 

375 

972 

Total non-U.S. commercial loans 

$ 

72,638 

80,152 

71,465 

69,920 

65,284 

148 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
  
 
Loan Concentrations 
Loan concentrations may exist when there are amounts loaned to 
borrowers engaged in similar activities or similar types of loans 
extended to a diverse group of borrowers that would cause them 
to be similarly impacted by economic or other conditions. 
Commercial and industrial loans and lease financing to borrowers 
in the financial institutions except banks industry represented 
13% and 12% of total loans at December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, we did not have 
concentrations representing 10% or more of our total loan 
portfolio in the commercial real estate (CRE) portfolios (real 
estate mortgage and real estate construction) by state or 
property type. Residential mortgage loans to borrowers in the 
state of California represented 12% and 13% of total loans at 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. These California 
loans are generally diversified among the larger metropolitan 
areas in California, with no single area consisting of more than 4% 
of total loans. We continuously monitor changes in real estate 
values and underlying economic or market conditions for all 
geographic areas of our residential mortgage portfolio as part of 
our credit risk management process. 

Some of our residential mortgage loans include an interest-
only feature as part of the loan terms. These interest-only loans 
were approximately 3% of total loans at both December 31, 2020 
and 2019. Substantially all of these interest-only loans at 
origination were considered to be prime or near prime. We do not 
offer option adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) products, nor do 
we offer variable-rate mortgage products with fixed payment 
amounts, commonly referred to within the financial services 
industry as negative amortizing mortgage loans. 

Our first and junior lien lines of credit products generally 
have draw periods of 10, 15 or 20 years, with variable interest 
rate and payment options during the draw period of (1) interest 
only or (2) 1.5% of total outstanding balance plus accrued 
interest. During the draw period, the borrower has the option of 
converting all or a portion of the line from a variable interest rate 
to a fixed rate with terms including interest-only payments for a 
fixed period between three to seven years or a fully amortizing 
payment with a fixed period between five to 30 years. At the end 

Table 4.3:  Loan Purchases, Sales, and Transfers 

(in millions) 

Purchases 

Sales 

Transfers to LHFS 

$ 

Commercial 

Consumer 

1,310 

(4,141) 

(1,294) 

6 

(114) 

(11,198) 

of the draw period, a line of credit generally converts to an 
amortizing payment schedule with repayment terms of up to 
30 years based on the balance at time of conversion. At 
December 31, 2020, our lines of credit portfolio had an 
outstanding balance of $30.7 billion, of which $7.3 billion, or 24%, 
is in its amortization period, another $4.8 billion, or 16%, of our 
total outstanding balance, will reach their end of draw period 
during 2021 through 2022, $8.6 billion, or 28%, during 2023 
through 2025, and $10.0 billion, or 32%, will convert in 
subsequent years. This portfolio had unfunded credit 
commitments of $53.6 billion at December 31, 2020. The lines 
that enter their amortization period may experience higher 
delinquencies and higher loss rates than the lines in their draw 
period. At December 31, 2020, $378 million, or 5%, of 
outstanding lines of credit that are in their amortization period 
were 30 or more days past due, compared with $381 million, or 
2%, for lines in their draw period. We have considered this 
increased inherent risk in our ACL estimate. In anticipation of our 
borrowers reaching the end of their contractual commitment, we 
have created a program to inform, educate and help these 
borrowers transition from interest-only to fully-amortizing 
payments or full repayment. We monitor the performance of the 
borrowers moving through the program in an effort to refine our 
ongoing program strategy. 

Loan Purchases, Sales, and Transfers 
Table 4.3 presents the proceeds paid or received for purchases 
and sales of loans and transfers from loans held for investment 
to mortgages/loans held for sale. The table excludes loans for 
which we have elected the fair value option and government 
insured/guaranteed residential mortgage – first lien loans 
because their loan activity normally does not impact the ACL. In 
2020, we sold $1.2 billion of residential mortgage – first lien 
loans for a gain of $751 million, which is included in other 
noninterest income on our consolidated statement of income. 
These whole loans were designated as residential LHFS in 2019. 
In connection with the announced sale of our student loan 
portfolio, we transferred $9.8 billion of student loans to LHFS in 
fourth quarter 2020. 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

Total 

1,316 

(4,255) 

(12,492) 

Commercial 

Consumer 

2,028 

(1,797) 

(123) 

3,126 

(530) 

(1,889) 

2019 

Total 

5,154 

(2,327) 

(2,012) 

149 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses (continued) 

For loans and commitments to lend, we generally require 

collateral or a guarantee. We may require various types of 
collateral, including commercial and consumer real estate, autos, 
other short-term liquid assets such as accounts receivable or 
inventory and long-lived assets, such as equipment and other 
business assets. Collateral requirements for each loan or 
commitment may vary based on the loan product and our 
assessment of a customer’s credit risk according to the specific 
credit underwriting, including credit terms and structure. 
The contractual amount of our unfunded credit 

commitments, including unissued standby and commercial 
letters of credit, is summarized by portfolio segment and class of 
financing receivable in Table 4.4. The table excludes the issued 
standby and commercial letters of credit and temporary advance 
arrangements described above. 

Table 4.4:  Unfunded Credit Commitments 

(in millions) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

$  378,167 

346,991 

7,993 

15,650 

8,206 

17,729 

401,810 

372,926 

31,530 

32,820 

121,096 

49,179 

234,625 

34,391 

36,916 

114,933 

25,898 

212,138 

585,064 

Total unfunded credit commitments 

$  636,435 

Commitments to Lend 
A commitment to lend is a legally binding agreement to lend to a 
customer, usually at a stated interest rate, if funded, and for 
specific purposes and time periods. We generally require a fee to 
extend such commitments. Certain commitments are subject to 
loan agreements with covenants regarding the financial 
performance of the customer or borrowing base formulas on an 
ongoing basis that must be met before we are required to fund 
the commitment. We may reduce or cancel consumer 
commitments, including home equity lines and credit card lines, 
in accordance with the contracts and applicable law. For 
unconditionally cancelable commitments at our discretion, we do 
not recognize an ACL. 

We may, as a representative for other lenders, advance 

funds or provide for the issuance of letters of credit under 
syndicated loan or letter of credit agreements. Any advances are 
generally repaid in less than a week and would normally require 
default of both the customer and another lender to expose us to 
loss. The unfunded amount of these temporary advance 
arrangements totaled approximately $79.2 billion at 
December 31, 2020. 

We issue commercial letters of credit to assist customers in 
purchasing goods or services, typically for international trade. At 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, we had $1.3 billion and 
$862 million, respectively, of outstanding issued commercial 
letters of credit. We also originate multipurpose lending 
commitments under which borrowers have the option to draw on 
the facility for different purposes in one of several forms, 
including a standby letter of credit. See Note 13 (Guarantees and 
Other Commitments) for additional information on standby 
letters of credit. 

When we enter into commitments, we are exposed to credit 

risk. The maximum credit risk for these commitments will 
generally be lower than the contractual amount because a 
significant portion of these commitments are not funded. We 
manage the potential risk in commitments to lend by limiting the 
total amount of commitments, both by individual customer and 
in total, by monitoring the size and maturity structure of these 
commitments and by applying the same credit standards for 
these commitments as for all of our credit activities. 

150 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
  
Allowance for Credit Losses 
Table 4.5 presents the allowance for credit losses (ACL) for loans, 
which consists of the allowance for loan losses and the allowance 
for unfunded credit commitments. On January 1, 2020, we 
adopted CECL. Additional information regarding our adoption of 
CECL is included in Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting 

Policies). The ACL for loans increased $9.3 billion from 
December 31, 2019, driven by a $10.6 billion increase in the ACL 
for loans during 2020 reflecting current and forecasted economic 
conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by a 
$1.3 billion decrease as a result of adopting CECL. 

Table 4.5:  Allowance for Credit Losses for Loans 

($ in millions) 

Balance, beginning of year 
Cumulative effect from change in accounting policies (1) 

Allowance for purchased credit-deteriorated (PCD) loans (2) 

Balance, beginning of year, adjusted 

Provision for credit losses 

Interest income on certain impaired loans (3) 

Loan charge-offs: 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total loan charge-offs 

Loan recoveries: 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total loan recoveries 

Net loan charge-offs 

Other 

Balance, end of year 

Components: 

Allowance for loan losses 

Allowance for unfunded credit commitments 

Allowance for credit losses 

Net loan charge-offs as a percentage of average total loans 

Allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans 

Allowance for credit losses for loans as a percentage of total loans 

2020 

$ 

10,456 

(1,337) 

8 

9,127 

14,005 

(153) 

(1,440) 

(302) 

— 

(107) 

(1,849) 

(90) 

(88) 

(1,504) 

(536) 

(458) 

(2,676) 

(4,525)

201 

19 

19 

20 

259 

95 

143 

365 

266 

108 

977 

1,236

(3,289) 

23 

2019 

10,707 

— 

— 

10,707 

2,687 

(147) 

(802) 

(38) 

(1) 

(70) 

(911) 

(129) 

(118) 

2018 

11,960 

— 

— 

11,960 

1,744 

(166) 

(727) 

(42) 

— 

(70) 

(839) 

(179) 

(179) 

(1,714) 

(1,599) 

(647) 

(674) 

(3,282)

(4,193)

(947) 

(685) 

(3,589)

(4,428)

195 

32 

13 

19 

259 

179 

184 

344 

341 

124 

304 

70 

13 

23 

410 

267 

219 

307 

363 

118 

Year ended December 31, 

2017 

12,540 

— 

— 

12,540 

2,528 

(186) 

2016 

12,512 

— 

— 

12,512 

3,770 

(205) 

(789) 

(1,419) 

(38) 

— 

(45) 

(27) 

(1) 

(41) 

(872) 

(1,488) 

(240) 

(279) 

(1,481) 

(1,002) 

(713) 

(3,715)

(4,587)

297 

82 

30 

17 

426 

288 

266 

239 

319 

121 

(452) 

(495) 

(1,259) 

(845) 

(708) 

(3,759)

(5,247)

263 

116 

38 

11 

428 

373 

266 

207 

325 

128 

1,172

1,431

1,274

1,684

1,233

1,659

1,299

1,727

(2,762) 

(2,744) 

(2,928) 

(3,520) 

(29)

(87)

6

(17)

$ 

19,713 

10,456 

10,707 

11,960 

12,540 

$ 

18,516 

1,197 

9,551 

905 

9,775 

932 

$ 

19,713 

10,456 

10,707 

0.35  % 

2.09 

2.22 

0.29 

0.99 

1.09 

0.29 

1.03 

1.12 

11,004 

956 

11,960 

0.31 

1.15 

1.25 

11,419 

1,121 

12,540 

0.37 

1.18 

1.30 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 

Represents the overall decrease in our allowance for credit losses for loans as a result of our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. 
Represents the allowance estimated for PCI loans that automatically became PCD loans with the adoption of CECL. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting 
Policies). 
Loans with an allowance measured by discounting expected cash flows using the loan’s effective interest rate over the remaining life of the loan recognize changes in allowance attributable to the 
passage of time as interest income. 

151 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses (continued) 

Table 4.6 summarizes the activity in the ACL by our 

commercial and consumer portfolio segments. 

Table 4.6:  Allowance for Credit Losses for Loans Activity by Portfolio Segment 

(in millions) 

Balance, beginning of year 

Cumulative effect from change in accounting policies (1) 

Allowance for purchased credit-deteriorated (PCD) loans (2) 

Balance, beginning of year, adjusted 

Provision for credit losses 

Interest income on certain impaired loans (3) 

Loan charge-offs 

Loan recoveries 

Net loan charge-offs 

Other 

Balance, end of year 

Commercial 

Consumer 

$ 

6,245 

(2,861) 

— 

3,384 

9,770 

(61) 

4,211 

1,524 

8 

5,743 

4,235 

(92) 

(153) 

(1,849) 

(2,676) 

(4,525) 

259 

977 

(1,590)

(1,699)

13

10

1,236 

(3,289)

23

2020 

Total 

10,456 

(1,337) 

8 

9,127 

14,005 

Year ended December 31, 

Commercial 

Consumer 

2019 

Total 

6,417 

4,290 

10,707 

— 

— 

6,417 

518 

(46) 

(911) 

259 

(652)

8

— 

— 

4,290 

2,169 

(101) 

(3,282) 

1,172 

(2,110)

(37)

— 

— 

10,707 

2,687 

(147) 

(4,193) 

1,431 

(2,762)

(29)

$ 

11,516 

8,197 

19,713 

6,245 

4,211 

10,456 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 

Represents the overall decrease in our allowance for credit losses for loans as a result of our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. 
Represents the allowance estimated for PCI loans that automatically became PCD loans with the adoption of CECL. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting 
Policies). 
Loans with an allowance measured by discounting expected cash flows using the loan’s effective interest rate over the remaining life of the loan recognize changes in allowance attributable to the 
passage of time as interest income. 

Table 4.7 disaggregates our ACL and recorded investment in 
loans by impairment methodology. This information is no longer 
relevant after December 31, 2019 given our adoption of CECL on 
January 1, 2020, which has a single impairment model. 

Table 4.7:  Allowance for Credit Losses for Loans by Impairment Methodology 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2019 

Collectively evaluated (1) 

Individually evaluated (2) 

PCI (3) 

Total 

Allowance for credit losses 

Recorded investment in loans 

Commercial 

Consumer 

Total 

Commercial 

Consumer 

Total 

$ 

$ 

5,778 

3,364 

467 

— 

847 

— 

9,142 

1,314 

— 

512,586 

436,081 

948,667 

3,133 

— 

9,897 

568 

13,030 

568 

6,245 

4,211 

10,456 

515,719 

446,546 

962,265 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

Represents non-impaired loans evaluated collectively for impairment. 
Represents impaired loans evaluated individually for impairment. 
Represents the allowance for loan losses and related loan carrying value for PCI loans. 

152 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
  
 
Credit Quality 
We monitor credit quality by evaluating various attributes and 
utilize such information in our evaluation of the appropriateness 
of the ACL for loans. The following sections provide the credit 
quality indicators we most closely monitor. The credit quality 
indicators are generally based on information as of our financial 
statement date, with the exception of updated FICO scores and 
updated loan-to-value (LTV)/combined LTV (CLTV). We obtain 
FICO scores at loan origination and the scores are generally 
updated at least quarterly, except in limited circumstances, 
including compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). 
Generally, the LTV and CLTV indicators are updated in the second 
month of each quarter, with updates no older than September 
30, 2020. Amounts disclosed in the credit quality tables that 
follow are not comparative between reported periods due to our 
adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. For additional information, 
see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 

COMMERCIAL CREDIT QUALITY INDICATORS  We manage a 
consistent process for assessing commercial loan credit quality. 
Generally, commercial loans are subject to individual risk 
assessment using our internal borrower and collateral quality 
ratings, which is our primary credit quality indicator. Our ratings 
are aligned to regulatory definitions of pass and criticized 
categories with the criticized segmented among special mention, 
substandard, doubtful and loss categories. 

Table 4.8 provides the outstanding balances of our 
commercial loan portfolio by risk category. In connection with 
our adoption of CECL, credit quality information is provided with 
the year of origination for term loans. Revolving loans may 
convert to term loans as a result of a contractual provision in the 
original loan agreement or if modified in a TDR. At December 31, 
2020, we had $445.6 billion and $32.8 billion of pass and 
criticized commercial loans, respectively. 

Table 4.8:  Commercial Loan Categories by Risk Categories and Vintage (1) 

(in millions) 

2020 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

Prior 

Term loans by origination year 

Revolving 
loans 
converted to 
term loans 

Revolving 
loans 

Total 

December 31, 2020 

Commercial and industrial 

Pass 

Criticized 

Total commercial and 

industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Pass 

Criticized 

Total real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Pass 

Criticized 

Total real estate 
construction 

Lease financing 

Pass 

Criticized 

Total lease financing 

$ 

56,915 

1,404 

34,040 

1,327 

15,936 

1,357 

7,274 

972 

4,048 

672 

4,738 

333 

177,107 

11,534 

997 

151 

301,055 

17,750 

58,319 

35,367 

17,293 

8,246 

4,720 

5,071 

188,641 

1,148 

318,805 

22,444 

2,133 

24,577 

5,242 

449 

26,114 

2,544 

28,658 

6,574 

452 

18,679 

1,817 

20,496 

4,771 

527 

11,113 

1,287 

12,400 

1,736 

4 

5,691 

7,026 

5,298 

1,740 

3,970 

308 

4,278 

3,851 

433 

4,284 

2,176 

372 

2,548 

1,464 

197 

1,661 

11,582 

1,625 

13,207 

14,663 

2,082 

16,745 

477 

113 

590 

1,199 

108 

1,307 

235 

10 

245 

1,924 

85 

2,009 

5,152 

479 

5,631 

1,212 

— 

1,212 

— 

— 

— 

6 

— 

6 

3 

— 

3 

— 

— 

— 

109,753 

11,967 

121,720 

20,250 

1,555 

21,805 

14,584 

1,503 

16,087 

Total commercial loans 

$ 

92,865 

75,335 

45,635 

24,047 

19,824 

24,070 

195,484 

1,157 

478,417 

December 31, 2019 

By risk category: 

Pass 

Criticized 

Total commercial loans 

Commercial 
and 
industrial 

Real 
estate 
mortgage 

Real 
estate 
construction 

Lease 
financing 

Total 

$  338,740 

118,054 

19,752 

18,655 

495,201 

15,385 

3,770 

187 

1,176 

20,518 

$  354,125 

121,824 

19,939 

19,831 

515,719 

(1) 

Disclosure is not comparative due to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 

153 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
 
  
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses (continued) 

Table 4.9 provides past due information for commercial 
loans, which we monitor as part of our credit risk management 
practices; however, delinquency is not a primary credit quality 
indicator for commercial loans. Payment deferral activities 

Table 4.9:  Commercial Loan Categories by Delinquency Status 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

By delinquency status: 

instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic could continue 
to delay the recognition of delinquencies for customers who 
otherwise would have moved into past due status. 

Commercial 
and 
industrial 

Real 
estate 
mortgage 

Real 
estate 
construction 

Lease 
financing 

Total 

Current-29 days past due (DPD) and still accruing 

$ 

315,493 

119,561 

21,532 

15,595 

472,181 

575 

39 

2,698 

347 

38 

1,774 

224 

1 

48 

233 

— 

259 

1,379 

78 

4,779 

$ 

318,805 

121,720 

21,805 

16,087 

478,417 

$ 

352,110 

120,967 

19,845 

19,484 

512,406 

423 

47 

1,545 

253 

31 

573 

53 

— 

41 

252 

— 

95 

981 

78 

2,254 

$ 

354,125 

121,824 

19,939 

19,831 

515,719 

In connection with our adoption of CECL, credit quality 
information is provided with the year of origination for term 
loans. Revolving loans may convert to term loans as a result of a 
contractual provision in the original loan agreement or if 
modified in a TDR. The revolving loans converted to term loans in 
the credit card loan category represent credit card loans with 
modified terms that require payment over a specific term. 

30-89 DPD and still accruing 

90+ DPD and still accruing 

Nonaccrual loans 

Total commercial loans 

December 31, 2019 

By delinquency status: 

Current-29 DPD and still accruing 

30-89 DPD and still accruing 

90+ DPD and still accruing 

Nonaccrual loans 

Total commercial loans 

CONSUMER CREDIT QUALITY INDICATORS  We have various classes 
of consumer loans that present unique credit risks. Loan 
delinquency, FICO credit scores and LTV for residential mortgage 
loans are the primary credit quality indicators that we monitor 
and utilize in our evaluation of the appropriateness of the ACL for 
the consumer loan portfolio segment. 

Many of our loss estimation techniques used for the ACL for 
loans rely on delinquency-based models; therefore, delinquency 
is an important indicator of credit quality in the establishment of 
our ACL for loans. 

Table 4.10 provides the outstanding balances of our 

consumer loan portfolio by delinquency status. Payment deferral 
activities instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic could 
continue to delay the recognition of delinquencies for customers 
who otherwise would have moved into past due status. 

154 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2020 
Residential mortgage – first lien 
By delinquency status: 
Current-29 DPD 
30-59 DPD 
60-89 DPD 
90-119 DPD 
120-179 DPD 
180+ DPD 

Government insured/guaranteed 

loans (2) 

Total residential mortgage – first 

lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 
By delinquency status: 
Current-29 DPD 
30-59 DPD 
60-89 DPD 
90-119 DPD 
120-179 DPD 
180+ DPD 

Total residential mortgage – junior 

lien 

Credit cards 
By delinquency status: 
Current-29 DPD 
30-59 DPD 
60-89 DPD 
90-119 DPD 
120-179 DPD 
180+ DPD 

Total credit cards 

Auto 
By delinquency status: 
Current-29 DPD 
30-59 DPD 
60-89 DPD 
90-119 DPD 
120-179 DPD 
180+ DPD 

Total auto 

Other consumer 
By delinquency status: 
Current-29 DPD 
30-59 DPD 
60-89 DPD 
90-119 DPD 
120-179 DPD 
180+ DPD 

Table 4.10:  Consumer Loan Categories by Delinquency Status and Vintage (1) 

(in millions) 

2020 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

Prior 

Term loans by origination year 

Revolving 
loans 
converted 
to term 
loans

Revolving 
loans 

Total 

$  53,298 

43,297 

14,761 

24,619 

30,533 

67,960 

6,762 

1,719 

242,949 

111 

88 

232 

3 

3 

215 

76 

10 

11 

4 

1 

36 

6 

5 

1 

4 

67 

12 

8 

3 

11 

79 

13 

7 

5 

15 

750 

305 

197 

151 

758 

639 

904 

1,076 

2,367 

25,039 

52 

56 

26 

17 

21 

— 

66 

68 

33 

29 

145 

1,237 

558 

519 

213 

958 

— 

30,240 

53,950 

44,038 

15,717 

25,796 

33,019 

95,160 

6,934 

2,060 

276,674 

22 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

22 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39 

1 

1 

— 

— 

— 

41 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

37 

1 

— 

1 

— 

— 

39 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

31 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1 

32 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

19,625 

14,561 

120 

183 

6,307 

114 

32 

13 

— 

— 

60 

26 

1 

— 

36 

14 

— 

— 

3,459 

80 

25 

9 

— 

— 

2,603 

107 

35 

12 

— 

— 

1,115 

15,366 

5,434 

22,083 

22 

11 

7 

9 

25 

113 

154 

45 

36 

29 

160 

271 

84 

77 

155 

297 

437 

137 

122 

210 

1,189 

15,743 

6,181 

23,286 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

697 

46 

16 

6 

— 

— 

3 

1 

1 

— 

2 

200

35,612 

255 

35,867 

243 

167 

144 

208 

— 

12 

10 

10 

3 

— 

255 

177 

154 

211 

— 

36,374 

290

36,664

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

19 

10 

8 

10 

3 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

162 

10 

6 

3 

4 

6 

47,252 

650 

204 

80 

1 

— 

48,187 

24,287 

49 

28 

20 

14 

11 

20,296

79,347 

191

24,409

8,722 

409,220 

155 

19,790 

14,831 

6,471 

3,573 

2,757 

765 

1,406 

1,383 

577 

261 

2 

1 

1 

— 

— 

7 

5 

4 

— 

— 

5 

3 

2 

— 

— 

2 

1 

1 

— 

— 

59 

1 

1 

— 

— 

— 

61

193 

20,246 

Total other consumer 

1,410

1,399

587

265

Total consumer loans 

$  75,172 

60,307 

22,816 

29,673 

35,869 

97,314 

(continued on following page) 

Wells Fargo & Company  
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses (continued) 

(continued from previous page) 

December 31, 2019 

By delinquency status: 

Current-29 DPD 

30-59 DPD 

60-89 DPD 

90-119 DPD 

120-179 DPD 

180+ DPD 

Government insured/guaranteed loans (2) 

Total consumer loans (excluding PCI) 

Total consumer PCI loans (carrying value) (3) 

Total consumer loans 

Residential 
mortgage – 
first lien 

Residential 
mortgage – 
junior lien 

Credit 
card 

Auto 

Other 
consumer 

Total 

$  279,722 

28,870 

39,935 

46,650 

33,981 

429,158 

1,136 

404 

197 

160 

503 

11,170 

216 

115 

69 

71 

155 

— 

311 

221 

202 

343 

1 

— 

882 

263 

77 

1 

— 

— 

140 

81 

74 

18 

10 

— 

2,685 

1,084 

619 

593 

669 

11,170 

293,292 

29,496 

41,013 

47,873 

34,304 

445,978 

555 

13 

— 

— 

— 

568 

$  293,847 

29,509 

41,013 

47,873 

34,304 

446,546 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 

Disclosure is not comparative due to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 
Represents loans whose repayments are predominantly insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Loans insured/guaranteed 
by the FHA/VA and 90+ DPD totaled $11.1 billion and $6.4 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
26% of the adjusted unpaid principal balance for consumer PCI loans was 30+ DPD at December 31, 2019. 

Of the $2.7 billion of consumer loans not government 

insured/guaranteed that are 90 days or more past due at 
December 31, 2020, $612 million was accruing, compared with 
$1.9 billion past due and $855 million accruing at December 31, 
2019. 

Table 4.11 provides the outstanding balances of our 
consumer loan portfolio by FICO score. Substantially all of the 
scored consumer portfolio has an updated FICO score of 680 and 
above, reflecting a strong current borrower credit profile. FICO 

scores are not available for certain loan types or may not be 
required if we deem it unnecessary due to strong collateral and 
other borrower attributes. Loans not requiring a FICO score 
totaled $13.2 billion and $9.1 billion at December 31, 2020 and 
2019, respectively. Substantially all loans not requiring a FICO 
score are securities-based loans originated through retail 
brokerage. 

156 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 4.11:  Consumer Loan Categories by FICO and Vintage (1) 

Total residential mortgage  first lien 

– 

53,950 

44,038 

15,717 

25,796 

33,019 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 
By FICO: 
Residential mortgage – first lien 

800+ 
760-799 
720-759 
680-719 
640-679 
600-639 
< 600 

No FICO available 
Government insured/guaranteed loans (2) 

800+ 
760-799 
720-759 
680-719 
640-679 
600-639 
< 600 

No FICO available 

Total residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 
800+ 
760-799 
720-759 
680-719 
640-679 
600-639 
< 600 

No FICO available 

Total credit card 

Auto 

800+ 
760-799 
720-759 
680-719 
640-679 
600-639 
< 600 

No FICO available 

Total auto 

Other consumer 

800+ 
760-799 
720-759 
680-719 
640-679 
600-639 
< 600 

No FICO available 
FICO not required 

Total other consumer 

Total consumer loans 

(continued on following page) 

2020 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

Prior 

Term loans by origination year 

$ 

29,365 

28,652 

17,154 

5,274 

1,361 

376 

55 

14 

136 

215 

9,866 

3,290 

1,084 

287 

56 

29 

135 

639 

9,911 

2,908 

1,189 

490 

148 

44 

36 

87 

904 

17,416 

4,380 

1,829 

678 

192 

56 

44 

125 

1,076 

22,215 

4,955 

2,106 

831 

226 

92 

66 

161 

2,367 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

22 

22 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

2,875 

3,036 

3,162 

3,534 

3,381 

2,208 

1,581 

13 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39 

39 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

2,606 

2,662 

2,514 

2,542 

1,948 

1,165 

1,357 

37 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

41 

41 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,211 

1,122 

1,095 

1,066 

763 

479 

730 

5 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39 

39 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

731 

579 

576 

545 

395 

274 

463 

10 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

32 

32 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

452 

349 

395 

400 

334 

276 

533 

18 

19,790 

14,831 

6,471 

3,573 

2,757 

353 

342 

262 

156 

71 

18 

13 

195 

— 

287 

279 

258 

213 

112 

36 

41 

173 

— 

94 

93 

107 

99 

59 

22 

30 

83 

— 

35 

29 

35 

36 

21 

9 

12 

88 

— 

10 

10 

11 

11 

7 

4 

5 

3 

— 

61 

40,440 

10,843 

7,001 

4,403 

2,385 

1,429 

1,789 

1,831 

25,039 

95,160 

293 

177 

207 

183 

103 

67 

76 

83 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

104 

81 

98 

105 

94 

87 

186 

10 

765 

71 

34 

30 

24 

10 

8 

7 

16 

— 

200 

1,410 

$ 

75,172 

1,399 

60,307 

587 

265 

22,816 

29,673 

35,869 

97,314 

1,189 

15,743 

6,181 

23,286 

Revolving 
loans 
converted 
to term 
loans 

Revolving 
loans 

3,391 

1,361 

879 

520 

241 

127 

162 

253 

— 

493 

274 

265 

221 

154 

106 

175 

372 

— 

Total 

151,883 

51,741 

21,833 

9,588 

4,009 

1,965 

2,315 

3,100 

30,240 

6,934 

2,060 

276,674 

7,973 

3,005 

2,093 

1,233 

503 

241 

254 

441 

1,819 

1,032 

1,034 

854 

493 

299 

374 

276 

10,085 

4,214 

3,334 

2,270 

1,099 

607 

704 

973 

3,860 

5,438 

7,897 

8,854 

5,657 

2,242 

2,416 

10 

1 

7 

29 

60 

64 

46 

82 

1 

3,861 

5,445 

7,926 

8,914 

5,721 

2,288 

2,498 

11 

36,374 

290 

36,664 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

2,249 

1,110 

915 

798 

415 

151 

161 

1,248 

13,249 

20,296 

79,347 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

21 

16 

26 

31 

23 

13 

18 

43 

— 

191 

8,722 

7,979 

7,829 

7,840 

8,192 

6,915 

4,489 

4,850 

93 

48,187 

3,120 

1,913 

1,644 

1,368 

718 

261 

287 

1,849 

13,249 

24,409 

409,220 

157 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses (continued) 

(continued from previous page) 

Residential 
Residential 
mortgage –  mortgage – 
junior lien 

first lien 

Credit 
card 

Auto 

Other 
consumer 

Total 

December 31, 2019 

By FICO: 

800+ 

760-799 

720-759 

680-719 

640-679 

600-639 

< 600 

No FICO available 

FICO not required 

Government insured/guaranteed loans (2) 

Total consumer loans (excluding PCI) 

Total consumer PCI loans (carrying value) (3) 

Total consumer loans 

$  165,460 

11,851 

5,483 

4,407 

3,192 

1,499 

782 

1,164 

1,118 

— 

— 

4,037 

5,648 

8,376 

9,732 

6,626 

2,853 

3,373 

368 

— 

— 

7,900 

7,624 

7,839 

7,871 

6,324 

4,230 

6,041 

44 

— 

— 

7,585 

4,915 

4,097 

3,212 

1,730 

670 

704 

2,316 

9,075 

— 

196,833 

85,229 

52,598 

36,851 

21,247 

10,927 

14,546 

7,502 

9,075 

11,170 

29,496 

41,013 

47,873 

34,304 

445,978 

13 

— 

— 

— 

568 

$  293,847 

29,509 

41,013 

47,873 

34,304 

446,546 

61,559 

27,879 

12,844 

5,068 

2,392 

3,264 

3,656 

— 

11,170 

293,292 

555 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

Disclosure is not comparative due to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 
Represents loans whose repayments are predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. 
41% of the adjusted unpaid principal balance for consumer PCI loans had FICO scores less than 680 and 19% where no FICO was available to us at December 31, 2019. 

LTV refers to the ratio comparing the loan’s unpaid principal 

Table 4.12 shows the most updated LTV and CLTV 

balance to the property’s collateral value. CLTV refers to the 
combination of first lien mortgage and junior lien mortgage 
(including unused line amounts for credit line products) ratios. 
LTVs and CLTVs are updated quarterly using a cascade approach 
which first uses values provided by automated valuation models 
(AVMs) for the property. If an AVM is not available, then the 
value is estimated using the original appraised value adjusted by 
the change in Home Price Index (HPI) for the property location. If 
an HPI is not available, the original appraised value is used. The 
HPI value is normally the only method considered for high value 
properties, generally with an original value of $1 million or more, 
as the AVM values have proven less accurate for these 
properties. 

distribution of the residential mortgage – first lien and residential 
mortgage – junior lien loan portfolios. We consider the trends in 
residential real estate markets as we monitor credit risk and 
establish our ACL. In the event of a default, any loss should be 
limited to the portion of the loan amount in excess of the net 
realizable value of the underlying real estate collateral value. 
Certain loans do not have an LTV or CLTV due to industry data 
availability and portfolios acquired from or serviced by other 
institutions. 

158 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 4.12:  Consumer Loan Categories by LTV/CLTV and Vintage (1) 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

By LTV: 

0-60% 

60.01-80% 

80.01-100% 

100.01-120% (2) 

> 120% (2) 

No LTV available 

Government insured/guaranteed loans (3) 

2020 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

Prior 

Term loans by origination year 

Revolving 
loans 
converted 
to term 
loans 

Revolving 
loans 

Total 

$  16,582 

34,639 

2,332 

41 

31 

110 

215 

15,449 

24,736 

2,975 

106 

41 

92 

639 

6,065 

7,724 

900 

45 

16 

63 

13,190 

10,745 

654 

40 

19 

72 

21,097 

59,291 

8,970 

441 

41 

16 

87 

9,333 

1,003 

168 

78 

248 

904 

1,076 

2,367 

25,039 

4,971 

1,323 

425 

117 

44 

54 

— 

1,587 

138,232 

326 

100 

26 

8 

13 

— 

97,796 

8,830 

584 

253 

739 

30,240 

Total residential mortgage – first lien 

53,950 

44,038 

15,717 

25,796 

33,019 

95,160 

6,934 

2,060 

276,674 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

By CLTV: 

0-60% 

60.01-80% 

80.01-100% 

100.01-120% (2) 

> 120% (2) 

No CLTV available 

Total residential mortgage – junior lien 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

22 

22 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39 

39 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

41 

41 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39 

39 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

32 

32 

548 

335 

187 

59 

15 

45 

1,189 

Total 

$  53,972 

44,077 

15,758 

25,835 

33,051 

96,349 

December 31, 2019 

By LTV/CLTV: 

0-60% 

60.01-80% 

80.01-100% 

100.01-120% (2) 

> 120% (2) 

No LTV/CLTV available 

Government insured/guaranteed loans (3) 

Total consumer loans (excluding PCI) 

Total consumer PCI loans (carrying value) (4) 

Total consumer loans 

8,626 

5,081 

1,507 

376 

128 

25 

15,743 

22,677 

3,742 

1,554 

641 

156 

50 

38 

12,916 

6,970 

2,335 

591 

193 

281 

6,181 

23,286 

8,241 

299,960 

Residential 
Residential 
mortgage –  mortgage – 
junior lien 
by CLTV 

first lien 
by LTV 

Total 

$  151,478 

14,603 

166,081 

114,795 

13,867 

9,663 

124,458 

3,574 

17,441 

860 

338 

784 

978 

336 

342 

1,838 

674 

1,126 

11,170 

— 

11,170 

293,292 

29,496 

322,788 

555 

13 

568 

$  293,847 

29,509 

323,356 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 

Disclosure is not comparative due to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 
Reflects total loan balances with LTV/CLTV amounts in excess of 100%. In the event of default, the loss content would generally be limited to only the amount in excess of 100% LTV/CLTV. 
Represents loans whose repayments are predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. 
9% of the adjusted unpaid principal balance for consumer PCI loans have LTV/CLTV amounts greater than 80% at December 31, 2019. 

159 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses (continued) 

NONACCRUAL LOANS  Table 4.13 provides loans on nonaccrual 
status. In connection with our adoption of CECL, nonaccrual loans 
may have an ACL or a negative allowance for credit losses from 
expected recoveries of amounts previously written off. Payment 

deferral activities instituted in response to the COVID-19 
pandemic could continue to delay the recognition of 
delinquencies for customers who otherwise would have moved 
into nonaccrual status. 

Table 4.13:  Nonaccrual Loans (1) 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage- first lien 

Residential mortgage- junior lien 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total nonaccrual loans 

December 31, 2019 (1) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage- first lien 

Residential mortgage- junior lien 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total nonaccrual loans (excluding PCI) 

Amortized cost 

Nonaccrual loans 
without related 
allowance for 
credit losses (2) 

Year ended 
December 31, 2020 

Recognized 
interest income 

Nonaccrual loans 

382 

93 

15 

16 

506

1,908 

461 

— 

— 

2,369

2,875

78 

31 

6 

— 

115

151 

52 

20 

3 

226

341

$ 

$

$ 

$ 

2,698 

1,774 

48 

259 

4,779

2,957 

754 

202 

36 

3,949

8,728

1,545 

573 

41 

95 

2,254 

2,150 

796 

106 

40 

3,092

5,346 

Disclosure is not comparative due to our adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020. For additional information, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). 

(1) 
(2)  Nonaccrual loans may not have an allowance for credit losses if the loss expectations are zero given solid collateral value. 

LOANS 90 DAYS OR MORE PAST DUE AND STILL ACCRUING  Certain 
loans 90 days or more past due are still accruing, because they 
are (1) well-secured and in the process of collection or (2) 
residential mortgage or consumer loans exempt under regulatory 
rules from being classified as nonaccrual until later delinquency, 
usually 120 days past due. 

Table 4.14 shows loans 90 days or more past due and still 
accruing by class for loans not government insured/guaranteed. 

LOANS IN PROCESS OF FORECLOSURE  Our recorded investment in 
consumer mortgage loans collateralized by residential real estate 
property that are in process of foreclosure was $2.1 billion and 
$3.5 billion at December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, 
respectively, which included $1.7 billion and $2.8 billion, 
respectively, of loans that are government insured/guaranteed. 
Under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidelines, we 
do not commence the foreclosure process on residential 
mortgage loans until after the loan is 120 days delinquent. 
Foreclosure procedures and timelines vary depending on whether 
the property address resides in a judicial or non-judicial state. 
Judicial states require the foreclosure to be processed through 
the state’s courts while non-judicial states are processed without 
court intervention. Foreclosure timelines vary according to state 
law. In connection with our actions to support customers during 
the COVID-19 pandemic, we have suspended certain mortgage 
foreclosure activities. 

160 

Wells Fargo & Company  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Table 4.14:  Loans 90 Days or More Past Due and Still Accruing 

$ 

$ 

$ 

(in millions) 

Total: 

Less: FHA insured/VA guaranteed (1) 

Total, not government insured/ 

guaranteed 

By segment and class, not government insured/ 

guaranteed: 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Dec 31, 
2020 

7,041 

6,351 

Dec 31, 
2019 

7,285 

6,352 

690 

933 

39 

38 

1 

78 

135 

19 

365 

65 

28 

612 

47 

31 

— 

78 

112 

32 

546 

78 

87 

855 

933 

Total, not government insured/

guaranteed 

$ 

690 

IMPAIRED LOANS  In connection with our adoption of CECL, we no 
longer provide information on impaired loans. We have retained
impaired loans information for the period ended December 31, 
2019. Table 4.15 summarizes key information for impaired loans. 
Our impaired loans at December 31, 2019, predominantly 
included loans on nonaccrual status in the commercial portfolio
segment and loans modified in a TDR, whether on accrual or 
nonaccrual status. Impaired loans generally had estimated losses 
which are included in the ACL for loans. We did have impaired 
loans with no ACL for loans when the loss content has been 
previously recognized through charge-offs, such as collateral 
dependent loans, or when loans are currently performing in 
accordance with their terms and no loss has been estimated. 
Impaired loans excluded PCI loans and loans that had been fully 
charged off or otherwise had zero recorded investment. Table 
4.15 included trial modifications that totaled $115 million at 
December 31, 2019. 

(1) 

Represents loans whose repayments are predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed 
by the VA. 

Table 4.15:  Impaired Loans Summary 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2019 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer:

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer (1) 

Total impaired loans (excluding PCI) 

Recorded investment 

Unpaid 
principal 
balance 

Impaired loans 

Impaired loans 
with related 
allowance for 
credit losses 

Related 
allowance for 
credit losses 

$ 

2,792 

1,137 

81 

131 

4,141

8,107 

1,586 

520 

138 

178 

10,529

14,670 

$ 

2,003 

1,903 

974 

51 

105 

803 

41 

105 

3,133

2,852

7,674 

1,451 

520 

81 

171 

9,897

13,030 

4,433 

925 

520 

42 

155 

6,075

8,927 

311 

110 

11 

35 

467

437 

144 

209 

8 

49 

847

1,314 

(1) 

Includes the recorded investment of $1.2 billion at December 31, 2019 of government insured/guaranteed loans that are predominantly insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA and generally do 
not have an ACL. Impaired loans may also have limited, if any, ACL when the recorded investment of the loan approximates estimated net realizable value as a result of charge-offs prior to a TDR 
modification. 

161 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses (continued) 

Table 4.16 provides the average recorded investment in 
impaired loans and the amount of interest income recognized on 
impaired loans by portfolio segment and class. 

Table 4.16:  Average Recorded Investment in Impaired Loans 

(in millions) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total impaired loans (excluding PCI) 

Interest income: 

Cash basis of accounting 

Other (1) 

Total interest income 

Average 
recorded 
investment 

2019 

Recognized 
interest 
income 

Year ended December 31, 

Average 
recorded 
investment 

2018 

Recognized 
interest 
income 

2,150 

1,067 

52 

93 

3,362 

9,031 

1,586 

488 

84 

162 

11,351 

14,713 

2,287 

1,193 

60 

125 

3,665 

11,522 

1,804 

407 

86 

142 

13,961 

17,626 

129 

59 

6 

1 

195 

506 

99 

64 

12 

13 

694 

889 

241 

648 

889 

173 

89 

7 

1 

270 

664 

116 

50 

11 

10 

851 

1,121 

338 

783 

1,121 

(1) 

Includes interest recognized on accruing TDRs, interest recognized related to certain impaired loans which have an ACL calculated using discounting, and amortization of purchase accounting 
adjustments related to certain impaired loans. 

Commitments to lend additional funds on loans whose 
terms have been modified in a TDR amounted to $489 million 
and $500 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
Table 4.17 summarizes our TDR modifications for the 
periods presented by primary modification type and includes the 
financial effects of these modifications. For those loans that 
modify more than once, the table reflects each modification that 
occurred during the period. Loans that both modify and are paid 
off or written-off within the period, as well as changes in 
recorded investment during the period for loans modified in prior 
periods, are not included in the table. 

TROUBLED DEBT RESTRUCTURINGS (TDRs)  When, for economic or 
legal reasons related to a borrower’s financial difficulties, we 
grant a concession for other than an insignificant period of time 
to a borrower that we would not otherwise consider, the related 
loan is classified as a TDR, the balance of which totaled 
$14.5 billion and $11.8 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively. We do not consider loan resolutions such as 
foreclosure or short sale to be a TDR. In addition, COVID-related 
modifications are generally not classified as TDRs due to the 
relief under the CARES Act and the Interagency Statement. For 
additional information on the TDR relief, see Note 1 (Summary 
of Significant Accounting Policies). 

We may require some consumer borrowers experiencing 
financial difficulty to make trial payments generally for a period 
of three to four months, according to the terms of a planned 
permanent modification, to determine if they can perform 
according to those terms. These arrangements represent trial 
modifications, which we classify and account for as TDRs. While 
loans are in trial payment programs, their original terms are not 
considered modified and they continue to advance through 
delinquency status and accrue interest according to their original 
terms. 

162 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 4.17:  TDR Modifications 

(in millions) 

Year ended December 31, 2020 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Trial modifications (6) 

Total consumer 

Total 

Year ended December 31, 2019 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Trial modifications (6) 

Total consumer 

Total 

Year ended December 31, 2018 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Trial modifications (6) 

Total consumer 

Total 

Primary modification type (1) 

Financial effects of modifications 

Principal (2) 

Interest rate 
reduction 

Other 
 concessions (3) 

Total 

Charge-offs (4) 

Weighted 
average 
interest 
rate 
reduction 

Recorded 
investment 
related to 
interest rate 
reduction (5) 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

24 

— 

10 

— 

34 

41 

4 

— 

4 

— 

— 

49 

83 

13 

— 

13 

— 

26 

110 

5 

— 

8 

1 

— 

124 

150 

13 

— 

— 

— 

13 

209 

7 

— 

13 

— 

— 

229 

242 

47 

34 

1 

— 

82 

14 

11 

272 

6 

23 

— 

326 

408 

90 

38 

1 

— 

129 

13 

37 

376 

9 

51 

— 

486 

615 

29 

44 

— 

— 

73 

26 

41 

336 

16 

49 

— 

468 

541 

2,971 

677 

7 

1 

3,042 

711 

18 

1 

3,656 

3,772 

4,115 

4,170 

117 

— 

166 

34 

3 

4,435 

8,091 

1,286 

417 

32 

2 

132 

272 

176 

57 

3 

4,810 

8,582 

1,389 

455 

46 

2 

1,737 

1,892 

868 

82 

— 

51 

7 

13 

1,021 

2,758 

2,310 

375 

25 

63 

991 

124 

376 

68 

59 

13 

1,631 

3,523 

2,352 

419 

25 

63 

2,773 

2,859 

1,042 

113 

— 

55 

12 

8 

1,230 

4,003 

1,277 

161 

336 

84 

61 

8 

1,927 

4,786 

162 

5 

— 

— 

167 

4 

3 

— 

93 

1 

— 

101 

268 

104 

— 

— 

— 

104 

2 

3 

— 

29 

— 

— 

34 

0.74  %  $ 

1.00 

4.29 

— 

0.90 

1.76 

2.45 

14.12 

4.65 

8.28 

— 

11.80 

9.73  %  $ 

0.40  %  $ 

0.69 

1.00 

— 

0.49 

2.04 

2.35 

12.91 

4.86 

8.07 

— 

10.19 

138 

8.33  %  $ 

58 

— 

— 

— 

58 

4 

5 

— 

30 

— 

— 

39 

97 

1.18  %  $ 

0.88 

— 

— 

1.00 

2.25 

2.14 

12.54 

6.21 

7.95 

— 

8.96 

8.06  %  $ 

48 

34 

1 

— 

83 

39 

12 

272 

6 

23 

— 

352 

435 

90 

38 

1 

— 

129 

68 

39 

376 

9 

52 

— 

544 

673 

29 

44 

— 

— 

73 

119 

45 

336 

16 

49 

— 

565 

638 

(1) 

(2) 

Amounts represent the recorded investment in loans after recognizing the effects of the TDR, if any. TDRs may have multiple types of concessions, but are presented only once in the first 
modification type based on the order presented in the table above. The reported amounts include loans remodified of $1.5 billion, $1.1 billion and $1.9 billion, for the years ended December 31, 2020, 
2019 and 2018, respectively. 
Principal modifications include principal forgiveness at the time of the modification, contingent principal forgiveness granted over the life of the loan based on borrower performance, and principal 
that has been legally separated and deferred to the end of the loan, with a zero percent contractual interest rate. 

(3)  Other concessions include loans discharged in bankruptcy, loan renewals, term extensions and other interest and noninterest adjustments, but exclude modifications that also forgive principal and/or 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

reduce the contractual interest rate. 
Charge-offs include write-downs of the investment in the loan in the period it is contractually modified. The amount of charge-off will differ from the modification terms if the loan has been charged 
down prior to the modification based on our policies. In addition, there may be cases where we have a charge-off/down with no legal principal modification. Modifications resulted in deferring or 
legally forgiving principal (actual or contingent) of $49 million, $24 million and $28 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. 
Recorded investment related to interest rate reduction reflects the effect of reduced interest rates on loans with an interest rate concession as one of their concession types, which includes loans 
reported as a principal primary modification type that also have an interest rate concession. 
Trial modifications are granted a delay in payments due under the original terms during the trial payment period. However, these loans continue to advance through delinquency status and accrue 
interest according to their original terms. Any subsequent permanent modification generally includes interest rate related concessions; however, the exact concession type and resulting financial 
effect are usually not known until the loan is permanently modified. Trial modifications for the period are presented net of previously reported trial modifications that became permanent in the 
current period. 

163 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 4:  Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses (continued) 

Table 4.18 summarizes permanent modification TDRs that 

have defaulted in the current period within 12 months of their 
permanent modification date. We are reporting these defaulted 

TDRs based on a payment default definition of 90 days past due 
for the commercial portfolio segment and 60 days past due for 
the consumer portfolio segment. 

Recorded investment of defaults 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

$ 

$ 

677 

128 

— 

1 

806 

34 

12 

72 

32 

5 

155 

961 

111 

48 

17 

— 

176 

41 

13 

88 

12 

8 

162 

338 

198 

76 

36 

— 

310 

60 

14 

79 

14 

6 

173 

483 

Table 4.18:  Defaulted TDRs 

(in millions) 

Commercial: 

Commercial and industrial 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial 

Consumer: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer 

Total 

164 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
Note 5:  Leasing Activity 

The information below provides a summary of our leasing 
activities as a lessor and lessee. 

As a Lessor 
Table 5.1 presents the composition of our leasing revenue and 
Table 5.2 provides the components of our investment in lease 
financing. Noninterest income on leases, included in Table 5.1 is 
included in other noninterest income on our consolidated 
statement of income. Lease expense, included in other 
noninterest expense on our consolidated statement of income, 
was $1.0 billion, $1.2 billion, and $1.3 billion for the years ended 
December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. 

Table 5.1:  Leasing Revenue 

As a Lessee 
Substantially all of our leases are operating leases. Table 5.4 
presents balances for our operating leases. 

Table 5.4:  Operating Lease Right of Use (ROU) Assets and Lease 
Liabilities 

(in millions) 

ROU assets 

Lease liabilities 

Dec 31, 2020  Dec 31, 2019 

$ 

4,306 

4,962 

4,724 

5,297 

Table 5.5 provides the composition of our lease costs, which 

are predominantly included in net occupancy expense. 

Year ended December 31, 

Table 5.5:  Lease Costs 

(in millions) 

Interest income on lease financing 

$ 

Other lease revenues: 

Variable revenues on lease financing 

Fixed revenues on operating leases 

Variable revenues on operating leases 

Other lease-related revenues (1) 

Noninterest income on leases 

Total leasing revenue 

$ 

2020 

732 

107 

1,169 

47 

(78) 

1,245 

1,977 

2019 

869 

98 

1,393 

66 

57 

1,614 

2,483 

(1) 

Predominantly includes net gains (losses) on disposition of assets leased under operating 
leases or lease financings. 

Table 5.2:  Investment in Lease Financing 

(in millions) 

Lease receivables 

Residual asset values 

Unearned income 

Lease financing 

Dec 31, 2020  Dec 31, 2019 

$ 

14,210 

3,810 

(1,933) 

$ 

16,087 

18,114 

4,208 

(2,491) 

19,831 

Our net investment in financing and sales-type leases 
included $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion of leveraged leases at 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 

As shown in Table 7.2, included in Note 7 (Premises, 

Equipment and Other Assets), we had $7.4 billion and $8.2 billion 
in operating lease assets at December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively, which was net of $3.1 billion of accumulated 
depreciation for both years. Depreciation expense for the 
operating lease assets was $755 million and $848 million in 2020 
and 2019, respectively. 

Table 5.3 presents future lease payments owed by our 

lessees. 

Table 5.3:  Maturities of Lease Receivables 

(in millions) 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

Thereafter 

December 31, 2020 

Direct financing 
and sales- type 
leases 

Operating 
leases 

$ 

5,060 

3,650 

2,259 

1,274 

630 

1,337 

655 

461 

330 

227 

153 

265 

Total lease receivables 

$ 

14,210 

2,091 

(in millions) 

Fixed lease expense – operating leases 

$ 

Variable lease expense 

Other (1) 

Total lease costs 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

1,149 

299 

(77) 

$ 

1,371 

2019 

1,212 

314 

(68) 

1,458 

(1) 

Predominantly includes gains recognized from sale leaseback transactions and sublease 
rental income. 

Net operating lease rental expense was $1.3 billion for the 

year 2018 and is predominantly included in net occupancy 
expense. 

Table 5.6 provides the future lease payments under 

operating leases as well as information on the remaining average 
lease term and discount rate as of December 31, 2020. 

Table 5.6:  Lease Payments on Operating Leases 

(in millions, except for weighted averages) 

December 31, 2020 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

Thereafter 

Total lease payments 

Less: imputed interest 

Total operating lease liabilities 

Weighted average remaining lease term (in years) 

Weighted average discount rate 

$ 

$ 

994 

994 

856 

702 

520 

1,421 

5,487 

525 

4,962 

6.9

2.8  % 

Our operating leases predominantly expire within the next 

15 years, with the longest lease expiring in 2105. We do not 
include renewal or termination options in the establishment of 
the lease term when we are not reasonably certain that we will 
exercise them. As of December 31, 2020, we had additional 
operating leases commitments of $54 million, predominantly for 
real estate, which leases had not yet commenced. These leases 
are expected to commence during 2022 and have lease terms of 
3 years to 13 years. 

165 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
Note 6:  Equity Securities 

Table 6.1 provides a summary of our equity securities by business 
purpose and accounting method, including equity securities with 
readily determinable fair values (marketable) and those without 
readily determinable fair values (nonmarketable). 

Table 6.1:  Equity Securities 

(in millions) 

Held for trading at fair value: 

Marketable equity securities 

Not held for trading: 

Fair value: 

Marketable equity securities (1) 

Nonmarketable equity securities 

Total equity securities at fair value 

Equity method: 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

$  23,032 

27,440 

1,564 

9,413 

6,481 

8,015 

10,977 

14,496 

Low-income housing tax credit investments 

11,628 

11,343 

Private equity 

Tax-advantaged renewable energy 

New market tax credit and other 

Total equity method 

Other: 

2,960 

5,458 

409 

3,459 

3,811 

387 

20,455 

19,000 

Federal Reserve Bank stock and other at cost (2) 

Private equity (3) 

3,588 

4,208 

Total equity securities not held for trading 

39,228 

Total equity securities 

$  62,260 

4,790 

2,515 

40,801 

68,241 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Includes $239 million and $3.8 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, 
related to securities held as economic hedges of our deferred compensation plan liabilities. 
In second quarter 2020, we entered into arrangements to transition our economic hedges 
of our deferred compensation plan liabilities from equity securities to derivative 
instruments. 
Includes $3.5 billion and $4.8 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, related 
to investments in Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank stock. 
Represents nonmarketable equity securities accounted for under the measurement 
alternative. 

Equity Securities Held for Trading 
Equity securities held for trading purposes are marketable equity 
securities traded on organized exchanges. These securities are 
held as part of our customer accommodation trading activities. 
For additional information on these activities, see Note 2 
(Trading Activities). 

Equity Securities Not Held for Trading 
We also hold equity securities unrelated to trading activities. 
These securities include private equity and tax credit 
investments, securities held as economic hedges or to meet 
regulatory requirements (for example, Federal Reserve Bank and 
Federal Home Loan Bank stock). 

FAIR VALUE  Marketable equity securities held for purposes other 
than trading consist of holdings of publicly traded equity 
securities held for investment purposes and, to a lesser extent, 
exchange-traded equity funds held to economically hedge 
obligations related to our deferred compensation plans. We 
account for certain nonmarketable equity securities under the 
fair value method, and substantially all of these securities are 
economically hedged with equity derivatives. 

EQUITY METHOD  Our equity method investments consist of tax 
credit and private equity investments, the majority of which are 
our low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) investments. 

We invest in affordable housing projects that qualify for the 

LIHTC, which are designed to promote private development of 
low-income housing. These investments typically generate a 
return through realization of federal tax credit and other tax 
benefits. We recognized pre-tax losses of $1.4 billion, $1.3 billion, 
and $1.2 billion for 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, related to 
our LIHTC investments. These losses were recognized in other 
noninterest income. We also recognized total tax benefits of 
$1.6 billion for 2020, and $1.5 billion for both 2019 and 2018, 
which included tax credits recorded to income taxes of 
$1.3 billion for 2020 and $1.2 billion for both 2019 and 2018. We 
are periodically required to provide additional financial support 
during the investment period. A liability is recognized for 
unfunded commitments that are both legally binding and 
probable of funding. These commitments are predominantly 
funded within three years of initial investment. Our liability for 
these unfunded commitments was $4.2 billion and $4.3 billion at 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. This liability for 
unfunded commitments is included in long-term debt. 

OTHER  The remaining portion of our nonmarketable equity 
securities portfolio consists of securities accounted for using the 
cost or measurement alternative. 

166 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Realized Gains and Losses Not Held for Trading 
Table 6.2 provides a summary of the net gains and losses from 
equity securities not held for trading, which excludes equity 
method adjustments for our share of the investee’s earnings or 

losses that are recognized in other noninterest income. Gains and 
losses for securities held for trading are reported in net gains on 
trading and securities. 

Table 6.2:  Net Gains (Losses) from Equity Securities Not Held for Trading 

(in millions) 

Net gains (losses) from equity securities carried at fair value: 

Marketable equity securities 

Nonmarketable equity securities 

Total equity securities carried at fair value 

Net gains (losses) from nonmarketable equity securities not carried at fair value (1): 

Impairment write-downs 

Net unrealized gains related to measurement alternative observable transactions 

Net realized gains on sale 

All other 

Total nonmarketable equity securities not carried at fair value 

Net losses from economic hedge derivatives (2) 

Total net gains from equity securities not held for trading 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

$ 

63 

1,414 

1,477

(1,655) 

1,651 

359 

— 

355

(1,167)

$ 

665 

1,067 

2,413 

3,480

(245) 

567 

1,161 

— 

1,483

(2,120)

2,843 

(389) 

709 

320

(352) 

418 

1,504 

33 

1,603

(408)

1,515 

(1) 

(2) 

Includes impairment write-downs and net realized gains on sale related to private equity and venture capital investments in consolidated portfolio companies, which are not reported in equity 
securities on our consolidated balance sheet. 
Includes net gains (losses) on derivatives not designated as hedging instruments. 

Measurement Alternative 
Table 6.3 provides additional information about the impairment 
write-downs and observable price adjustments related to 

nonmarketable equity securities accounted for under the 
measurement alternative. Gains and losses related to these 
adjustments are also included in Table 6.2. 

Table 6.3:  Net Gains (Losses) from Measurement Alternative Equity Securities 

(in millions) 

Net gains (losses) recognized in earnings during the period: 

Gross unrealized gains due to observable price changes 

Gross unrealized losses due to observable price changes 

Impairment write-downs 

Realized net gains from sale 

Total net gains recognized during the period 

Table 6.4 presents cumulative carrying value adjustments to 

nonmarketable equity securities accounted for under the 
measurement alternative that were still held at the end of each 
reporting period presented. 

Table 6.4:  Measurement Alternative Cumulative Gains (Losses) 

(in millions) 

Cumulative gains (losses): 

Gross unrealized gains due to observable price changes 

Gross unrealized losses due to observable price changes 

Impairment write-downs 

$ 

$ 

$ 

2020 

1,651 

— 

(954) 

38 

735 

2020 

2,356 

(25) 

(969) 

2019 

584 

(17) 

(116) 

163 

614 

2019 

973 

(42) 

(134) 

Year ended December 31, 

2018 

443 

(25) 

(33) 

274 

659 

Year ended December 31, 

2018 

415 

(25) 

(33) 

167 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
  
 
  
 
Note 7:  Premises, Equipment and Other Assets 

Table 7.1:  Premises and Equipment 

Table 7.2 presents the components of other assets. 

(in millions) 

Land 

Buildings 

Furniture and equipment 

Leasehold improvements 

Finance lease ROU assets 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

Table 7.2:  Other Assets 

$ 

1,808 

9,504 

7,449 

2,597 

32 

1,857 

9,499 

7,189 

2,597 

33 

(in millions) 

Corporate/bank-owned life insurance 

Accounts receivable 

Interest receivable: 

Total premises and equipment 

21,390 

21,175 

AFS and HTM debt securities 

Dec 31, 
2020 

$  20,380 

38,116 

1,368 

2,838 

415 

Dec 31, 
2019 

20,070 

29,137 

1,729 

3,099 

758 

Loans 

Trading and other 

Customer relationship and other amortized 

intangibles 

328 

423 

Foreclosed assets: 

Residential real estate 

Other 

Operating lease assets (lessor) 

Operating lease ROU assets (lessee) 

Due from customers on acceptances 

Other 

73 

86 

7,391 

4,306 

268 

11,768 

Total other assets 

$  87,337 

222 

81 

8,221 

4,724 

253 

10,200 

78,917 

Less: Accumulated depreciation and 

amortization 

12,495 

Net book value, premises and equipment 

$ 

8,895 

11,866 

9,309 

Depreciation and amortization expense for premises and 
equipment was $1.4 billion, $1.4 billion and $1.3 billion in 2020, 
2019 and 2018, respectively. 

Dispositions of premises and equipment resulted in net 
gains of $71 million, $82 million and $32 million in 2020, 2019 
and 2018, respectively, included in other noninterest expense. 

168 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
  
 
 
 
Note 8:  Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities 

Involvement with Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) 
In the normal course of business, we enter into various types of 
on- and off-balance sheet transactions with special purpose 
entities (SPEs), which are corporations, trusts, limited liability 
companies or partnerships that are established for a limited 
purpose. SPEs are often formed in connection with securitization 
transactions whereby financial assets are transferred to an SPE. 
SPEs formed in connection with securitization transactions are 
generally considered variable interest entities (VIEs). The VIE 
may alter the risk profile of the asset by entering into derivative 
transactions or obtaining credit support, and issues various 
forms of interests in those assets to investors. When we transfer 
financial assets from our consolidated balance sheet to a VIE in 
connection with a securitization, we typically receive cash and 
sometimes other interests in the VIE as proceeds for the assets 
we transfer. In certain transactions with VIEs, we may retain the 
right to service the transferred assets and repurchase the 
transferred assets if the outstanding balance of the assets falls 
below the level at which the cost to service the assets exceed the 
benefits. In addition, we may purchase the right to service loans 
transferred to a VIE by a third party. 

In connection with our securitization or other VIE activities, 
we have various forms of ongoing involvement with VIEs, which 
may include: 
• 

underwriting securities issued by VIEs and subsequently 
making markets in those securities; 
providing credit enhancement on securities issued by VIEs 
through the use of letters of credit or financial guarantees; 
entering into other derivative contracts with VIEs; 
holding senior or subordinated interests in VIEs; 
acting as servicer or investment manager for VIEs; and 
providing administrative or trustee services to VIEs. 

• 

• 
• 
• 
• 

Loan Sales and Securitization Activity 
We periodically transfer consumer and commercial loans and 
other types of financial assets in securitization and whole loan 
sale transactions. 

MORTGAGE LOANS SOLD TO U.S. GOVERNMENT SPONSORED 
ENTITIES AND TRANSACTIONS WITH GINNIE MAE  In the normal 
course of business we sell originated and purchased residential 
and commercial mortgage loans to government-sponsored 
entities (GSEs). These loans are transferred into securitizations 
sponsored by the GSEs, which provide certain credit guarantees 
to investors and servicers. We also transfer mortgage loans into 
securitizations pursuant to GNMA guidelines which are insured 
by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or guaranteed by 
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Mortgage loans eligible 
for securitization with the GSEs or GNMA are considered 
conforming loans. The GSEs or GNMA design the structure of 
these securitizations, sponsor the involved VIEs, and have power 
over the activities most significant to the VIE. 

We account for loans transferred in conforming mortgage 
loan securitization transactions as sales and do not consolidate 
the VIEs as we are not the primary beneficiary. In exchange for 
the transfer of loans, we typically receive securities issued by the 
VIEs which we sell to third parties for cash or hold for investment 
purposes as HTM or AFS securities. We also retain servicing 
rights on the transferred loans. As a servicer, we retain the option 
to repurchase loans from GNMA loan securitization pools, which 
becomes exercisable when three scheduled loan payments 
remain unpaid by the borrower. During the years ended 

December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, we repurchased loans of 
$30.3 billion, $6.3 billion, and $7.9 billion, respectively, which 
predominantly represented repurchases of government insured 
loans. We recorded assets and related liabilities of $176 million 
and $556 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, 
where we did not exercise our option to repurchase eligible loans. 
Upon transfers of loans, we also provide indemnification for 

losses incurred due to material breaches of contractual 
representations and warranties, as well as other recourse 
arrangements. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, our liability 
associated with these provisions was $221 million and 
$169 million, respectively, and the maximum exposure to loss 
was $13.7 billion and $11.6 billion, respectively. 

Off-balance sheet mortgage loans sold or securitized 

presented in Table 8.4 are predominantly loans securitized by the 
GSEs and GNMA. See Note 9 (Mortgage Banking Activities) for 
information about residential and commercial servicing rights, 
advances and servicing fees. Substantially all residential servicing 
activity is related to assets transferred to GSE and GNMA 
securitizations. 

NONCONFORMING MORTGAGE LOAN SECURITIZATIONS  In the 
normal course of business, we sell nonconforming residential and 
commercial mortgage loans in securitization transactions that 
we design and sponsor. Nonconforming mortgage loan 
securitizations do not involve a government credit guarantee, 
and accordingly, beneficial interest holders are subject to credit 
risk of the underlying assets held by the securitization VIE. We 
typically originate the transferred loans , account for the 
transfers as sales and do not consolidate the VIE. We also 
typically retain the right to service the loans and may hold other 
beneficial interests issued by the VIEs, such as debt securities 
held for investment purposes. Our servicing role related to 
nonconforming commercial mortgage loan securitizations is 
limited to primary or master servicer and the most significant 
decisions impacting the performance of the VIE are generally 
made by the special servicer or the controlling class security 
holder.  For our residential nonconforming mortgage loan 
securitizations accounted for as sales, we either do not hold 
variable interests that we consider potentially significant or are 
not the primary servicer for a majority of the VIE assets. During 
the year ended December 31, 2019, we repurchased $4.4 billion 
of nonconforming residential mortgage loans in connection with 
the exercise of cleanup calls on certain securitizations. 

Table 8.1 presents information about transfers of assets during 
the period for which we recorded the transfers as sales and have 
continuing involvement with the transferred assets. In 
connection with these transfers, we received proceeds and 
recorded servicing assets and securities. Substantially all 
transfers were related to residential mortgage securitizations 
with the GSEs or GNMA and resulted in no gain or loss because 
the loans were already measured at fair value on a recurring basis. 
Each of these interests are initially measured at fair value. 
Servicing rights are classified as Level 3 measurements, and 
generally securities are classified as Level 2. 

169 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 8:  Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities  (continued) 

Table 8.1:  Transfers with Continuing Involvement 

(in millions) 

Asset balances sold 

Proceeds from transfer (1) 

Net gains (losses) on sale 

Continuing involvement (2): 

Servicing rights recognized 

Securities recognized (3) 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

Residential 
mortgages 

Commercial 
mortgages 

Residential 
mortgages 

Commercial 
mortgages 

Residential 
mortgages 

Commercial 
mortgages 

$ 

177,441 

177,478 

37 

$ 

1,808 

31,567 

11,744 

12,034 

290 

161 

112 

142,469 

142,535 

66 

1,896 

— 

18,191 

18,521 

330 

161 

289 

146,614 

146,613 

(1) 

1,903 

— 

17,653 

17,934 

281 

158 

149 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

Represents cash proceeds and the fair value of non-cash beneficial interests recognized at securitization settlement. Prior periods have been revised to conform with the current period presentation. 
Represents assets or liabilities recognized at securitization settlement date related to our continuing involvement in the transferred assets. 
Represents debt securities obtained at securitization settlement held for investment purposes that are classified as available-for-sale or held-to-maturity, which predominantly relate to agency 
securities. Prior periods have been revised to conform with the current period presentation. Excludes trading debt securities held temporarily for market-marking purposes, which are sold to third 
parties at or shortly after securitization settlement, of $37.6 billion, $41.9 billion, and $38.5 billion, during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. 

In the normal course of business we purchase certain non-
agency securities at initial securitization or subsequently in the 
secondary market. During the years ended December 31, 2020, 
2019 and 2018, we received cash flows of $198 million, 
$275 million, and $449 million, respectively, predominantly 
related to principal and interest payments on these securities. 
Table 8.2 presents the key weighted-average assumptions 
we used to initially measure residential MSRs recognized during 
the periods presented. 

Table 8.3:  Securities Held from Nonconforming Mortgage Loan 
Securitizations 

($ in millions) 

Fair value of interests held 

Expected weighted-average life (in years) 

Discount rate assumption 

Dec 31, 
2020 

$ 

1,056 

6.7 

9.0  % 

Impact on fair value from 100 basis point 

increase 

$ 

57 

Table 8.2:  Residential Mortgage Servicing Rights 

Impact on fair value from 200 basis point 

increase 

Year ended December 31, 

Credit loss assumption 

Impact on fair value from 10% higher losses 

$ 

Impact on fair value from 25% higher losses 

111 

4.6  % 

34 

38 

Dec 31, 
2019 

909 

7.3 

4.0 

53 

103 

3.1 

1 

4 

Prepayment speed (1) 

Discount rate 
Cost to service ($ per loan) (2)  $ 

2020 

15.4 

% 

6.5 

96 

2019 

12.8 

7.5 

101 

2018 

10.6 

7.4 

128 

(1) 

(2) 

The prepayment speed assumption for residential MSRs includes a blend of prepayment 
speeds and default rates. Prepayment speed assumptions are influenced by mortgage 
interest rate inputs as well as our estimation of drivers of borrower behavior. 
Includes costs to service and unreimbursed foreclosure costs, which can vary period to 
period due to changes in model assumptions and the mix of modified government-
guaranteed loans sold to GNMA. 

See Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities) and Note 

9 (Mortgage Banking Activities) for additional information on 
key economic assumptions for residential MSRs. 

SECURITIES HELD FROM NONCONFORMING MORTGAGE LOAN 
SECURITIZATIONS  As described above, when we securitize 
residential and commercial mortgage loans, we obtain at initial 
securitization settlement certain securities for investment 
purposes that are classified as available-for-sale or held-to-
maturity. This includes securities obtained in our nonconforming 
mortgage loan securitizations. Table 8.3 provides key economic 
assumptions and the sensitivity of the current fair value of 
nonconforming mortgage-backed securities that we continue to 
hold related to unconsolidated VIEs, to immediate adverse 
changes in those assumptions. Excluded from the table are 
investments in conforming mortgage-backed securities obtained 
in securitizations issued through the GSEs or GNMA as these 
securities have a remote risk of credit loss due to the GSE or 
government guarantee and trading debt securities held 
temporarily for market-making purposes. 

170 

RESECURITIZATION ACTIVITIES  We enter into resecuritization 
transactions as part of our trading activities to accommodate the 
investment and risk management activities of our customers. In 
our resecuritization transactions, we transfer trading debt 
securities to VIEs in exchange for new beneficial interests that 
are sold to third parties at or shortly after securitization 
settlement. This activity is performed for customers seeking a 
specific return or risk profile. Substantially all of our transactions 
involve the resecuritization of conforming mortgage-backed 
securities issued by the GSEs or GNMA. We do not consolidate 
the resecuritization VIEs as we share in the decision-making 
power with third parties and do not hold significant economic 
interests in the VIEs other than for market-making activities. We 
transferred $77.2 billion, $27.9 billion, and $31.4 billion of 
securities to re-securitization VIEs during the years ended 
December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. These 
amounts are not included in Table 8.1. Related total VIE assets 
were $130.4 billion and $111.4 billion at December 31, 2020 and 
2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019 we held 
$1.5 billion and $532 million of securities, respectively, including 
$1.1 billion and $266 million related to resecuritizations 
transacted during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively. 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Off-Balance Sheet Loans 
Table 8.4 presents information about the principal balances of 
off-balance sheet loans that were sold or securitized, including 
residential mortgage loans sold to the GSEs, GNMA and other 
investors, for which we have some form of continuing 
involvement (including servicer). Delinquent loans include loans 
90 days or more past due and loans in bankruptcy, regardless of 
delinquency status. In accordance with applicable servicing 

Table 8.4:  Off-Balance Sheet Loans Sold or Securitized 

guidelines, delinquency status continues to advance for loans 
with COVID-related payment deferrals. For loans sold or 
securitized where servicing is our only form of continuing 
involvement, we generally experience a loss only if we were 
required to repurchase a delinquent loan or foreclosed asset due 
to a breach in representations and warranties associated with our 
loan sale or servicing contracts. 

(in millions) 

Commercial 

Residential 

Total off-balance sheet sold or securitized loans (3) 

Total loans 

December 31, 

2019 

112,507 

1,008,459 

1,120,966 

2020 

114,134 

818,886 

933,020 

$ 

$ 

Delinquent loans and 
foreclosed assets (1) 

December 31, 

2020 

2,217 

29,962 

32,179 

2019 

776 

6,666 

7,442 

Net charge-offs (2) 

Year ended 

December 31, 

2020 

2019 

136 

78 

214 

179 

229 

408 

(1) 
Includes $394 million and $492 million of commercial foreclosed assets and $204 million and $356 million of residential foreclosed assets at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
(2)  Net charge-offs exclude loans sold to FNMA, FHLMC and GNMA as we do not service or manage the underlying real estate upon foreclosure and, as such, do not have access to net charge-off 

(3) 

information 
At December 31, 2020 and 2019, the table includes total loans of $864.8 billion and $1.0 trillion, delinquent loans of $28.5 billion and $5.2 billion, and foreclosed assets of $152 million and 
$251 million, respectively, for FNMA, FHLMC and GNMA. 

Transactions with Unconsolidated VIEs 
MORTGAGE LOAN SECURITIZATIONS  Table 8.5 includes 
nonconforming mortgage loan securitizations where we 
originate and transfer the loans to the unconsolidated 
securitization VIEs that we sponsor. For more information about 
these VIEs, see the “Loan Sales and Securitization Activity” 
section within this Note. Nonconforming mortgage loan 
securitizations also include commercial mortgage loan 
securitizations sponsored by third parties where we did not 
originate or transfer the loans but serve as master servicer and 
invest in securities that could be potentially significant to the 
VIE. 

Conforming loan securitization transactions involving the 
GSEs and GNMA are excluded from table 8.5 because we are not 
the sponsor or we do not have power over the activities most 
significant to the VIEs. Additionally, due to the nature of the 
guarantees provided by the GSEs and the FHA and VA, our credit 
risk associated with these VIEs is limited. For more information 
about conforming mortgage loan securitizations, see the “Loan 
Sales and Securitization Activity” section within this Note. 

TAX CREDIT STRUCTURES  We co-sponsor and make investments 
in affordable housing and sustainable energy projects that are 
designed to generate a return primarily through the realization of 
federal tax credits. The projects are typically managed by project 
sponsors who have the power over the VIE’s assets. In some 
instances, our investments in these structures may require that 
we fund future capital commitments at the discretion of the 
project sponsors. 

OTHER VIE STRUCTURES  We engage in various forms of 
structured finance arrangements with other VIEs, including 
collateralized debt obligations, and other securitizations 
collateralized by asset classes other than mortgages. Collateral 
may include rental properties, asset-backed securities, and auto 
loans. We may participate in structuring or marketing the 
arrangements, as well as provide financing, service one or more 
of the underlying assets, or enter into derivatives with the VIEs. 
We may also receive fees for those services. We are not the 
primary beneficiary of these structures because we do not have 
power to direct the most significant activities of the VIEs. 

Table 8.5 provides a summary of our exposure to the 
unconsolidated VIEs described above, which includes 
investments in securities, loans, guarantees, liquidity 
agreements, commitments and certain derivatives. We exclude 
certain transactions with unconsolidated VIEs when our 
continuing involvement is temporary or administrative in nature 
or insignificant in size. 

In Table 8.5, “Total VIE assets” represents the remaining 
principal balance of assets held by unconsolidated VIEs using the 
most current information available. For VIEs that obtain 
exposure to assets synthetically through derivative instruments, 
the notional amount of the derivative is included in the asset 
balance. “Carrying value” is the amount in our consolidated 
balance sheet related to our involvement with the 
unconsolidated VIEs. “Maximum exposure to loss” is determined 
as the carrying value of our investment in the VIEs excluding the 
unconditional repurchase options that have not been exercised, 
plus the remaining undrawn liquidity and lending commitments, 
the notional amount of net written derivative contracts, and 
generally the notional amount of, or stressed loss estimate for, 
other commitments and guarantees. 

Debt, guarantees and other commitments include amounts 

related to loans sold that we may be required to repurchase, or 
otherwise indemnify or reimburse the investor or insurer for 
losses incurred, due to material breach of contractual 
representations and warranties as well as other retained recourse 
arrangements. The maximum exposure to loss for material 
breach of contractual representations and warranties represents 
a stressed case estimate we utilize for determining stressed case 
regulatory capital needs and is considered to be a remote 
scenario. 

“Maximum exposure to loss” represents estimated loss that 
would be incurred under severe, hypothetical circumstances, for 
which we believe the possibility is extremely remote, such as 
where the value of our interests and any associated collateral 
declines to zero, without any consideration of recovery or offset 
from any economic hedges. Accordingly, this disclosure is not an 
indication of expected loss. 

171 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 8:  Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities  (continued) 

Table 8.5:  Unconsolidated VIEs 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Nonconforming residential mortgage loan securitizations  $ 
Nonconforming commercial mortgage loan securitizations 

Tax credit structures 

Other 

Total 

Total 
VIE assets 

Debt 
securities (1) 

Equity
securities 

All other 
assets (2) 

Debt and other 
liabilities 

Net assets 

Carrying value – asset (liability) 

5,233 

122,484 

41,125 

1,991 

16 

2,287 

— 

— 

$ 

170,833 

2,303 

— 

— 

11,637 

51 

11,688 

37 

569 

1,760 

151 

2,517 

— 

— 

(4,202) 

(1) 

53 

2,856 

9,195 

201 

(4,203) 

12,305 

Maximum exposure to loss 

Nonconforming residential mortgage loan securitizations 
Nonconforming commercial mortgage loan securitizations 

Tax credit structures 

Other 

Total 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2019 (3) 

Debt 
securities (1) 

Equity 
securities 

All other 
assets (2) 

16 

2,287 

— 

— 

2,303 

— 

— 

11,637 

51 

11,688 

37 

570 

1,760 

151 

2,518 

Debt, 
guarantees, 
and other 
commitments 

— 

34 

3,108 

230 

3,372 

Total 
exposure 

53 

2,891 

16,505 

432 

19,881 

Carrying value – asset (liability) 

Total 
VIE assets 

Debt 
securities (1) 

Equity 
securities 

All other 
assets (2) 

Debt and other 
liabilities 

Net assets 

Nonconforming residential mortgage loan securitizations 

$ 

4,967 

Nonconforming commercial mortgage loan securitizations 

Tax credit structures 

Other 

Total 

117,079 

39,091 

2,522 

$ 

163,659 

Nonconforming residential mortgage loan securitizations 

Nonconforming commercial mortgage loan securitizations 

Tax credit structures 

Other 

Total 

6 

2,239 

— 

62 

2,307 

— 

— 

11,349 

52 

11,401 

152 

350 

1,477 

156 

2,135 

— 

— 

(4,260) 

(21) 

158 

2,589 

8,566 

249 

(4,281) 

11,562 

Maximum exposure to loss 

Debt 
securities (1) 

Equity 
securities 

All other 
assets (2) 

6 

2,239 

— 

62 

2,307 

— 

— 

11,349 

52 

11,401 

152 

350 

1,477 

156 

2,135 

Debt,
guarantees, 
and other 
commitments 

— 

43 

1,701 

249 

1,993 

Total 
exposure

158 

2,632 

14,527 

519 

17,836 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

Includes $310 million and $264 million of securities classified as trading at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
All other assets includes loans, mortgage servicing rights, derivative assets, and other assets (predominantly servicing advances). 
Prior period has been revised to conform with the current period presentation to reflect the carrying value of assets/(liabilities) by financial statement line item. Additionally, the table no longer 
includes securitizations resulting from loans sold to U.S. GSEs and transactions with GNMA, or resecuritization activities, which are separately discussed within this Note. 

172 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated VIEs 
We consolidate VIEs where we are the primary beneficiary. We 
are the primary beneficiary of the following structure types: 

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LOANS AND LEASES  We securitize 
dealer floor plan loans and leases in a revolving master trust 
entity and hold the subordinated notes and residual equity 
interests. As servicer and residual interest holder, we control the 
key decisions of the trust and consolidate the entity. The total 
VIE assets held by the master trust represent a majority of the 
total VIE assets presented for this category in Table 8.6. In a 
separate transaction structure, we also provide the majority of 
debt and equity financing to an SPE that engages in lending and 
leasing to specific vendors and service the underlying collateral. 

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS  We purchase local industrial 
development bonds and credit enhancement from the GSEs, 
which are placed with a custodian that issues beneficial interests. 
We own all of the beneficial interests and may also service the 
underlying mortgages. Through our ownership of the beneficial 
interests we control the key decisions of the trust including the 
decision to invest in or divest of a bond and whether to purchase 
or retain credit support. 

OTHER VIE STRUCTURES  Other VIEs are primarily related to 
municipal tender option bond (MTOB) transactions and 

Table 8.6:  Transactions with Consolidated VIEs 

nonconforming mortgage loan securitizations that we sponsor. 
MTOBs are vehicles to finance the purchase of municipal bonds 
through the issuance of short-term debt to investors. Our 
involvement with MTOBs includes serving as the residual interest 
holder, which provides control over the key decisions of the VIE, 
as well as the remarketing agent or liquidity provider related to 
the debt issued to investors. We also securitize nonconforming 
mortgage loans, in which our involvement includes servicer of the 
underlying assets and holder of subordinate or senior securities 
issued by the VIE. 

Table 8.6 presents a summary of financial assets and liabilities of 
our consolidated VIEs. The carrying value represents assets and 
liabilities recorded on our consolidated balance sheet. Carrying 
values of assets are presented using GAAP measurement 
methods, which may include fair value, credit impairment or 
other adjustments, and therefore in some instances will differ 
from “Total VIE assets.” For VIEs that obtain exposure 
synthetically through derivative instruments, the notional 
amount of the derivative is included in “Total VIE assets.” 

On our consolidated balance sheet, we separately disclose 

(1) the consolidated assets of certain VIEs that can only be used 
to settle the liabilities of those VIEs, and (2) the consolidated 
liabilities of certain VIEs for which the VIE creditors do not have 
recourse to Wells Fargo. 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Commercial and industrial loans and leases 

Commercial real estate loans 

Other 

Total consolidated VIEs 

December 31, 2019 

Commercial and industrial loans and leases 

Commercial real estate loans 

Other 

Total 
VIE assets 

Loans 

Debt 
securities (1) 

All other 
assets (2) 

Long-term 
debt 

All other 
liabilities (3) 

Carrying value 

$ 

$ 

$ 

6,987 

5,369 

1,627 

5,005 

5,357 

507 

13,983 

10,869 

8,054 

4,836 

1,615 

7,543 

4,823 

804 

— 

— 

967 

967 

— 

— 

540 

540 

223 

12 

75 

310 

499 

13 

146 

658 

— 

— 

(203) 

(203) 

(300) 

— 

(287) 

(587) 

(200) 

— 

(900) 

(1,100) 

(229) 

— 

(410) 

(639) 

Total consolidated VIEs 

$ 

14,505 

13,170 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

Includes $269 million and $339 million of securities classified as trading at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
All other assets includes cash and due from banks, Interest-earning deposits with banks, derivative assets, equity securities, and other assets. 
All other liabilities includes short-term borrowings, derivative liabilities, and accrued expenses and other liabilities. 

Other Transactions 
In addition to the transactions included in the previous tables, we 
have used wholly-owned trust preferred security VIEs to issue 
debt securities or preferred equity exclusively to third-party 
investors. As the sole assets of the VIEs are receivables from us, 
we do not consolidate the VIEs even though we own all of the 
voting equity shares of the VIEs, have fully guaranteed the 
obligations of the VIEs, and may have the right to redeem the 
third-party securities under certain circumstances. See Note 12 
(Long-Term Debt) and Note 18 (Preferred Stock) for additional 
information about trust preferred securities. 

Certain money market funds are also excluded from the 
previous tables because they are exempt from the consolidation 
analysis. We voluntarily waived a portion of our management 
fees for these money market funds to maintain a minimum level 
of daily net investment income. The amount of fees waived was 
not significant for the years ending December 31, 2020, 2019 
and 2018. 

173 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 9:  Mortgage Banking Activities 

Mortgage banking activities consist of residential and 
commercial mortgage originations, sales and servicing. 

We apply the amortization method to commercial MSRs and 

apply the fair value method to residential MSRs. The amortized 

cost of commercial MSRs was $1.3 billion and $1.4 billion with an 
estimated fair value of $1.4 billion and $1.9 billion at 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Table 9.1 presents 
the changes in MSRs measured using the fair value method. 

Table 9.1:  Analysis of Changes in Fair Value MSRs 

(in millions) 

Fair value, beginning of year 

Servicing from securitizations or asset transfers (1) 

Sales and other (2) 

Net additions 

Changes in fair value: 

Due to valuation inputs or assumptions: 

Mortgage interest rates (3) 

Servicing and foreclosure costs (4) 

Discount rates 

Prepayment estimates and other (5) 

Net changes in valuation inputs or assumptions 

Changes due to collection/realization of expected cash flows (6) 

Total changes in fair value 

Fair value, end of year 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

$ 

11,517 

1,708 

(32) 

1,676 

14,649 

1,933 

(286) 

1,647 

13,625 

2,010 

(71) 

1,939 

(3,946) 

(2,406) 

1,337 

(175) 

27 

(599) 

(4,693) 

(2,375) 

(7,068) 

48 

145 

(356) 

(2,569) 

(2,210) 

(4,779) 

818 

(830) 

(365) 

960 

(1,875) 

(915) 

$ 

6,125 

11,517 

14,649 

(1) 

(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
(5) 
(6) 

Includes impacts associated with exercising cleanup calls on securitizations and our right to repurchase delinquent loans from GNMA loan securitization pools. MSRs may increase upon repurchase 
due to servicing liabilities associated with these delinquent GNMA loans. 
Includes sales and transfers of MSRs, which can result in an increase in MSRs if related to portfolios with servicing liabilities. 
Includes prepayment speed changes as well as other valuation changes due to changes in mortgage interest rates. 
Includes costs to service and unreimbursed foreclosure costs. 
Represents other changes in valuation model inputs or assumptions including prepayment speed estimation changes that are independent of mortgage interest rate changes. 
Represents the reduction in the MSR fair value for the cash flows expected to be collected during the period, net of income accreted due to the passage of time. 

Table 9.2 provides key economic assumptions and sensitivity 

of the current fair value of residential MSRs to immediate 
adverse changes in those assumptions. Amounts for residential 
MSRs include purchased servicing rights as well as servicing 

Table 9.2:  Economic Assumptions and Sensitivity of Residential MSRs 

rights resulting from the transfer of loans. See Note 17 (Fair 
Values of Assets and Liabilities) for additional information on key 
economic assumptions for residential MSRs. 

($ in millions, except cost to service amounts) 

Fair value of interests held 

Expected weighted-average life (in years) 

Key economic assumptions: 

Prepayment speed assumption 

Impact on fair value from 10% adverse change 

Impact on fair value from 25% adverse change 

Discount rate assumption 

Impact on fair value from 100 basis point increase 

Impact on fair value from 200 basis point increase 

Cost to service assumption ($ per loan) 

Impact on fair value from 10% adverse change 

Impact on fair value from 25% adverse change 

Dec 31, 
2020 

$ 

6,125 

3.7 

19.9  % 

$ 

434 

1,002 

5.8  % 

$ 

229 

440 

130 

181 

454 

Dec 31, 
2019 

11,517 

5.3 

11.9 

537 

1,261 

7.2 

464 

889 

102 

253 

632 

The sensitivities in the preceding table are hypothetical and 
caution should be exercised when relying on this data. Changes in 
value based on variations in assumptions generally cannot be 
extrapolated because the relationship of the change in the 
assumption to the change in value may not be linear. Also, the 

effect of a variation in a particular assumption on the value of the 
other interests held is calculated independently without changing 
any other assumptions. In reality, changes in one factor may 
result in changes in others, which might magnify or counteract 
the sensitivities. 

174 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
We present the components of our managed servicing 

portfolio in Table 9.3 at unpaid principal balance for loans 
serviced and subserviced for others and at book value for owned 
loans serviced. 

Table 9.3:  Managed Servicing Portfolio 

(in billions) 

Residential mortgage servicing: 

Serviced and subserviced for others 

Owned loans serviced 

Total residential servicing 

Commercial mortgage servicing: 

Serviced and subserviced for others 

Owned loans serviced 

Total commercial servicing 

Total managed servicing portfolio 

Total serviced for others, excluding subserviced for others 

MSRs as a percentage of loans serviced for others 

Weighted average note rate (mortgage loans serviced for others) 

At December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, we had 
servicer advances, net of an allowance for uncollectible amounts, 
of $3.4 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively. As the servicer of 
loans for others, we advance certain payments of principal, 
interest, taxes, insurance, and default-related expenses which are 
generally reimbursed within a short timeframe from cash flows 
from the trust, GSEs, insurer or borrower. The credit risk related 
to these advances is limited since the reimbursement is generally 
senior to cash payments to investors. We also advance payments 
of taxes and insurance for our owned loans which are collectible 

Table 9.4:  Mortgage Banking Noninterest Income 

(in millions) 

Servicing fees: 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

$ 

859 

323 

1,182 

583 

123 

706 

$ 

$ 

1,888 

1,431 

0.52  % 

4.03 

1,065 

343 

1,408 

575 

124 

699 

2,107 

1,629 

0.79 

4.25 

from the borrower. We maintain an allowance for uncollectible
amounts for advances on loans serviced for others that may not
be reimbursed if the payments were not made in accordance with
applicable servicing agreements or if the insurance or servicing 
agreements contain limitations on reimbursements. Servicing
advances on owned loans are charged-off when deemed
uncollectible.

Table 9.4 presents the components of mortgage banking 

noninterest income.

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

Contractually specified servicing fees, late charges and ancillary fees 

$ 

3,250 

Unreimbursed direct servicing costs (1) 

Servicing fees 

Amortization (2) 

Changes due to collection/realization of expected cash flows (3) 

Net servicing fees 

Changes in fair value of MSRs due to valuation inputs or assumptions (4) 

Net derivative gains (losses) from economic hedges (5) 

Market-related valuation changes to MSRs, net of hedge results 

Total servicing income (loss), net 

Net gains on mortgage loan originations/sales (6) 

Total mortgage banking noninterest income 

Total changes in fair value of MSRs carried at fair value 

(A) 

(B) 

(A)+(B) 

$ 

$ 

(620) 

2,630

(308) 

(2,375) 

(53)

(4,693) 

4,607 

(86)

(139) 

3,632 

3,493 

3,660 

(403) 

3,257

(274) 

3,957 

(331) 

3,626

(266) 

(2,210) 

(1,875) 

773

(2,569) 

2,318 

(251)

522 

2,193 

2,715 

1,485

960 

(1,072) 

(112)

1,373 

1,644 

3,017 

(7,068) 

(4,779) 

(915) 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
(5) 
(6) 

Includes costs associated with foreclosures, unreimbursed interest advances to investors, and other interest costs. 
Includes a $37 million impairment recorded at December 31, 2020. 
Represents the reduction in the MSR fair value for the cash flows expected to be collected during the period, net of income accreted due to the passage of time. 
Refer to the analysis of changes in fair value MSRs presented in Table 9.1 in this Note for more detail. 
See Note 16 (Derivatives) for additional discussion and detail on economic hedges. 
Includes net gains (losses) of $(1.8) billion, $(141) million and $857 million at December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, related to derivatives used as economic hedges of mortgage loans 
held for sale and derivative loan commitments. 

175 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 10:  Intangible Assets 

Table 10.1 presents the gross carrying value of intangible assets 
and accumulated amortization. 

Table 10.1:  Intangible Assets 

(in millions) 

Amortized intangible assets (1): 

MSRs (2) 

Customer relationship and other intangibles 

Total amortized intangible assets 

Unamortized intangible assets: 

MSRs (carried at fair value) (2) 

Goodwill 

Trademark 

Gross carrying 
value 

Accumulated 
amortization 

Net carrying 
value 

Gross carrying 
value 

Accumulated 
amortization 

Net carrying 
value 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

$ 

$ 

$ 

4,612 

879 

5,491 

6,125 

26,392 

14 

(3,300) 

(551) 

(3,851) 

1,312 

328 

1,640 

4,422 

947 

5,369 

11,517 

26,390 

14 

(2,992) 

(524) 

(3,516) 

1,430 

423 

1,853 

(1) 
(2) 

Balances are excluded commencing in the period following full amortization. 
Includes a $37 million valuation allowance recorded for amortized MSRs at December 31, 2020. See Note 9 (Mortgage Banking Activities) for additional information on MSRs. 

Table 10.2 provides the current year and estimated future 

amortization expense for amortized intangible assets. We based 
our projections of amortization expense shown below on existing 

asset balances at December 31, 2020. Future amortization 
expense may vary from these projections. 

Table 10.2:  Amortization Expense for Intangible Assets 

(in millions) 

Year ended December 31, 2020 (actual) 

Estimate for year ended December 31, 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

Amortized MSRs 

Customer 
relationship and 
other intangibles 

$ 

$ 

308 

244 

216 

188 

163 

138 

95 

81 

68 

59 

48 

39 

Total 

403 

325 

284 

247 

211 

177 

In 2020, we reorganized our management reporting 
structure into four reportable operating segments: Consumer 
Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and 
Investment Banking, and Wealth and Investment Management. 
As part of the reorganization, the Consumer Banking and Lending 
segment primarily retained the goodwill formerly assigned to the 
Community Banking segment and the former Wholesale Banking 

segment was separated into the Commercial Banking and 
Corporate and Investment Banking segments. We also report 
Corporate, which includes goodwill assigned to certain lines of 
business that management has determined are no longer 
consistent with the long-term strategic goals of the Company. 
Table 10.3 shows the allocation of goodwill. 

Consumer 
Banking and 
Lending 

Wholesale 
Banking 

Commercial 
Banking 

Corporate 
and 
Investment 

Wealth and 
Investment 
Banking  Management 

Corporate 

Consolidated 
Company 

— 

— 

— 

2 

— 

— 

— 

— 

3,016 

3,018 

5,375 

5,375 

1,283 

(7) 

1,276 

— 

— 

1,276 

— 

— 

— 

— 

305 

305 

26,418 

(28) 

26,390 

2 

— 

26,392 

Table 10.3:  Goodwill 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2018 

$ 

16,685 

8,450 

Change in goodwill related to divested businesses 

and foreign currency translation 

December 31, 2019 

— 

$ 

16,685 

Change in goodwill related to divested businesses 

and foreign currency translation 

Reallocation due to change in segments 

— 

(267) 

December 31, 2020 

$ 

16,418 

(21) 

8,429 

— 

(8,429) 

— 

176 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
Note 11:  Deposits 

Table 11.1 presents a summary of the time certificates of 
deposit (CDs) and other time deposits issued by domestic and 
non-U.S. offices. 

The contractual maturities of the domestic time deposits 

with a denomination of $100,000 or more are presented in 
Table 11.3. 

Table 11.1:  Time Deposits 

Table 11.3:  Contractual Maturities of Domestic Time Deposits 

(in billions) 

Total domestic and Non-U.S. 

$ 

Domestic: 

$100,000 or more 

$250,000 or more 

Non-U.S.: 

$100,000 or more 

$250,000 or more 

December 31, 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

2020 

52.8 

11.8 

6.8 

2.2 

2.2 

2019 

118.8 

43.7 

34.6 

4.0 

4.0 

Three months or less 

After three months through six months 

After six months through twelve months 

After twelve months 

Total 

$ 

$ 

6,491 

2,391 

1,402 

1,522 

11,806 

Demand deposit overdrafts of $326 million and $542 million 

were included as loan balances at December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively. 

Substantially all CDs and other time deposits issued by 

domestic and non-U.S. offices were interest bearing. The 
contractual maturities of these deposits are presented in 
Table 11.2. 

Table 11.2:  Contractual Maturities of Time Deposits 

(in millions) 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

Thereafter 

Total 

December 31, 2020 

$ 

35,464 

8,521 

4,936 

2,084 

490 

1,312 

$ 

52,807 

177 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
Note 12:  Long-Term Debt 

We issue long-term debt denominated in multiple currencies, 
primarily in U.S. dollars. Our issuances have both fixed and 
floating interest rates. As a part of our overall interest rate risk 
management strategy, we often use derivatives to manage our 
exposure to interest rate risk. We also use derivatives to manage 
our exposure to foreign currency risk. As a result, the majority of 
the long-term debt presented below is hedged in a fair value or 
cash flow hedge relationship. See Note 16 (Derivatives) for 
further information on qualifying hedge contracts. 

Table 12.1 presents a summary of our long-term debt 
carrying values, reflecting unamortized debt discounts and 
premiums, and purchase accounting adjustments, where 
applicable. The interest rates displayed represent the range of 
contractual rates in effect at December 31, 2020. These interest 
rates do not include the effects of any associated derivatives 
designated in a hedge accounting relationship. 

Maturity date(s) 

Stated interest rate(s) 

2021-2045 

2021-2048 

2024-2051 

0.38-6.75%  $ 

0.00-1.57% 

1.34-5.01% 

2023-2046 

3.45-7.57% 

2029-2036 

2027 

5.95-7.95% 

0.74-1.24% 

2021-2023 

2021-2053 

2022 

2021-2031 

2.60-3.63% 

0.00-0.89% 

2.08-2.90% 

3.83-7.50% 

2021-2029 

1.69-17.78% 

2023-2038 

5.25-7.74% 

2027 

0.79-0.89% 

2037 

2021-2059 

0.31-0.32% 

0.24-9.20% 

December 31, 

2020 

2019 

84,892 

13,736 

43,917 

8,081 

86,618 

16,800 

12,030 

8,390 

150,626 

123,838 

29,874 

29,874 

1,382 

330 

1,712

27,195 

27,195 

1,428 

318 

1,746

182,212

152,779

7,644 

3,747 

2,841 

31 

— 

792 

28 

15,083

5,775 

5,775

375 

375

— 

203 

5,694 

27,130 

9,364 

10,617 

5,097 

41 

32,950 

1,914 

32 

60,015

5,374 

5,374

363 

363

17 

570 

6,185 

72,524 

Table 12.1:  Long-Term Debt 

(in millions) 

Wells Fargo & Company (Parent only) 

Senior 

Fixed-rate notes 

Floating-rate notes 

FixFloat notes 

Structured notes (1) 

Total senior debt – Parent 

Subordinated 

Fixed-rate notes (2) 

Total subordinated debt – Parent 

Junior subordinated 

Fixed-rate notes 

Floating-rate notes 

Total junior subordinated debt 

– 

Parent (3) 

Total long-term debt 

– 

Parent (2) 

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and other bank entities (Bank) 

Senior 

Fixed-rate notes 

Floating-rate notes 

FixFloat notes 

Fixed-rate advances – Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) 

Floating-rate advances – FHLB 

Structured notes (1) 

Finance leases 

Total senior debt – 

Bank

Subordinated 

Fixed-rate notes 

Total subordinated debt – 

Bank

Junior subordinated 

Floating-rate notes 

Total junior subordinated debt – 

Bank (3) 

Long-term debt issued by VIE – Fixed rate 

Long-term debt issued by VIE – Floating rate 

Mortgage notes and other debt (4) 

Total long-term debt – Bank 

(continued on following page) 

178 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
(continued from previous page) 

(in millions) 

Other consolidated subsidiaries 

Senior 

Fixed-rate notes 

Structured notes (1) 

Finance leases 

Maturity date(s) 

Stated interest rate(s) 

2021-2023 

3.04-3.46% 

Total senior debt – Other consolidated subsidiaries 

Mortgage notes and other 

2026 

1.71% 

Total long-term debt 

– 

Other consolidated subsidiaries 

Total long-term debt 

December 31, 

2020 

2019 

1,390 

2,186 

— 

3,576 

32 

3,608

1,352 

1,503 

1 

2,856 

32 

2,888

$ 

212,950 

228,191 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

Included in the table are certain structured notes that have coupon or repayment terms linked to the performance of debt or equity securities, an embedded equity, commodity, or currency index, or 
basket of indices accounted for separately from the note as a free-standing derivative, and the maturity may be accelerated based on the value of a referenced index or security. For information on 
embedded derivatives, see the “Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments” section in Note 16 (Derivatives). In addition, a major portion consists of zero coupon notes where interest is paid 
as part of the final redemption amount. 
Includes fixed-rate subordinated notes issued by the Parent at a discount of $126 million and $128 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively, and debt issuance costs of $2 million in both 2020 and 
2019, to effect a modification of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., notes. These subordinated notes are carried at their par amount on the consolidated balance sheet of the Parent presented in Note 27 
(Parent-Only Financial Statements). In addition, Parent long-term debt presented in Note 27 also includes affiliate related issuance costs of $384 million and $281 million in 2020 and 2019, 
respectively. 
Includes junior subordinated debentures held by unconsolidated wholly-owned trusts formed for the sole purpose of issuing trust preferred securities of $704 million and $2.1 billion at December 31, 
2020 and 2019, respectively. During first quarter 2020, we liquidated certain of our trust preferred securities, and as a result, the preferred securities issued by the trusts were canceled and junior 
subordinated debentures with a total carrying value of $1.4 billion were distributed to the preferred security holders. 
Primarily relates to unfunded commitments for LIHTC investments. For additional information, see Note 6 (Equity Securities). 

We issue long-term debt in a variety of maturities and 
currencies to achieve cost-efficient funding and to maintain an 
appropriate maturity profile. Long-term debt of $213.0 billion at 
December 31, 2020, decreased $15.2 billion from December 31, 
2019. We issued $38.1 billion of long-term debt in 2020. 

The aggregate carrying value of long-term debt that 

matures (based on contractual payment dates) as of 
December 31, 2020, in each of the following five years and 
thereafter is presented in Table 12.2. 

Table 12.2:  Maturity of Long-Term Debt 

(in millions) 

Wells Fargo & Company (Parent Only) 

Senior notes 

Subordinated notes 

Junior subordinated notes 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

Thereafter 

Total 

December 31, 2020 

$ 

20,328 

17,105 

11,609 

12,480 

14,742 

— 

— 

— 

— 

3,750 

— 

764 

— 

1,134 

— 

74,362 

24,226 

1,712 

150,626 

29,874 

1,712 

Total long-term debt – Parent 

20,328 

17,105 

15,359 

13,244

15,876

100,300

182,212

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and other bank entities (Bank) 

Senior notes 

Subordinated notes 

Junior subordinated notes 

Securitizations and other bank debt 

Total long-term debt – 

Bank

Other consolidated subsidiaries 
Senior notes 

Securitizations and other bank debt 

Total long-term debt – 

Other consolidated subsidiaries 

6,865 

4,877 

— 

— 

2,192 

9,057

1,892 

— 

1,892

— 

— 

1,177 

6,054

202 

— 

202

2,904 

1,105 

— 

700 

4,709

516 

— 

516

5 

— 

— 

223 

228

125 

— 

125

191 

172 

— 

125 

488

440 

— 

440

241 

4,498 

375 

1,480 

6,594

401 

32 

433

15,083 

5,775 

375 

5,897 

27,130

3,576 

32 

3,608

Total long-term debt 

$ 

31,277 

23,361 

20,584 

13,597 

16,804 

107,327 

212,950 

As part of our long-term and short-term borrowing 

arrangements, we are subject to various financial and operational 
covenants. Some of the agreements under which debt has been 
issued have provisions that may limit the merger or sale of 
certain subsidiary banks and the issuance of capital stock or 
convertible securities by certain subsidiary banks. At 
December 31, 2020, we were in compliance with all the 
covenants. 

179 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Note 13:  Guarantees and Other Commitments 

Guarantees are contracts that contingently require us to make 
payments to a guaranteed party based on an event or a change in 
an underlying asset, liability, rate or index. Guarantees are 
generally in the form of standby and direct pay letters of credit, 

written options, recourse obligations, and other types of similar 
arrangements. Table 13.1 shows carrying value, maximum 
exposure to loss on our guarantees and the related non-
investment grade amounts. 

Table 13.1: 

Guarantees – Carrying Value and Maximum Exposure to Loss 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Standby letters of credit 

Direct pay letters of credit 

Written options (1) 

Loans and LHFS sold with recourse (2) 

Exchange and clearing house guarantees 

Other guarantees and indemnifications (3) 

Total guarantees 

December 31, 2019 

Standby letters of credit 

Direct pay letters of credit 

Written options (1) 

Loans and LHFS sold with recourse (2) 

Exchange and clearing house guarantees 

Other guarantees and indemnifications (3) 

$ 

$ 

$ 

Carrying 
value of 
obligation 
(asset) 

Expires in one 
year or less 

Expires after 
one year 
through three 
years 

Expires after 
three years 
through five 
years 

Expires after 
five years 

156 

18 

(538) 

33 

— 

— 

11,977 

2,256 

12,735 

177 

— 

734 

4,962 

2,746 

7,972 

819 

— 

1 

1,897 

531 

889 

1,870 

— 

1 

433 

39 

58 

9,723 

5,510 

1,414 

Maximum exposure to loss 

Non-
investment 
grade 

7,528 

1,102 

13,394 

10,332 

— 

590 

Total 

19,269 

5,572 

21,654 

12,589 

5,510 

2,150 

(331) 

27,879 

16,500 

5,188 

17,177 

66,744 

32,946 

36 

— 

(345) 

52 

— 

1 

11,569 

1,861 

17,088 

114 

— 

785 

4,460 

3,815 

10,869 

576 

— 

1 

2,812 

824 

2,341 

1,356 

— 

3 

467 

105 

273 

10,050 

4,817 

809 

19,308 

6,605 

30,571 

12,096 

4,817 

1,598 

7,104 

1,184 

18,113 

9,835 

— 

698 

Total guarantees 

$ 

(256) 

31,417 

19,721 

7,336 

16,521 

74,995 

36,934 

(1)  Written options, which are in the form of derivatives, are also included in the derivative disclosures in Note 16 (Derivatives). Carrying value net asset position is a result of certain deferred premium 

(2) 
(3) 

option trades. 
Represent recourse provided, predominantly to the GSEs, on loans sold under various programs and arrangements. 
Includes indemnifications provided to certain third-party clearing agents. Outstanding customer obligations under these arrangements were $144 million and $80 million with related collateral of 
$1.2 billion and $696 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 

“Maximum exposure to loss” and “Non-investment grade” 

are required disclosures under GAAP. Maximum exposure to loss 
represents the estimated loss that would be incurred under an 
assumed hypothetical circumstance, despite what we believe is a 
remote possibility, where the value of our interests and any 
associated collateral declines to zero. Maximum exposure to loss 
estimates in Table 13.1 do not reflect economic hedges or 
collateral we could use to offset or recover losses we may incur 
under our guarantee agreements. Accordingly, this required 
disclosure is not an indication of expected loss. We believe the 
carrying value is more representative of our exposure to loss than 
maximum exposure to loss. The carrying value represents the fair 
value of the guarantee, if any, and also includes an ACL for 
guarantees, if applicable. 

Non-investment grade represents those guarantees on 
which we have a higher risk of performance under the terms of 
the guarantee. If the underlying assets under the guarantee are 
non-investment grade (that is, an external rating that is below 
investment grade or an internal credit default grade that is 
equivalent to a below investment grade external rating), we 
consider the risk of performance to be high. Internal credit 
default grades are determined based upon the same credit 
policies that we use to evaluate the risk of payment or 
performance when making loans and other extensions of credit. 
Credit quality indicators we usually consider in evaluating risk of 
payments or performance are described in Note 4 (Loans and 
Related Allowance for Credit Losses). 

180 

STANDBY LETTERS OF CREDIT  We issue standby letters of credit, 
which include performance and financial guarantees, for 
customers in connection with contracts between our customers 
and third parties. We also originate multipurpose lending 
commitments under which borrowers have the option to draw on 
the facility in one of several forms, including as a standby letter 
of credit. Standby letters of credit are conditional lending 
commitments where we are obligated to make payment to a 
third party on behalf of a customer if the customer fails to meet 
their contractual obligations. Total maximum exposure to loss 
includes the portion of multipurpose lending facilities for which 
we have issued standby letters of credit under the commitments. 
We consider the credit risk in standby letters of credit and 
commercial and similar letters of credit in determining the ACL. 

DIRECT PAY LETTERS OF CREDIT  We issue direct pay letters of 
credit to serve as credit enhancements for certain bond 
issuances. Beneficiaries (bond trustees) may draw upon these 
instruments to make scheduled principal and interest payments, 
redeem all outstanding bonds because a default event has 
occurred, or for other reasons as permitted by the agreement. 
We consider the credit risk in direct pay letters of credit in 
determining the ACL. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
WRITTEN OPTIONS  We enter into certain derivative contracts 
that have the characteristics of a guarantee. These contracts 
include written put options that give the counterparty the right 
to sell to us an underlying instrument held by the counterparty at 
a specified price by a specified date. They also include certain 
written options that require us to make a payment for increases 
in fair value of assets held by the counterparty. These written 
option contracts generally permit or require net settlement. 
While these derivative transactions expose us to risk if the option 
is exercised, we manage this risk by entering into offsetting 
trades or by taking short positions in the underlying instrument. 
We offset market risk related to options written to customers 
with cash securities or other offsetting derivative transactions. 
Additionally, for certain of these contracts, we require the 
counterparty to pledge the underlying instrument as collateral 
for the transaction. Our ultimate obligation under written 
options is based on future market conditions and is only 
quantifiable at settlement. See Note 16 (Derivatives) for 
additional information regarding written derivative contracts. 

LOANS AND LHFS SOLD WITH RECOURSE  In certain sales and 
securitizations of loans, including mortgage loans, we provide 
recourse to the buyer whereby we are required to indemnify the 
buyer for any loss on the loan up to par value plus accrued 
interest. We provide recourse, predominantly to GSEs, on loans 
sold under various programs and arrangements. Substantially all 
of these programs and arrangements require that we share in the 
loans’ credit exposure for their remaining life by providing 
recourse to the GSE, up to 33.33% of actual losses incurred on a 
pro-rata basis in the event of borrower default. Under the 
remaining recourse programs and arrangements, if certain 
events occur within a specified period of time from transfer date, 
we have to provide limited recourse to the buyer to indemnify 
them for losses incurred for the remaining life of the loans. The 
maximum exposure to loss reported in Table 13.1 represents the 
outstanding principal balance of the loans sold or securitized that 
are subject to recourse provisions or the maximum losses per the 
contractual agreements. However, we believe the likelihood of 
loss of the entire balance due to these recourse agreements is 
remote, and amounts paid can be recovered in whole or in part 
from the sale of collateral. We also provide representation and 
warranty guarantees on loans sold under the various recourse 
programs and arrangements. Our loss exposure relative to these 
guarantees is separately considered and provided for, as 
necessary, in determination of our liability for loan repurchases 
due to breaches of representation and warranties. 

EXCHANGE AND CLEARING HOUSE GUARANTEES  We are members 
of several securities and derivatives exchanges and clearing 
houses, both in the U.S. and in countries outside the U.S., that we 
use to clear our trades and those of our customers. It is common 
that all members in these organizations are required to 
collectively guarantee the performance of other members and of 
the organization. Our obligations under the guarantees are 
generally a pro-rata share based on either a fixed amount or a 
multiple of the guarantee fund we are required to maintain with 
these organizations. Some membership rules require members 
to assume a pro-rata share of losses resulting from another 
member’s default or from non-member default losses after 
applying the guarantee fund. We have not recorded a liability for 
these arrangements as of the dates presented in Table 13.1 
because we believe the likelihood of loss is remote. 

OTHER GUARANTEES AND INDEMNIFICATIONS  We have 
contingent performance arrangements related to various 
customer relationships and lease transactions. We are required 
to pay the counterparties to these agreements if third parties 
default on certain obligations. 

Under certain factoring arrangements, we may be required 

to purchase trade receivables from third parties, if receivable 
debtors default on their payment obligations. 

We use certain third-party clearing agents to clear and settle 

transactions on behalf of some of our institutional brokerage 
customers. We indemnify the clearing agents against loss that 
could occur for non-performance by our customers on 
transactions that are not sufficiently collateralized. Transactions 
subject to the indemnifications may include customer obligations 
related to the settlement of margin accounts and short 
positions, such as written call options and securities borrowing 
transactions. 

We enter into other types of indemnification agreements in 

the ordinary course of business under which we agree to 
indemnify third parties against any damages, losses and 
expenses incurred in connection with legal and other proceedings 
arising from relationships or transactions with us. These 
relationships or transactions include those arising from service as 
a director or officer of the Company, underwriting agreements 
relating to our securities, acquisition agreements and various 
other business transactions or arrangements. Because the extent 
of our obligations under these agreements depends entirely 
upon the occurrence of future events, we are unable to 
determine our potential future liability under these agreements. 
We do, however, record a liability for residential mortgage loans 
that we expect to repurchase pursuant to various 
representations and warranties. 

MERCHANT PROCESSING SERVICES  We provide debit and credit 
card transaction processing services through payment networks 
directly for merchants and as a sponsor for merchant processing 
servicers, including our joint venture with a third party that is 
accounted for as an equity method investment. In our role as the 
merchant acquiring bank, we have a potential obligation in 
connection with payment and delivery disputes between the 
merchant and the cardholder that are resolved in favor of the 
cardholder. If we are unable to collect the amounts from the 
merchant, we incur a loss for the refund to the cardholder. We 
are secondarily obligated to make a refund for transactions 
involving sponsored merchant processing servicers. We generally 
have a low likelihood of loss in connection with our merchant 
processing services because most products and services are 
delivered when purchased and amounts are generally refunded 
when items are returned to the merchant. In addition, we may 
reduce our risk in connection with these transactions by 
withholding future payments and requiring cash or other 
collateral. For the year 2020, we processed card transaction 
volume of $1.4 trillion as a merchant acquiring bank, and related 
losses, including those from our joint venture entity, were 
immaterial. 

181 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Note 13:  Guarantees and Other Commitments (continued) 

GUARANTEES OF SUBSIDIARIES  In the normal course of business, 
the Parent may provide counterparties with guarantees related 
to its subsidiaries’ obligations. These obligations are included in 
the Company’s consolidated balance sheet or are reflected as 
off-balance sheet commitments, and therefore, the Parent has 
not recognized a separate liability for these guarantees. 
The Parent fully and unconditionally guarantees the 

payment of principal, interest, and any other amounts that may 
be due on securities that its 100% owned finance subsidiary, 
Wells Fargo Finance LLC, may issue. These securities are not 
guaranteed by any other subsidiary of the Parent. The 
guaranteed liabilities were $2.3 billion and $1.6 billion at 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. These guarantees 
rank on parity with all of the Parent’s other unsecured and 
unsubordinated indebtedness. The assets of the Parent consist 
primarily of equity in its subsidiaries, and the Parent is a separate 
and distinct legal entity from its subsidiaries. As a result, the 
Parent’s ability to address claims of holders of these debt 
securities against the Parent under the guarantee depends on 
the Parent’s receipt of dividends, loan payments and other funds 
from its subsidiaries. If any of the Parent’s subsidiaries becomes 
insolvent, the direct creditors of that subsidiary will have a prior 
claim on that subsidiary’s assets. The rights of the Parent and the 
rights of the Parent’s creditors will be subject to that prior claim 
unless the Parent is also a direct creditor of that subsidiary. For a 
discussion regarding other restrictions on the Parent’s ability to 
receive dividends, loan payments and other funds from its 
subsidiaries, see Note 28 (Regulatory Capital Requirements and 
Other Restrictions). 

OTHER COMMITMENTS  To meet the financing needs of our 
customers, we may enter into commitments to purchase debt 
and equity securities to provide capital for their funding, liquidity 
or other future needs. As of both December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
we had commitments to purchase debt securities of $18 million 
and commitments to purchase equity securities of $3.2 billion 
and $2.7 billion, respectively. 

As part of maintaining our memberships in certain clearing 

organizations, we are required to stand ready to provide liquidity 
to sustain market clearing activity in the event unforeseen 
events occur or are deemed likely to occur. Certain of these 
obligations are guarantees of other members’ performance and 
accordingly are included in Table 13.1 in Other guarantees and 
indemnifications. 

Also, we have commitments to purchase loans and securities 

under resale agreements from certain counterparties, including 
central clearing organizations. The amount of our unfunded 
contractual commitments was $12.0 billion and $7.5 billion as of 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

 Given the nature of these commitments, they are excluded 

from Table 4.4 (Unfunded Credit Commitments) in Note 4 
(Loans and Related Allowance for Credit Losses). 

182 

Wells Fargo & Company  
  
 
 
 
Note 14:  Pledged Assets and Collateral 

Pledged Assets 
Table 14.1 provides the carrying amount of on-balance sheet 
pledged assets and the fair value of other pledged collateral. 
Other pledged collateral is collateral we have received from third 
parties, have the right to repledge and is not recognized on our 
consolidated balance sheet. 

TRADING RELATED ACTIVITY  Our trading businesses may pledge 
debt and equity securities in connection with securities sold 
under agreements to repurchase (repurchase agreements) and 
securities lending arrangements. The collateral that we pledge 
related to our trading activities may include our own collateral as 
well as collateral that we have received from third parties and 
have the right to repledge. All of the trading activity pledged 
collateral is eligible to be repledged or sold by the secured party. 

NON-TRADING RELATED ACTIVITY  As part of our liquidity 
management strategy, we may pledge loans, debt securities, and 

Table 14.1:  Pledged Assets 

(in millions) 

Related to trading activities: 

Trading debt securities and other 

Equity securities 

Total pledged assets related to trading activities 

Related to non-trading activities: 

Loans 

Debt securities: 

Available-for-sale 

Held-to-maturity 

Other financial assets 

Total pledged assets related to non-trading activities 

Related to VIEs: 

Consolidated VIE assets 

Loans eligible for repurchase from GNMA securitizations 

Total pledged assets related to VIEs 

Total pledged assets 

other financial assets to secure trust and public deposits, 
borrowings and letters of credit from the Federal Home Loan 
Bank (FHLB) and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System (FRB) and for other purposes as required or permitted by 
law or insurance statutory requirements. Substantially all of the 
non-trading activity pledged collateral is not eligible to be 
repledged or sold by the secured party. 

VIE RELATED  We pledge assets in connection with various types 
of transactions entered into with VIEs. These pledged assets can 
only be used to settle the liabilities of those entities. 

We also have loans recorded on our consolidated balance 

sheet which represent certain delinquent loans that are eligible 
for repurchase from GNMA loan securitizations. See Note 8 
(Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities) for additional 
information on consolidated VIE assets. 

Dec 31, 
2020 

44,765 

19,572 

470 

64,807

Dec 31, 
2019 

60,083 

51,083 

1,379 

112,545 

344,220 

406,106 

57,289 

17,290 

230 

419,029 

12,146 

179 

12,325 

$ 

496,161 

61,126 

3,685 

2,266 

473,183 

14,368 

568 

14,936 

600,664 

Repledged third-party owned debt and equity securities 

$ 

Securities Financing Activities 
We enter into resale and repurchase agreements and securities 
borrowing and lending agreements (collectively, “securities 
financing activities”) typically to finance trading positions 
(including securities and derivatives), acquire securities to cover 
short trading positions, accommodate customers’ financing 
needs, and settle other securities obligations. These activities are 
conducted through our broker-dealer subsidiaries and, to a lesser 
extent, through other bank entities. Our securities financing 
activities primarily involve high-quality, liquid securities such as 
U.S. Treasury securities and government agency securities and, 
to a lesser extent, less liquid securities, including equity 
securities, corporate bonds and asset-backed securities. We 
account for these transactions as collateralized financings in 
which we typically receive or pledge securities as collateral. We 
believe these financing transactions generally do not have 
material credit risk given the collateral provided and the related 
monitoring processes. 

OFFSETTING OF SECURITIES FINANCING ACTIVITIES  Table 14.2 
presents resale and repurchase agreements subject to master 
repurchase agreements (MRA) and securities borrowing and 
lending agreements subject to master securities lending 
agreements (MSLA). Collateralized financings, and those with a 
single counterparty, are presented net on our consolidated 
balance sheet, provided certain criteria are met that permit 
balance sheet netting. Substantially all transactions subject to 
these agreements do not meet those criteria and thus are not 
eligible for balance sheet netting. 

Collateral we pledged consists of non-cash instruments, 
such as securities or loans, and is not netted on the consolidated 
balance sheet against the related liability. Collateral we received 
includes securities or loans and is not recognized on our 
consolidated balance sheet. Collateral pledged or received may 
be increased or decreased over time to maintain certain 
contractual thresholds, as the assets underlying each 
arrangement fluctuate in value. Generally, these agreements 
require collateral to exceed the asset or liability recognized on 
the balance sheet. The following table includes the amount of 

183 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
Note 14:  Pledged Assets and Collateral (continued) 

collateral pledged or received related to exposures subject to 
enforceable MRAs or MSLAs. While these agreements are 
typically over-collateralized, U.S. GAAP requires disclosure in this 
table to limit the reported amount of such collateral to the 
amount of the related recognized asset or liability for each 
counterparty. 

Table 14.2:  Offsetting – Securities Financing Activities 

(in millions) 

Assets: 

Resale and securities borrowing agreements 

Gross amounts recognized 

Gross amounts offset in consolidated balance sheet (1) 

Net amounts in consolidated balance sheet (2) 

Collateral not recognized in consolidated balance sheet (3) 

Net amount (4) 

Liabilities: 

Repurchase and securities lending agreements 

Gross amounts recognized 

Gross amounts offset in consolidated balance sheet (1) 

Net amounts in consolidated balance sheet (5) 

Collateral pledged but not netted in consolidated balance sheet (6) 

Net amount (4) 

In addition to the amounts included in Table 14.2, we also 
have balance sheet netting related to derivatives that is disclosed 
in Note 16 (Derivatives). 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

92,446 

(11,513) 

80,933

(80,158)

775 

57,622 

(11,513) 

46,109

(45,819)

290 

140,773 

(19,180) 

121,593

(120,786)

807 

111,038 

(19,180) 

91,858

(91,709)

149 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 

(4) 
(5) 
(6) 

Represents recognized amount of resale and repurchase agreements with counterparties subject to enforceable MRAs that have been offset in the consolidated balance sheet. 
Includes $65.6 billion and $102.1 billion classified on our consolidated balance sheet in federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale agreements at December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively. Also includes securities purchased under long-term resale agreements (generally one year or more) classified in loans, which totaled $15.3 billion and $19.5 billion, at December 31, 2020 
and 2019, respectively. 
Represents the fair value of collateral we have received under enforceable MRAs or MSLAs, limited in the table above to the amount of the recognized asset due from each counterparty. At 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, we have received total collateral with a fair value of $108.5 billion and $150.9 billion, respectively, all of which we have the right to sell or repledge. These amounts 
include securities we have sold or repledged to others with a fair value of $36.1 billion and $59.1 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
Represents the amount of our exposure (assets) or obligation (liabilities) that is not collateralized and/or is not subject to an enforceable MRA or MSLA. 
Amount is classified in short-term borrowings on our consolidated balance sheet. 
Represents the fair value of collateral we have pledged, related to enforceable MRAs or MSLAs, limited in the table above to the amount of the recognized liability owed to each counterparty. At 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, we have pledged total collateral with a fair value of $59.2 billion and $113.3 billion, respectively, substantially all of which may be sold or repledged by the counterparty. 

REPURCHASE AND SECURITIES LENDING AGREEMENTS  Securities 
sold under repurchase agreements and securities lending 
arrangements are effectively short-term collateralized 
borrowings. In these transactions, we receive cash in exchange 
for transferring securities as collateral and recognize an 
obligation to reacquire the securities for cash at the transaction’s 
maturity. These types of transactions create risks, including 
(1) the counterparty may fail to return the securities at maturity, 
(2) the fair value of the securities transferred may decline below 
the amount of our obligation to reacquire the securities, and 
therefore create an obligation for us to pledge additional 
amounts, and (3) the counterparty may accelerate the maturity 
on demand, requiring us to reacquire the security prior to 
contractual maturity. We attempt to mitigate these risks in 
various ways. Our collateral primarily consists of highly liquid 
securities. In addition, we underwrite and monitor the financial 
strength of our counterparties, monitor the fair value of 
collateral pledged relative to contractually required repurchase 
amounts, and monitor that our collateral is properly returned 
through the clearing and settlement process in advance of our 
cash repayment. Table 14.3 provides the gross amounts 
recognized on the consolidated balance sheet (before the effects 
of offsetting) of our liabilities for repurchase and securities 
lending agreements disaggregated by underlying collateral type. 

184 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 14.3:  Gross Obligations by Underlying Collateral Type 

(in millions) 

Repurchase agreements: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Securities of U.S. States and political subdivisions 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Corporate debt securities 

Asset-backed securities 

Equity securities 

Other 

Total repurchases 

Securities lending arrangements: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Corporate debt securities 

Equity securities (1) 

Other 

Total securities lending 

Total repurchases and securities lending 

Dec 31, 
2020 

22,922 

4 

15,353 

1,069 

9,944 

1,054 

1,500 

336 

52,182 

64 

23 

79 

5,189 

85 

5,440

57,622 

$ 

$ 

Dec 31, 
2019 

48,161 

104 

44,737 

1,818 

7,126 

1,844 

1,674 

705 

106,169 

163 

— 

223 

4,481 

2 

4,869

111,038 

(1) 

Equity securities are generally exchange traded and represent collateral received from third parties that has been repledged. We received the collateral through either margin lending agreements or 
contemporaneous securities borrowing transactions with other counterparties. 

Table 14.4 provides the contractual maturities of our gross 
obligations under repurchase and securities lending agreements. 

Table 14.4:  Contractual Maturities of Gross Obligations 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Repurchase agreements 

Securities lending arrangements 

Total repurchases and securities lending (1) 

December 31, 2019 

Repurchase agreements 

Securities lending arrangements 

Total repurchases and securities lending (1) 

Overnight/ 
continuous 

Up to 30 days 

30-90 days 

>90 days 

Total gross 
obligation 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

36,946 

4,690 

41,636 

79,793 

4,724 

84,517 

5,251 

400 

5,651 

17,681 

— 

17,681 

5,100 

350 

5,450 

4,825 

145 

4,970 

4,885 

— 

4,885 

3,870 

— 

3,870 

52,182 

5,440 

57,622 

106,169 

4,869 

111,038 

(1) 

Securities lending is executed under agreements that allow either party to terminate the transaction without notice, while repurchase agreements have a term structure to them that technically 
matures at a point in time. The overnight/continuous repurchase agreements require election of both parties to roll the trade rather than the election to terminate the arrangement as in securities 
lending. 

185 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
  
 
 
Note 15:  Legal Actions 

Wells Fargo and certain of our subsidiaries are involved in a 
number of judicial, regulatory, governmental, arbitration, and 
other proceedings or investigations concerning matters arising 
from the conduct of our business activities, and many of those 
proceedings and investigations expose Wells Fargo to potential 
financial loss. These proceedings and investigations include 
actions brought against Wells Fargo and/or our subsidiaries with 
respect to corporate-related matters and transactions in which 
Wells Fargo and/or our subsidiaries were involved. In addition, 
Wells Fargo and our subsidiaries may be requested to provide 
information or otherwise cooperate with government authorities 
in the conduct of investigations of other persons or industry 
groups. 

Although there can be no assurance as to the ultimate 

outcome, Wells Fargo and/or our subsidiaries have generally 
denied, or believe we have a meritorious defense and will deny, 
liability in all significant legal actions pending against us, 
including the matters described below, and we intend to defend 
vigorously each case, other than matters we describe as having 
settled. We establish accruals for legal actions when potential 
losses associated with the actions become probable and the 
costs can be reasonably estimated. For such accruals, we record 
the amount we consider to be the best estimate within a range of 
potential losses that are both probable and estimable; however, if 
we cannot determine a best estimate, then we record the low 
end of the range of those potential losses. The actual costs of 
resolving legal actions may be substantially higher or lower than 
the amounts accrued for those actions. 

ATM ACCESS FEE LITIGATION  In October 2011, plaintiffs filed a 
putative class action, Mackmin, et al. v. Visa, Inc. et al., against 
Wells Fargo & Company, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Visa, 
MasterCard, and several other banks in the United States District 
Court for the District of Columbia. Plaintiffs allege that the Visa 
and MasterCard requirement that if an ATM operator charges an 
access fee on Visa and MasterCard transactions, then that fee 
cannot be greater than the access fee charged for transactions 
on other networks, violates antitrust rules. Plaintiffs seek treble 
damages, restitution, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees where 
available under federal and state law. Two other antitrust cases 
that make similar allegations were filed in the same court, but 
these cases did not name Wells Fargo as a defendant. On 
February 13, 2013, the district court granted defendants’ 
motions to dismiss the three actions. Plaintiffs appealed the 
dismissals and, on August 4, 2015, the United States Court of 
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the district 
court’s decisions and remanded the three cases to the district 
court for further proceedings. On June 28, 2016, the United 
States Supreme Court granted defendants’ petitions for writ of 
certiorari to review the decisions of the United States Court of 
Appeals for the District of Columbia. On November 17, 2016, the 
United States Supreme Court dismissed the petitions as 
improvidently granted, and the three cases returned to the 
district court for further proceedings. The Company has entered 
into an agreement pursuant to which the Company will pay 
$20.8 million to resolve the cases, subject to court approval. 

AUTOMOBILE LENDING MATTERS  On April 20, 2018, the Company 
entered into consent orders with the Office of the Comptroller of 
the Currency (OCC) and the Consumer Financial Protection 
Bureau (CFPB) to resolve, among other things, investigations by 
the agencies into the Company’s compliance risk management 

186 

program and its past practices involving certain automobile 
collateral protection insurance (CPI) policies and certain 
mortgage interest rate lock extensions. The consent orders 
require remediation to customers and the payment of a total of 
$1.0 billion in civil money penalties to the agencies. In July 2017, 
the Company announced a plan to remediate customers who 
may have been financially harmed due to issues related to 
automobile CPI policies purchased through a third-party vendor 
on their behalf. Multiple putative class action cases alleging, 
among other things, unfair and deceptive practices relating to 
these CPI policies, have been filed against the Company and 
consolidated into one multi-district litigation in the United 
States District Court for the Central District of California. The 
Company has reached an agreement to resolve the multi-district 
litigation pursuant to which the Company has agreed to pay, 
consistent with its remediation obligations under the consent 
orders, approximately $689 million in remediation to customers 
with CPI policies placed between October 15, 2005, and 
September 30, 2016. The settlement amount is not incremental 
to the Company’s remediation obligations under the consent 
orders, but instead encompasses those obligations, including 
remediation payments to date. The settlement amount is subject 
to change as the Company finalizes its remediation activity under 
the consent orders. In addition, the Company has agreed to 
contribute $1 million to a common fund for the class. The district 
court granted final approval of the settlement on November 21, 
2019. A putative class of shareholders also filed a securities fraud 
class action against the Company and its executive officers 
alleging material misstatements and omissions of CPI-related 
information in the Company’s public disclosures. In January 2020, 
the court dismissed this action as to all defendants except the 
Company and a former executive officer and limited the action to 
two alleged misstatements. In addition, the Company is subject 
to a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for 
the Central District of California alleging that customers are 
entitled to refunds related to the unused portion of guaranteed 
automobile protection (GAP) waiver or insurance agreements 
between the customer and dealer and, by assignment, the lender. 
Allegations related to the CPI and GAP programs are among the 
subjects of a shareholder derivative lawsuit pending in the United 
States District Court for the Northern District of California. 
These and other issues related to the origination, servicing, and 
collection of consumer auto loans, including related insurance 
products, have also subjected the Company to formal or informal 
inquiries, investigations, or examinations from federal and state 
government agencies. In December 2018, the Company entered 
into an agreement with all 50 state Attorneys General and the 
District of Columbia to resolve an investigation into the 
Company’s retail sales practices, CPI and GAP, and mortgage 
interest rate lock matters, pursuant to which the Company paid 
$575 million. 

BANK SECRECY ACT/ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING CONSENT ORDER 
INVESTIGATION  On November 19, 2015, the Company entered 
into a consent order with the OCC, pursuant to which the 
Company was required to implement customer due diligence 
standards that include collection of current beneficial ownership 
information for certain business customers. On January 4, 2021, 
the OCC terminated the consent order. The Company has 
responded to inquiries from various federal government agencies 
regarding potentially inappropriate conduct in connection with 
the collection of beneficial ownership information. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMMERCIAL LENDING SHAREHOLDER LITIGATION  In October and 
November 2020, plaintiffs filed two putative class action lawsuits 
in the United States District Court for the Northern District of 
California alleging that the Company and certain of its former 
executive officers made false and misleading statements or 
omissions regarding, among other things, the Company’s 
commercial lending underwriting practices, the credit quality of 
its commercial credit portfolios, and the value of its commercial 
loans, collateralized loan obligations and commercial mortgage-
backed securities. 

CONSENT ORDER DISCLOSURE LITIGATION  Wells Fargo 
shareholders have brought a securities fraud class action in the 
United States District Court for the Southern District of New 
York alleging that the Company and certain of its current and 
former executive officers and directors made false or misleading 
statements regarding the Company’s efforts to comply with the 
February 2018 consent order with the Federal Reserve Board and 
the April 2018 consent orders with the CFPB and OCC. 
Allegations related to the Company’s efforts to comply with 
these three consent orders are also among the subjects of a 
shareholder derivative lawsuit pending in the United States 
District Court for the Northern District of California. 

CONSUMER DEPOSIT ACCOUNT RELATED REGULATORY 
INVESTIGATION  The CFPB is conducting an investigation into 
whether customers were unduly harmed by the Company’s 
historical practices associated with the freezing (and, in many 
cases, closing) of consumer deposit accounts after the Company 
detected suspected fraudulent activity (by third parties or 
account holders) that affected those accounts. 

CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT/ 
PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM  Plaintiffs have filed putative 
class actions in various federal courts against the Company. The 
actions seek damages and injunctive relief related to the 
Company’s offering of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans 
under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, as 
well as claims for fees by purported agents who allegedly assisted 
customers with preparing PPP loan applications submitted to the 
Company. The Company has also received formal and informal 
inquiries from federal and state government agencies regarding 
its offering of PPP loans. In addition, Wells Fargo shareholders 
brought a securities fraud class action in the United States 
District Court for the Northern District of California alleging that 
the Company and certain of its executive officers made false or 
misleading statements regarding the Company’s participation in 
the PPP and the Company’s compliance with related regulations, 
which has been voluntarily dismissed. 

FOREIGN EXCHANGE BUSINESS  The United States Department of 
Justice (Department of Justice) is investigating certain activities 
in the Company’s foreign exchange business, including whether 
customers may have received pricing inconsistent with 
commitments made to those customers. Previous investigations 
by other federal government agencies have been resolved. 

INTERCHANGE LITIGATION  Plaintiffs representing a putative class 
of merchants have filed putative class actions, and individual 
merchants have filed individual actions, against Wells Fargo Bank, 
N.A., Wells Fargo & Company, Wachovia Bank, N.A., and 
Wachovia Corporation regarding the interchange fees associated 
with Visa and MasterCard payment card transactions. Visa, 
MasterCard, and several other banks and bank holding 
companies are also named as defendants in these actions. These 

actions have been consolidated in the United States District 
Court for the Eastern District of New York. The amended and 
consolidated complaint asserts claims against defendants based 
on alleged violations of federal and state antitrust laws and seeks 
damages, as well as injunctive relief. Plaintiff merchants allege 
that Visa, MasterCard, and payment card issuing banks unlawfully 
colluded to set interchange rates. Plaintiffs also allege that 
enforcement of certain Visa and MasterCard rules and alleged 
tying and bundling of services offered to merchants are 
anticompetitive. Wells Fargo and Wachovia, along with other 
defendants and entities, are parties to Loss and Judgment 
Sharing Agreements, which provide that they, along with other 
entities, will share, based on a formula, in any losses from the 
Interchange Litigation. On July 13, 2012, Visa, MasterCard, and 
the financial institution defendants, including Wells Fargo, signed 
a memorandum of understanding with plaintiff merchants to 
resolve the consolidated class action and reached a separate 
settlement in principle of the consolidated individual actions. The 
settlement payments to be made by all defendants in the 
consolidated class and individual actions totaled approximately 
$6.6 billion before reductions applicable to certain merchants 
opting out of the settlement. The class settlement also provided 
for the distribution to class merchants of 10 basis points of 
default interchange across all credit rate categories for a period 
of eight consecutive months. The district court granted final 
approval of the settlement, which was appealed to the United 
States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by settlement 
objector merchants. Other merchants opted out of the 
settlement and are pursuing several individual actions. On 
June 30, 2016, the Second Circuit vacated the settlement 
agreement and reversed and remanded the consolidated action 
to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of 
New York for further proceedings. On November 23, 2016, prior 
class counsel filed a petition to the United States Supreme Court, 
seeking review of the reversal of the settlement by the Second 
Circuit, and the Supreme Court denied the petition on March 27, 
2017. On November 30, 2016, the district court appointed lead 
class counsel for a damages class and an equitable relief class. 
The parties have entered into a settlement agreement to resolve 
the money damages class claims pursuant to which defendants 
will pay a total of approximately $6.2 billion, which includes 
approximately $5.3 billion of funds remaining from the 2012 
settlement and $900 million in additional funding. The 
Company’s allocated responsibility for the additional funding is 
approximately $94.5 million. The court granted final approval of 
the settlement on December 13, 2019, which was appealed to 
the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by 
settlement objector merchants. Several of the opt-out and direct 
action litigations have been settled while others remain pending. 
Discovery is proceeding in the opt-out litigations and the 
equitable relief class case. 

LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDITS  Federal government 
agencies have undertaken formal or informal inquiries or 
investigations regarding the manner in which the Company 
purchased, and negotiated the purchase of, certain federal low 
income housing tax credits in connection with the financing of 
low income housing developments. 

MOBILE DEPOSIT PATENT LITIGATION  The Company is a 
defendant in two separate cases brought by United Services 
Automobile Association (USAA) in the United States District 
Court for the Eastern District of Texas alleging claims of patent 
infringement regarding mobile deposit capture technology 
patents held by USAA. Trial in the first case commenced on 

187 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
Note 15:  Legal Actions (continued) 

October 30, 2019, and resulted in a $200 million verdict against 
the Company. Trial in the second case commenced on January 6, 
2020, and resulted in a $102.7 million verdict against the 
Company. The Company has filed post-trial motions to, among 
other things, vacate the verdicts, and USAA has filed post-trial 
motions seeking future royalty payments and damages for willful 
infringement. In February 2021, the Company reached an 
agreement to settle the cases with USAA and obtained a license 
to the patents at issue. 

MORTGAGE LOAN MODIFICATION MATTERS  Plaintiffs 
representing a putative class of mortgage borrowers have filed 
separate putative class actions, Hernandez v. Wells Fargo, et al., 
Coordes v. Wells Fargo, et al., Ryder v. Wells Fargo, Liguori v. 
Wells Fargo, and Dore v. Wells Fargo, against Wells Fargo Bank, 
N.A., in the United States District Court for the Northern District 
of California, the United States District Court for the District of 
Washington, the United States District Court for the Southern 
District of Ohio, the United States District Court for the 
Southern District of New York, and the United States District 
Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, respectively. 
Plaintiffs allege that Wells Fargo improperly denied mortgage 
loan modifications or repayment plans to customers in the 
foreclosure process due to the overstatement of foreclosure 
attorneys’ fees that were included for purposes of determining 
whether a customer in the foreclosure process qualified for a 
mortgage loan modification or repayment plan. In March 2020, 
the Company entered into an agreement pursuant to which the 
Company paid $18.5 million to resolve the claims of the initial 
certified class in the Hernandez case, which was approved by the 
district court in October 2020. The Hernandez settlement has 
been reopened to include additional borrowers who the Company 
determined should have been included in the settlement class 
because the Company identified a population of additional 
borrowers during the relevant class period whose loans had not 
previously been reviewed for inclusion in the original population 
of impacted customers. The identification of these additional 
borrowers will increase the potential class of mortgage 
borrowers in the other pending matters. In addition, government 
agencies have undertaken formal or informal inquiries or 
investigations regarding these and other mortgage servicing 
matters. 

NOMURA/NATIXIS MORTGAGE-RELATED LITIGATION  In August 
2014 and August 2015, Nomura Credit & Capital Inc. (Nomura) 
and Natixis Real Estate Holdings, LLC (Natixis) filed a total of 
seven third-party complaints against Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., in 
New York state court. In the underlying first-party actions, 
Nomura and Natixis have been sued for alleged breaches of 
representations and warranties made in connection with 
residential mortgage-backed securities sponsored by them. In 
the third-party actions, Nomura and Natixis allege that 
Wells Fargo, as master servicer, primary servicer or securities 
administrator, failed to notify Nomura and Natixis of their own 
breaches, failed to properly oversee the primary servicers, and 
failed to adhere to accepted servicing practices. Natixis 
additionally alleges that Wells Fargo failed to perform default 
oversight duties. Wells Fargo has asserted counterclaims alleging 
that Nomura and Natixis failed to provide Wells Fargo notice of 
their representation and warranty breaches. 

OFAC RELATED INVESTIGATION  The Company has self-identified 
an issue whereby certain foreign banks utilized a Wells Fargo 
software-based solution to conduct import/export trade-related 
financing transactions with countries and entities prohibited by 

188 

the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States 
Department of the Treasury. We do not believe any funds related 
to these transactions flowed through accounts at Wells Fargo as 
a result of the aforementioned conduct. The Company has made 
voluntary self-disclosures to OFAC and is cooperating with an 
inquiry from the Department of Justice. 

ORDER OF POSTING LITIGATION  Plaintiffs filed a series of putative 
class actions against Wachovia Bank, N.A., and Wells Fargo Bank, 
N.A., as well as many other banks, challenging the “high to low” 
order in which the banks post debit card transactions to 
consumer deposit accounts. Most of these actions were 
consolidated in multi-district litigation proceedings (MDL 
proceedings) in the United States District Court for the Southern 
District of Florida. The court in the MDL proceedings has 
certified a class of putative plaintiffs, and Wells Fargo moved to 
compel arbitration of the claims of unnamed class members. The 
court denied the motions to compel arbitration in October 2016, 
and Wells Fargo appealed this decision to the United States 
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In May 2018, the 
Eleventh Circuit ruled in Wells Fargo’s favor and found that 
Wells Fargo had not waived its arbitration rights and remanded 
the case to the district court for further proceedings. On 
September 26, 2019, the district court entered an order granting 
Wells Fargo’s motion and dismissed the claims of unnamed class 
members in favor of arbitration. Plaintiffs appealed this decision 
to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. 

RETAIL SALES PRACTICES MATTERS  A number of bodies or 
entities, including (a) federal, state, and local government 
agencies, including the Department of Justice, the United States 
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the United 
States Department of Labor, (b) state attorneys general, 
including the New York Attorney General, and (c) Congressional 
committees, have undertaken formal or informal inquiries, 
investigations, or examinations arising out of certain retail sales 
practices of the Company that were the subject of settlements 
with the CFPB, the OCC, and the Office of the Los Angeles City 
Attorney announced by the Company on September 8, 2016. 
These matters are at varying stages. The Company has 
responded, and continues to respond, to requests from certain of 
the foregoing. In October 2018, the Company entered into an 
agreement to resolve the New York Attorney General’s 
investigation pursuant to which the Company paid $65 million to 
the State of New York. In December 2018, the Company entered 
into an agreement with all 50 state Attorneys General and the 
District of Columbia to resolve an investigation into the 
Company’s retail sales practices, CPI and GAP, and mortgage 
interest rate lock matters, pursuant to which the Company paid 
$575 million. On February 21, 2020, the Company entered into 
an agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve the 
Department of Justice’s criminal investigation into the 
Company’s retail sales practices, as well as a separate agreement 
to resolve the Department of Justice’s civil investigation. As part 
of the Department of Justice criminal settlement, no charges will 
be filed against the Company provided the Company abides by all 
the terms of the agreement. The Department of Justice criminal 
settlement also includes the Company’s agreement that the 
facts set forth in the settlement document constitute sufficient 
facts for the finding of criminal violations of statutes regarding 
bank records and personal information. On February 21, 2020, 
the Company also entered into an order to resolve the SEC’s 
investigation arising out of the Company’s retail sales practices. 
The SEC order contains a finding, to which the Company 
consented, that the facts set forth include violations of Section 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 
thereunder. As part of the resolution of the Department of 
Justice and SEC investigations, the Company has agreed to make 
payments totaling $3.0 billion. In addition, as part of the 
settlements and included in the $3.0 billion amount, the 
Company has agreed to the creation of a $500 million Fair Fund 
for the benefit of investors who were harmed by the conduct 
covered in the SEC settlement. 

In addition, a number of lawsuits have been filed by non-

governmental parties seeking damages or other remedies 
related to these retail sales practices. First, various class 
plaintiffs, purporting to represent consumers who allege that 
they received products or services without their authorization or 
consent, have brought separate putative class actions against the 
Company in the United States District Court for the Northern 
District of California and various other jurisdictions. On June 14, 
2018, the district court granted final approval of a settlement 
entered into by the Company in the first-filed action, Jabbari v. 
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., pursuant to which the Company paid 
$142 million to resolve claims regarding certain products or 
services provided without authorization or consent for the time 
period May 1, 2002 to April 20, 2017. On July 20, 2020, the 
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the 
district court’s order granting final approval of the settlement. 
Second, the Company was subject to a consolidated securities 
fraud class action alleging certain misstatements and omissions 
in the Company’s disclosures related to sales practices matters. 
The Company entered into a settlement agreement to resolve 
this matter pursuant to which the Company paid $480 million. 
Third, Wells Fargo shareholders have brought numerous 
shareholder derivative lawsuits asserting breach of fiduciary duty 
claims against, among others, current and former directors and 
officers for their alleged involvement with and failure to detect 
and prevent sales practices issues. The parties have entered into 
settlement agreements to resolve these lawsuits pursuant to 
which insurance carriers will pay the Company approximately 
$240 million for alleged damage to the Company, and the 
Company will pay plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees. The settlement 
agreements have received final approval from the courts. Fourth, 
a purported Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) 
class action was filed in the United States District Court for the 
District of Minnesota on behalf of 401(k) plan participants. The 
district court dismissed the action, and on July 27, 2020, the 
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed 
the dismissal. The 401(k) plan participants have filed a writ of 
certiorari to the United States Supreme Court. 

RMBS TRUSTEE LITIGATION  In December 2014, Phoenix Light SF 
Limited and certain related entities and the National Credit Union 
Administration (NCUA) filed complaints in the United States 
District Court for the Southern District of New York against 
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., alleging claims against the Company in its 
capacity as trustee for a number of residential mortgage-backed 
securities trusts. Complaints raising similar allegations have been 
filed by Commerzbank AG in the Southern District of New York 
and by IKB International and IKB Deutsche Industriebank in New 
York state court. In each case, the plaintiffs allege that 
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as trustee, caused losses to investors, and 
plaintiffs assert causes of action based upon, among other 
things, the trustee’s alleged failure to notify and enforce 
repurchase obligations of mortgage loan sellers for purported 
breaches of representations and warranties, notify investors of 
alleged events of default, and abide by appropriate standards of 
care following alleged events of default. The Company previously 
settled two class action lawsuits with similar allegations that 

were filed in November 2014 and December 2016 by 
institutional investors in the Southern District of New York and 
New York state court, respectively. 

SEMINOLE TRIBE TRUSTEE LITIGATION  The Seminole Tribe of 
Florida filed a complaint in Florida state court alleging that 
Wells Fargo, as trustee, charged excess fees in connection with 
the administration of a minor’s trust and failed to invest the 
assets of the trust prudently. The complaint was later amended 
to include three individual current and former beneficiaries as 
plaintiffs and to remove the Tribe as a party to the case. In 
December 2016, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the 
amended complaint on the grounds that the Tribe is a necessary 
party and that the individual beneficiaries lack standing to bring 
claims. The motion was denied in June 2018. The case is pending 
trial. 

OUTLOOK  As described above, the Company establishes accruals 
for legal actions when potential losses associated with the 
actions become probable and the costs can be reasonably 
estimated. The high end of the range of reasonably possible 
potential losses in excess of the Company’s accrual for probable 
and estimable losses was approximately $2.4 billion as of 
December 31, 2020. The outcomes of legal actions are 
unpredictable and subject to significant uncertainties, and it is 
inherently difficult to determine whether any loss is probable or 
even possible. It is also inherently difficult to estimate the 
amount of any loss and there may be matters for which a loss is 
probable or reasonably possible but not currently estimable. 
Accordingly, actual losses may be in excess of the established 
accrual or the range of reasonably possible loss. Wells Fargo is 
unable to determine whether the ultimate resolution of the retail 
sales practices matters will have a material adverse effect on its 
consolidated financial condition. Based on information currently 
available, advice of counsel, available insurance coverage, and 
established reserves, Wells Fargo believes that the eventual 
outcome of other actions against Wells Fargo and/or its 
subsidiaries will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a 
material adverse effect on Wells Fargo’s consolidated financial 
condition. However, it is possible that the ultimate resolution of a 
matter, if unfavorable, may be material to Wells Fargo’s results 
of operations for any particular period. 

189 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 16:  Derivatives 

We use derivatives to manage exposure to market risk, including 
interest rate risk, credit risk and foreign currency risk, and to 
assist customers with their risk management objectives. We 
designate certain derivatives as hedging instruments in 
qualifying hedge accounting relationships (fair value or cash flow 
hedges). Our remaining derivatives consist of economic hedges 
that do not qualify for hedge accounting and derivatives held for 
customer accommodation trading or other purposes. 

Risk Management Derivatives 
Our asset/liability management approach to interest rate, 
foreign currency and certain other risks includes the use of 
derivatives, which are typically designated as fair value or cash 
flow hedges, or economic hedges. We use derivatives to help 
minimize significant, unplanned fluctuations in earnings, fair 
values of assets and liabilities, and cash flows caused by interest 
rate, foreign currency and other market risk volatility. This 
approach involves modifying the repricing characteristics of 
certain assets and liabilities so that changes in interest rates, 
foreign currency and other exposures, which may cause the 
hedged assets and liabilities to gain or lose fair value, do not have 
a significant adverse effect on the net interest margin, cash flows 
and earnings. In a fair value or economic hedge, the effect of 
change in fair value will generally be offset by the unrealized gain 
or loss on the derivatives linked to the hedged assets and 
liabilities. In a cash flow hedge, where we manage the variability 
of cash payments due to interest rate or foreign currency 
fluctuations by the effective use of derivatives linked to hedged 
assets and liabilities, the hedged asset or liability is not adjusted 
and the unrealized gain or loss on the derivative is recorded in 
other comprehensive income. 

Customer Accommodation Trading 
We also use various derivatives, including interest rate, 
commodity, equity, credit and foreign exchange contracts, as an 
accommodation to our customers as part of our trading 
businesses. These derivative transactions, which involve 
engaging in market-making activities or acting as an 
intermediary, are conducted in an effort to help customers 
manage their market risks. We usually offset our exposure from 
such derivatives by entering into other financial contracts, such 
as separate derivative or security transactions. These customer 
accommodations and any offsetting derivatives are treated as 
customer accommodation trading and other derivatives in our 
disclosures. Additionally, embedded derivatives that are required 
to be accounted for separately from their host contracts are 
included in the customer accommodation trading and other 
derivatives disclosures, as applicable. 

We mention derivative instruments within several other 
Notes in this Report. For more information on Derivatives, refer 
to the following areas: 
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Note 1:  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Note 2:  Trading Activities
Note 6:  Equity Securities
Note 8:  Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities
Note 9:  Mortgage Banking Activities
Note 12:  Long-Term Debt
Note 13:  Guarantees and Other Commitments
Note 14:  Pledged Assets and Collateral
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities
Note 25:  Other Comprehensive Income
Note 27:  Parent-Only Financial Statements

190 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
Table 16.1 presents the total notional or contractual 

amounts and fair values for our derivatives. Derivative 
transactions can be measured in terms of the notional amount, 
but this amount is not recorded on our consolidated balance 

sheet and is not, when viewed in isolation, a meaningful measure 
of the risk profile of the instruments. The notional amount is 
generally not exchanged, but is used only as the basis on which 
interest and other payments are determined. 

Table 16.1:  Notional or Contractual Amounts and Fair Values of Derivatives 

(in millions) 

amount 

assets 

liabilities 

amount 

assets 

liabilities 

Notional or 

Fair value 

Notional or 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Fair value 

contractual 

Derivative 

Derivative 

contractual 

Derivative 

Derivative 

Derivatives designated as hedging instruments 

Interest rate contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Total derivatives designated as qualifying hedging instruments 

Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments 

$ 

184,090 

47,331 

Economic hedges: 

Interest rate contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Subtotal 

Customer accommodation trading and other derivatives: 

Interest rate contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Subtotal 

Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments 

Total derivatives before netting 

Netting 

Total 

261,159 

25,997 

47,106 

73 

7,947,941 

65,790 

280,195 

412,879 

34,329 

3,212 

1,381 

4,593 

341 

1,363 

331 

31 

2,066 

32,510 

2,036 

17,522 

6,891 

64 

59,023 

61,089 

65,682 

789 

607 

1,396 

344 

490 

1,515 

— 

2,349 

25,169 

1,543 

21,516 

6,034 

58 

54,320 

56,669 

58,065 

182,789 

32,386 

235,810 

19,263 

26,595 

1,400

2,595 

341 

2,936 

207 

1,126 

118 

27 

1,478 

11,117,542 

21,245 

79,737 

272,145 

364,469 

36,245 

1,421 

7,410 

4,755 

81 

34,912 

36,390 

39,326 

1,237 

1,170 

2,407

160 

224 

286 

— 

670

17,969 

1,770 

10,240 

4,791 

83 

34,853 

35,523 

37,930 

(39,836) 

(41,556) 

$ 

25,846 

16,509 

(25,123) 

(28,851) 

14,203 

9,079 

191 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
Note 16:  Derivatives (continued) 

Table 16.2 provides information on the gross fair values of 

We do not net non-cash collateral that we receive and 

pledge on our consolidated balance sheet. For disclosure 
purposes, we present the fair value of this non-cash collateral in 
the column titled “Gross amounts not offset in consolidated 
balance sheet (Disclosure-only netting)” within the table. We 
determine and allocate the Disclosure-only netting amounts in 
the same manner as balance sheet netting amounts. 

The “Net amounts” column within Table 16.2 represents the 

aggregate of our net exposure to each counterparty after 
considering the balance sheet and Disclosure-only netting 
adjustments. We manage derivative exposure by monitoring the 
credit risk associated with each counterparty using counterparty 
specific credit risk limits, using master netting arrangements and 
obtaining collateral. Derivative contracts executed in OTC 
markets include bilateral contractual arrangements that are not 
cleared through a central clearing organization but are typically 
subject to master netting arrangements. The proportion of these 
derivative contracts relative to our total derivative assets and 
liabilities are presented in the “Percent exchanged in over-the-
counter market” column in Table 16.2. In addition to the netting 
amounts included in the table, we also have balance sheet netting 
related to resale and repurchase agreements that are disclosed 
within Note 14 (Pledged Assets and Collateral). 

derivative assets and liabilities, the balance sheet netting 
adjustments and the resulting net fair value amount recorded on 
our consolidated balance sheet, as well as the non-cash collateral 
associated with such arrangements. We execute substantially all 
of our derivative transactions under master netting 
arrangements and reflect all derivative balances and related cash 
collateral subject to enforceable master netting arrangements on 
a net basis within the consolidated balance sheet. The “Gross 
amounts recognized” column in the following table includes 
$54.6 billion and $50.1 billion of gross derivative assets and 
liabilities, respectively, at December 31, 2020, and $33.7 billion 
and $33.5 billion, respectively, at December 31, 2019, with 
counterparties subject to enforceable master netting 
arrangements that are eligible for balance sheet netting 
adjustments. The majority of these amounts are interest rate 
contracts executed in over-the-counter (OTC) markets. The 
remaining gross derivative assets and liabilities of $11.1 billion 
and $8.0 billion, respectively, at December 31, 2020, and 
$5.6 billion and $4.4 billion, respectively, at December 31, 2019, 
include those with counterparties subject to master netting 
arrangements for which we have not assessed the enforceability 
because they are with counterparties where we do not currently 
have positions to offset, those subject to master netting 
arrangements where we have not been able to confirm the 
enforceability and those not subject to master netting 
arrangements. As such, we do not net derivative balances or 
collateral within the consolidated balance sheet for these 
counterparties. Cash collateral receivables and payables that 
have not been offset against our derivatives were $1.8 billion and 
$984 million, respectively, at December 31, 2020, and 
$6.3 billion and $1.4 billion, respectively, at December 31, 2019. 
We determine the balance sheet netting adjustments based 
on the terms specified within each master netting arrangement. 
We disclose the balance sheet netting amounts within the 
column titled “Gross amounts offset in consolidated balance 
sheet.” Balance sheet netting adjustments are determined at the 
counterparty level for which there may be multiple contract 
types. For disclosure purposes, we allocate these netting 
adjustments to the contract type for each counterparty 
proportionally based upon the “Gross amounts recognized” by 
counterparty. As a result, the net amounts disclosed by contract 
type may not represent the actual exposure upon settlement of 
the contracts. 

192 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 16.2:  Gross Fair Values of Derivative Assets and Liabilities 

Gross amounts 
recognized 

Gross amounts 
offset in 
consolidated 
balance sheet (1) 

Net amounts in 
consolidated 
balance sheet 

Gross amounts 
not offset in 
consolidated 
balance sheet 
(Disclosure-only 
netting) 

Net 
amounts 

Percent exchanged 
in over-the-counter 
market 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Derivative assets 

Interest rate contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Total derivative assets 

Derivative liabilities 

Interest rate contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Total derivative liabilities 

December 31, 2019 

Derivative assets 

Interest rate contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Total derivative assets 

Derivative liabilities 

Interest rate contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

(1,274) 

12,821 

96  % 

36,063 

2,036 

18,885 

8,603 

95 

65,682 

26,302 

1,543 

22,006 

8,156 

58 

58,065 

(21,968) 

(940) 

(10,968) 

(5,887) 

(73) 

(39,836) 

(21,934) 

(819) 

(12,283) 

(6,481) 

(39) 

(41,556) 

14,095 

1,096 

7,917 

2,716 

22 

25,846 

4,368 

724 

9,723 

1,675 

19 

(4) 

(737) 

(141) 

(1) 

1,092 

7,180 

2,575 

21 

(2,157) 

23,689 

(2,219) 

— 

(837) 

(529) 

(3) 

2,149 

724 

8,886 

1,146 

16 

16,509 

(3,588) 

12,921 

24,047 

(14,878) 

1,421 

8,536 

5,214 

108 

(888) 

(5,570) 

(3,722) 

(65) 

9,169 

533 

2,966 

1,492 

43 

(445) 

(2) 

(69) 

(22) 

(1) 

8,724 

531 

2,897 

1,470 

42 

39,326 

(25,123) 

14,203 

(539) 

13,664 

19,366 

1,770 

10,464 

6,247 

83 

(16,595) 

(677) 

(6,647) 

(4,866) 

(66) 

2,771 

1,093 

3,817 

1,381 

17 

9,079 

(545) 

(2) 

(319) 

(169) 

(3) 

2,226 

1,091 

3,498 

1,212 

14 

(1,038) 

8,041 

84 

74 

100 

90 

95  % 

69 

78 

100 

91 

95  % 

80 

65 

100 

95 

94  % 

82 

81 

100 

97 

Total derivative liabilities 

$ 

37,930 

(28,851) 

(1) 

Represents amounts with counterparties subject to enforceable master netting arrangements that have been offset in the consolidated balance sheet, including related cash collateral and portfolio 
level counterparty valuation adjustments. Counterparty valuation adjustments related to derivative assets were $399 million and $231 million and debit valuation adjustments related to derivative 
liabilities were $201 million and $100 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Cash collateral totaled $5.5 billion and $7.5 billion, netted against derivative assets and liabilities, 
respectively, at December 31, 2020, and $2.9 billion and $6.8 billion, respectively, at December 31, 2019. 

193 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 16:  Derivatives (continued) 

Fair Value and Cash Flow Hedges 
For fair value hedges, we use interest rate swaps to convert 
certain of our fixed-rate long-term debt and time certificates of 
deposit to floating rates to hedge our exposure to interest rate 
risk. We also enter into cross-currency swaps, cross-currency 
interest rate swaps and forward contracts to hedge our exposure 
to foreign currency risk and interest rate risk associated with the 
issuance of non-U.S. dollar denominated long-term debt. In 
addition, we use interest rate swaps, cross-currency swaps, 
cross-currency interest rate swaps and forward contracts to 
hedge against changes in fair value of certain investments in 
available-for-sale debt securities due to changes in interest rates, 
foreign currency rates, or both. For certain fair value hedges of 
foreign currency risk, changes in fair value of cross-currency 
swaps attributable to changes in cross-currency basis spreads are 
excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness and 
recorded in other comprehensive income. See Note 25 (Other 
Comprehensive Income) for the amounts recognized in other 
comprehensive income. 

For cash flow hedges, we use interest rate swaps to hedge 
the variability in interest payments received on certain floating-

Table 16.3:  Gains (Losses) Recognized on Fair Value Hedging Relationships 

rate commercial loans and paid on certain floating-rate debt due 
to changes in the contractually specified interest rate. We also 
use cross-currency swaps to hedge variability in interest 
payments on fixed-rate foreign currency-denominated long-
term debt due to changes in foreign exchange rates. 

We estimate $140 million pre-tax of deferred net losses 
related to cash flow hedges in OCI at December 31, 2020, will be 
reclassified into net interest income during the next twelve 
months. The deferred losses expected to be reclassified into net 
interest income are predominantly related to discontinued 
hedges of floating rate loans. For cash flow hedges as of 
December 31, 2020, we are hedging our foreign currency 
exposure to the variability of future cash flows for all forecasted 
transactions for a maximum of 10 years. For additional 
information on our accounting hedges, see Note 1 (Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies). 

Table 16.3 and Table 16.4 show the net gains (losses) related 

to derivatives in fair value and cash flow hedging relationships, 
respectively. 

(in millions) 

Year Ended December 31, 2020 

Net interest income 

Noninterest 
income 

Debt 
securities 

Deposits 

Long-term 
debt 

Other 

Total 
recorded in 
net income 

Derivative 
gains 
(losses) 

Total 
recorded in 
OCI 

Derivative 
gains 
(losses) 

Total amounts presented in the consolidated statement of income and other

comprehensive income 

$ 

11,234 

(2,804) 

(4,471) 

2,044 

N/A 

198 

Interest contracts 

Amounts related to interest settlements on derivatives 

Recognized on derivatives 

Recognized on hedged items 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on interest rate contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Amounts related to interest settlements on derivatives 

Recognized on derivatives 

Recognized on hedged items 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on foreign exchange contracts 

(338) 

(1,261) 

1,317 

(282) 

52 

(1) 

2 

53 

503 

161 

1,704 

6,691 

(151) 

(6,543) 

513 

1,852 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(139) 

261 

(201) 

(79) 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized on fair value hedges 

$ 

(229) 

513 

1,773 

(continued on following page) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,591 

(1,575) 

16 

16 

1,869 

5,591 

(5,377) 

2,083 

(87) 

1,851 

(1,774) 

(10) 

2,073 

— 

— 

(31) 

(31) 

(31) 

194 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
  
 
 
 
 
(continued from previous page) 

(in millions) 

Year ended December 31, 2019 

Total amounts presented in the consolidated statement of income and other 

comprehensive income 

Interest contracts 

Amounts related to interest settlements on derivatives 

Recognized on derivatives 

Recognized on hedged items 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on interest rate contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Amounts related to interest settlements on derivatives 

Recognized on derivatives 

Recognized on hedged items 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on foreign exchange contracts 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized on fair value hedges 

$ 

Year ended December 31, 2018 

Total amounts presented in the consolidated statement of income and other 

Net interest income 

Noninterest 
income 

Debt 
securities 

Deposits 

Long-term 
debt 

Other 

Total 
recorded in 
net income 

Derivative 
gains 
(losses) 

Total 
recorded in 
OCI 

Derivative 
gains 
(losses)

$ 

14,955 

(8,635) 

(7,350) 

5,760 

N/A 

275 

— 

(2,082) 

2,096 

58 

463 

169 

5,001 

(442) 

(4,910) 

14 

35 

(5) 

6 

36 

50 

79 

— 

— 

— 

— 

79 

260 

(483) 

308 

(289) 

(464) 

(204) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(358) 

350 

(8) 

(8) 

227 

3,382 

(3,256) 

353 

(448) 

(55) 

67 

(436) 

(83) 

— 

— 

(3) 

(3) 

(3) 

$ 

14,406 

(5,622) 

(6,703) 

5,386 

N/A 

(238) 

comprehensive income 

Interest contracts 

Amounts related to interest settlements on derivatives 

Recognized on derivatives 

Recognized on hedged items 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on interest rate contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Amounts related to interest settlements on derivatives 

Recognized on derivatives 

Recognized on hedged items 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on foreign exchange contracts 

(187) 

845 

(877) 

(219) 

33 

7 

(1) 

39 

(41) 

27 

(33) 

(47) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized on fair value hedges 

$ 

(180) 

(47) 

292 

(1,923) 

1,843 

212 

(434) 

135 

(82) 

(381) 

(169) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(1,204) 

1,114 

(90) 

(90) 

64 

(1,051) 

933 

(54) 

(401) 

(1,062) 

1,031 

(432) 

(486) 

— 

— 

(254) 

(254) 

(254) 

195 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
Note 16:  Derivatives (continued) 

Table 16.4:  Gains (Losses) Recognized on Cash Flow Hedging Relationships 

(in millions) 

Year Ended December 31, 2020 

Net interest income 

Total 
recorded in 
net income 

Total 
recorded in 
OCI 

Loans 

Long-term 
debt 

Derivative 
gains (losses) 

Derivative 
gains (losses) 

Total amounts presented in the consolidated statement of income and other comprehensive income 

$ 

34,109 

(4,471) 

N/A 

Interest rate contracts: 

Realized gains (losses) (pre-tax) reclassified from OCI into net income 

Net unrealized gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized in OCI 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on interest rate contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts:

Realized gains (losses) (pre-tax) reclassified from OCI into net income 

Net unrealized gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized in OCI 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on foreign exchange contracts 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized on cash flow hedges 

Year ended December 31, 2019 

Total amounts presented in the consolidated statement of income and other comprehensive income 

Interest rate contracts: 

Realized gains (losses) (pre-tax) reclassified from OCI into net income 

Net unrealized gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized in OCI 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on interest rate contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts: 

Realized gains (losses) (pre-tax) reclassified from OCI into net income 

Net unrealized gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized in OCI 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on foreign exchange contracts 

(215) 

N/A 

(215)

— 

N/A 

— 

(215) 

4 

N/A 

4

(8) 

N/A 

(8) 

(4) 

(211) 

N/A 

(211)

(8) 

N/A 

(8)

(219) 

44,146 

(7,350) 

N/A 

$ 

$ 

(291) 

N/A 

(291)

— 

N/A 

— 

1 

N/A 

1

(9) 

N/A 

(9) 

(8) 

(290) 

N/A 

(290)

(9) 

N/A 

(9)

(299) 

198 

211 

— 

211

8 

10 

18

229 

275 

290 

— 

290

9 

(21) 

(12)

278 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized on cash flow hedges 

$ 

(291) 

Year ended December 31, 2018 

Total amounts presented in the consolidated statement of income and other comprehensive income 

$ 

43,974 

(6,703) 

N/A 

(238) 

Interest rate contracts: 

Realized gains (losses) (pre-tax) reclassified from OCI into net income 

Net unrealized gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized in OCI 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on interest rate contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts: 

Realized gains (losses) (pre-tax) reclassified from OCI into net income 

Net unrealized gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized in OCI 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) on foreign exchange contracts 

(292) 

N/A 

(292)

— 

N/A 

— 

Total gains (losses) (pre-tax) recognized on cash flow hedges 

$ 

(292) 

1 

N/A 

1

(3) 

N/A 

(3) 

(2) 

(291) 

N/A 

(291)

(3) 

N/A 

(3) 

(294) 

291 

(266) 

25

3 

(12) 

(9) 

16 

196 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
Table 16.5 shows the carrying amount and associated 
cumulative basis adjustment related to the application of hedge 
accounting that is included in the carrying amount of hedged 
assets and liabilities in fair value hedging relationships. 

Table 16.5:  Hedged Items in Fair Value Hedging Relationship 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Available-for-sale debt securities (5) 

Deposits 

Long-term debt 

December 31, 2019 

Available-for-sale debt securities (5) 

Deposits 

Long-term debt 

Hedged Items Currently Designated 

Hedged Items No Longer Designated (1) 

Carrying Amount of 
Assets/(Liabilities) (2)(4) 

Hedge Accounting 
Basis Adjustment 
Assets/(Liabilities) (3) 

Carrying Amount of 
Assets/(Liabilities) (4) 

Hedge Accounting 
Basis Adjustment 
Assets/(Liabilities) 

$ 

$ 

29,538 

(22,384) 

(156,907) 

36,896 

(43,716) 

(127,423) 

827 

(477) 

(12,466) 

1,110 

(324) 

(5,827) 

17,091 

— 

(14,468) 

9,486 

— 

(25,750) 

1,111 

— 

31 

278 

— 

173 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

Represents hedged items no longer designated in qualifying fair value hedging relationships for which an associated basis adjustment exists at the balance sheet date. 
Does not include the carrying amount of hedged items where only foreign currency risk is the designated hedged risk. The carrying amount excluded for debt securities is $17.6 billion and for long-
term debt is $(4.7) billion as of December 31, 2020, and $1.2 billion for debt securities and $(5.2) billion for long-term debt as of December 31, 2019. 
The balance includes $205 million and $130 million of debt securities and long-term debt cumulative basis adjustments as of December 31, 2020, respectively, and $790 million and $109 million of 
debt securities and long-term debt cumulative basis adjustments as of December 31, 2019, respectively, on terminated hedges whereby the hedged items have subsequently been re-designated 
into existing hedges. 
Represents the full carrying amount of the hedged asset or liability item as of the balance sheet date, except for circumstances in which only a portion of the asset or liability was designated as the 
hedged item in which case only the portion designated is presented. 
Carrying amount represents the amortized cost. 

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments 
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments include 
economic hedges and derivatives entered into for customer 
accommodation trading purposes. 

We use economic hedge derivatives to manage our exposure 

to interest rate risk, equity price risk, foreign currency risk, and 
credit risk. We also use economic hedge derivatives to mitigate 
the periodic earnings volatility caused by mismatches between 
the changes in fair value of the hedged item and hedging 
instrument recognized on our fair value accounting hedges. In 
second quarter 2020, we entered into arrangements to 
transition the economic hedges of our deferred compensation 
plan liabilities from equity securities to derivative instruments. 
Changes in the fair values of derivatives used to economically 
hedge the deferred compensation plan are reported in personnel 
expense. 

Mortgage Banking Activities 
We use economic hedge derivatives in our mortgage banking 
business to hedge the risk of changes in the fair value of 
(1) certain residential MSRs measured at fair value, (2) residential 
mortgage LHFS, (3) derivative loan commitments, and (4) other 
interests held. The types of derivatives used include swaps, 
swaptions, constant maturity mortgages, forwards, Eurodollar 
and Treasury futures and options contracts. Loan commitments 
for mortgage loans that we intend to sell are considered 
derivatives. Residential MSRs, derivative loan commitments, 
certain residential mortgage LHFS, and our economic hedge 
derivatives are carried at fair value with changes in fair value 
included in mortgage banking noninterest income. See Note 9 
(Mortgage Banking Activities) for additional information on this 
economic hedging activity and mortgage banking income. 

Customer Accommodation Trading and Other 
For customer accommodation trading purposes, we use swaps, 
futures, forwards, spots and options to assist our customers in 
managing their own risks, including interest rate, commodity, 
equity, foreign exchange, and credit contracts. These derivatives 
are not linked to specific assets and liabilities on the consolidated 
balance sheet or to forecasted transactions in an accounting 
hedge relationship and, therefore, do not qualify for hedge 
accounting. We also enter into derivatives for risk management 
that do not otherwise qualify for hedge accounting. They are 
carried at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in 
noninterest income. 

Customer accommodation trading and other derivatives also 

include embedded derivatives that are required to be accounted 
for separately from their host contract. We periodically issue 
hybrid long-term notes and CDs where the performance of the 
hybrid instrument note is linked to an equity, commodity or 
currency index, or basket of such indices. These notes contain 
explicit terms that affect some or all of the cash flows or the 
value of the note in a manner similar to a derivative instrument 
and therefore are considered to contain an “embedded” 
derivative instrument. The indices on which the performance of 
the hybrid instrument is calculated are not clearly and closely 
related to the host debt instrument. The “embedded” derivative 
is separated from the host contract and accounted for as a 
derivative. Additionally, we may invest in hybrid instruments that 
contain embedded derivatives, such as credit derivatives, that are 
not clearly and closely related to the host contract. In such 
instances, we either elect fair value option for the hybrid 
instrument or separate the embedded derivative from the host 
contract and account for the host contract and derivative 
separately. 

197 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 16:  Derivatives (continued) 

Table 16.6 shows the net gains (losses), recognized by 
income statement lines, related to derivatives not designated as 
hedging instruments. 

Table 16.6:  Gains (Losses) on Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments 

(in millions) 

Year ended December 31, 2020 

Net gains (losses) recognized on economic hedges derivatives: 

Interest contracts (1) 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Subtotal 

Net gains (losses) recognized on customer accommodation 

trading and other derivatives: 

Mortgage banking 

Net gains on
trading and
securities 

$ 

2,787 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(1,167) 

— 

— 

2,787 

(1,167) 

Interest contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Subtotal 

Net gains (losses) recognized related to derivatives not

designated as hedging instruments 

$ 

(continued on following page) 

1,964 

(1,021) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,964 

4,751 

446 

(436) 

89 

(1) 

(923) 

(2,090) 

Noninterest income 

Noninterest 
expense 

Other 

Total  Personnel expense 

(93) 

(25) 

(455) 

14 

(559) 

— 

— 

(334) 

— 

— 

(334) 

(893) 

2,694 

(1,192) 

(455) 

14 

1,061 

943 

446 

(770) 

89 

(1) 

707 

— 

(778) 

— 

— 

(778) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,768 

(778) 

198 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
(continued from previous page) 

(in millions) 

Year ended December 31, 2019 

Net gains (losses) recognized on economic hedges derivatives: 

Interest contracts (1) 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Subtotal 

Net gains (losses) recognized on customer accommodation trading and 

other derivatives: 

Interest contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Subtotal 

Net gains (losses) recognized related to derivatives not designated as 

hedging instruments 

Year ended December 31, 2018 

Net gains (losses) recognized on economic hedges derivatives: 

Interest contracts (1) 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Subtotal 

Net gains (losses) recognized on customer accommodation trading and 

other derivatives: 

Interest contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Subtotal 

Net gains (losses) recognized related to derivatives not designated as 

hedging instruments 

$ 

$ 

$ 

Mortgage banking 

Net gains on trading 
and securities 

Noninterest income 

Other 

Total 

$ 

2,177 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(2,120) 

— 

— 

2,177 

(2,120) 

1 

(2) 

(77) 

(5) 

(83) 

— 

— 

(484) 

— 

— 

(484) 

(567) 

(15) 

4 

669 

— 

658 

— 

— 

(403) 

— 

— 

(403) 

255 

2,178 

(2,122) 

(77) 

(5) 

(26) 

323 

164 

(5,347) 

47 

(120) 

(4,933) 

(4,959) 

(230) 

(404) 

669 

— 

35 

94 

83 

4,096 

638 

1 

4,912 

4,947 

418 

— 

— 

— 

— 

418 

2,595 

(215) 

— 

— 

— 

(215) 

(352) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(352) 

(567) 

(95) 

164 

(4,863) 

47 

(120) 

(4,867) 

(6,987) 

— 

(408) 

— 

— 

(408) 

446 

83 

4,499 

638 

1 

5,667 

5,259 

(1)  Mortgage banking amounts for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, are comprised of gains (losses) of $4.6 billion, $2.3 billion and $(1.1) billion, respectively, related to derivatives 

used as economic hedges of MSRs measured at fair value offset by gains (losses) of $(1.8) billion, $(141) million and $857 million, respectively, related to derivatives used as economic hedges of 
mortgage loans held for sale and derivative loan commitments. 

obligors or the inability of the special purpose vehicle for which 
we have provided liquidity to obtain funding. 

Table 16.7 provides details of sold and purchased credit 

derivatives. 

Credit Derivatives 
Credit derivative contracts are arrangements whose value is 
derived from the transfer of credit risk of a reference asset or 
entity from one party (the purchaser of credit protection) to 
another party (the seller of credit protection). We use credit 
derivatives to assist customers with their risk management 
objectives. We may also use credit derivatives in structured 
product transactions or liquidity agreements written to special 
purpose vehicles. The maximum exposure of sold credit 
derivatives is managed through posted collateral, purchased 
credit derivatives and similar products in order to achieve our 
desired credit risk profile. This credit risk management provides 
an ability to recover a significant portion of any amounts that 
would be paid under sold credit derivatives. We would be 
required to perform under the sold credit derivatives in the event 
of default by the referenced obligors. Events of default include 
events such as bankruptcy, capital restructuring or lack of 
principal and/or interest payment. In certain cases, other triggers 
may exist, such as the credit downgrade of the referenced 

199 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 16:  Derivatives (continued) 

Table 16.7:  Sold and Purchased Credit Derivatives 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Credit default swaps on: 

Corporate bonds 

Structured products 

Credit protection on: 

Default swap index 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities index 

Asset-backed securities index 

Other 

Total credit derivatives 

December 31, 2019 

Credit default swaps on: 

Corporate bonds 

Structured products 

Credit protection on: 

Default swap index 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities index 

Asset-backed securities index 

Other 

Total credit derivatives 

Fair value 
asset 

Fair value 
liability 

Protection 
sold (A) 

Protection sold 
– non-
investment 
grade 

Protection 
purchased with 
identical 
underlyings (B) 

Net 
protection 
sold (A)-(B) 

Other 
protection 
purchased 

Range of 
maturities 

Notional amount 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

7 

— 

— 

3 

— 

— 

10 

8 

— 

1 

3 

— 

— 

12 

2 

5 

— 

21 

7 

4 

39 

1 

25 

— 

26 

8 

5 

65 

3,767 

20 

1,582 

297 

41 

6,378 

12,085 

2,855 

74 

2,542 

322 

41 

6,381 

12,215 

971 

20 

731 

42 

41 

6,262 

8,067 

707 

69 

120 

67 

41 

5,738 

6,742 

2,709 

19 

559 

272 

40 

— 

3,599 

1,885 

63 

550 

296 

41 

— 

2,835 

1,058 

1 

3,012 

2021- 2029 

84 

2034 - 2047 

1,023 

3,925 

2021 - 2030 

25 

1 

6,378 

8,486 

75 

1 

11,621 

18,718 

2047 - 2072 

2045 - 2046 

2021 - 2040 

970 

11 

2,447 

111 

2020 - 2029 

2022- 2047 

1,992 

8,105 

2020 - 2029 

26 

— 

6,381 

9,380 

50 

1 

11,881 

22,595 

2047 - 2058 

2045 - 2046 

2020 - 2049 

Protection sold represents the estimated maximum 

exposure to loss that would be incurred under an assumed 
hypothetical circumstance, where the value of our interests and 
any associated collateral declines to zero, without any 
consideration of recovery or offset from any economic hedges. 
We believe this hypothetical circumstance to be an extremely 
remote possibility and accordingly, this required disclosure is not 
an indication of expected loss. The amounts under non-
investment grade represent the notional amounts of those credit 
derivatives on which we have a higher risk of being required to 
perform under the terms of the credit derivative and are a 
function of the underlying assets. 

We consider the risk of performance to be high if the 
underlying assets under the credit derivative have an external 
rating that is below investment grade or an internal credit default 
grade that is equivalent thereto. We believe the net protection 
sold, which is representative of the net notional amount of 
protection sold and purchased with identical underlyings, in 
combination with other protection purchased, is more 
representative of our exposure to loss than either non-
investment grade or protection sold. Other protection purchased 
represents additional protection, which may offset the exposure 
to loss for protection sold, that was not purchased with an 
identical underlying of the protection sold. 

Credit-Risk Contingent Features 
Certain of our derivative contracts contain provisions whereby if 
the credit rating of our debt were to be downgraded by certain 
major credit rating agencies, the counterparty could demand 
additional collateral or require termination or replacement of 
derivative instruments in a net liability position. Table 16.8 
illustrates our exposure to OTC bilateral derivative contracts with 
credit-risk contingent features, collateral we have posted, and 
the additional collateral we would be required to post if the credit 
rating of our debt was downgraded below investment grade. 

Table 16.8:  Credit-Risk Contingent Features 

(in billions) 

Net derivative liabilities with credit-risk 

contingent features 

$ 

Collateral posted 

Additional collateral to be posted upon a below 

investment grade credit rating (1) 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

10.5 

9.0 

1.5 

10.4 

9.1 

1.3 

(1) 

Any credit rating below investment grade requires us to post the maximum amount of 
collateral. 

200 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities 

We use fair value measurements to record fair value adjustments 
to certain assets and liabilities and to determine fair value 
disclosures. Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on a 
recurring basis, such as derivatives, residential MSRs, and trading 
or AFS debt securities, are presented in Table 17.1 in this Note. 
Additionally, from time to time, we record fair value adjustments 
on a nonrecurring basis. These nonrecurring adjustments 
typically involve application of LOCOM accounting, write-downs 
of individual assets or application of the measurement 
alternative for nonmarketable equity securities. Assets recorded 
at fair value on a nonrecurring basis are presented in Table 17.4 in 
this Note. We provide in Table 17.8 estimates of fair value for 
financial instruments that are not recorded at fair value, such as 
loans and debt liabilities carried at amortized cost. 

FAIR VALUE HIERARCHY  We classify our assets and liabilities 
recorded at fair value as either Level 1, 2, or 3 in the fair value 
hierarchy. The highest priority (Level 1) is assigned to valuations 
based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets and the 
lowest priority (Level 3) is assigned to valuations based on 
significant unobservable inputs. See Note 1 (Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies) for a detailed description of the 
fair value hierarchy. 

In the determination of the classification of financial 
instruments in Level 2 or Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, we 
consider all available information, including observable market 
data, indications of market liquidity and orderliness, and our 
understanding of the valuation techniques and significant inputs 
used. This determination is ultimately based upon the specific 
facts and circumstances of each instrument or instrument 
category and judgments are made regarding the significance of 
the unobservable inputs to the instruments’ fair value 
measurement in its entirety. If unobservable inputs are 
considered significant, the instrument is classified as Level 3. 
We do not classify nonmarketable equity securities in the 
fair value hierarchy if we use the non-published net asset value 
(NAV) per share (or its equivalent) as a practical expedient to 
measure fair value. Marketable equity securities with published 
NAVs are classified in the fair value hierarchy. 

Assets 
TRADING DEBT SECURITIES  Trading debt securities are recorded 
at fair value on a recurring basis. These securities are valued using 
internal trader prices that are subject to price verification 
procedures, which includes comparing against multiple 
independent pricing sources, including prices obtained from 
third-party pricing services. These services compile prices from 
various sources and may apply matrix pricing for similar securities 
when no price is observable. We review pricing methodologies 
provided by pricing services to determine if observable market 
information is being used versus unobservable inputs. When 
evaluating the appropriateness of an internal trader price, 
compared with pricing service prices, considerations include the 
range and quality of pricing service prices in addition to 
observable trade data. Pricing service prices are used to ensure 
the reasonableness of a trader price; however, valuing financial 
instruments involves judgments acquired from knowledge of a 
particular market. If a trader asserts that a third-party pricing 
service price is not reflective of fair value, justification for using 
the trader price, including recent sales activity where possible, 
must be provided to and approved by the appropriate levels of 

management. Substantially all of our trading debt securities are 
recorded using internal trader prices. 

AVAILABLE-FOR-SALE DEBT SECURITIES  AFS debt securities are 
recorded at fair value on a recurring basis. Fair value 
measurement for AFS debt securities is based upon various 
sources of market pricing. Where available, we use quoted prices 
in active markets. When instruments are traded in secondary 
markets and quoted prices in active markets do not exist for such 
securities, we use prices obtained from third-party pricing 
services and, to a lesser extent, may use prices obtained from 
independent broker-dealers (brokers), collectively vendor prices. 
Substantially all of our AFS debt securities are recorded using 
vendor prices. See the “Level 3 Asset and Liability Valuation 
Processes – Vendor Developed Valuations” section in this Note 
for additional discussion of our processes when using vendor 
prices to record fair value of AFS debt securities, which includes 
those classified as Level 2 or Level 3 within the fair value 
hierarchy. 

When vendor prices are deemed inappropriate, they may be 
adjusted based on other market data or internal models. We also 
use internal models when no vendor prices are available. Internal 
models use discounted cash flow techniques or market 
comparable pricing techniques. 

LOANS HELD FOR SALE (LHFS)  LHFS generally includes 
commercial and residential mortgages originated for sale in the 
securitization or whole loan market. A majority of residential 
LHFS and our portfolio of commercial LHFS in our trading 
business are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis. The 
remaining LHFS are held at LOCOM which may be written down 
to fair value on a nonrecurring basis. Fair value for LHFS that are 
not part of our trading business is based on quoted market 
prices, where available, or the prices for other mortgage whole 
loans with similar characteristics. We may use securitization 
prices that are adjusted for typical securitization activities 
including servicing value, portfolio composition, market 
conditions and liquidity. Fair value for LHFS in our trading 
business is based on pending transactions when available. Where 
market pricing data or pending transactions are not available, we 
use a discounted cash flow model to estimate fair value. 

LOANS  Although loans are recorded at amortized cost, we record 
nonrecurring fair value adjustments to reflect partial write-
downs that are based on the observable market price of the loan 
or current appraised value of the collateral. 

MORTGAGE SERVICING RIGHTS (MSRs)  Residential MSRs are 
carried at fair value on a recurring basis. Commercial MSRs are 
carried at LOCOM and may be written down to fair value on a 
nonrecurring basis. MSRs do not trade in an active market with 
readily observable prices. We determine the fair value of MSRs 
using a valuation model that estimates the present value of 
expected future net servicing income. The model incorporates 
assumptions that market participants use in estimating future 
net servicing income cash flows, including estimates of 
prepayment speeds (including housing price volatility for 
residential MSRs), discount rates, default rates, cost to service 
(including delinquency and foreclosure costs), escrow account 
earnings, contractual servicing fee income, ancillary income and 
late fees. 

201 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Level 3 Asset and Liability Valuation Processes 
We generally determine fair value of our Level 3 assets and 
liabilities by using internally-developed models and, to a lesser 
extent, prices obtained from vendors. Our valuation processes 
vary depending on which approach is utilized. 

INTERNAL MODEL VALUATIONS  Certain Level 3 fair value 
estimates are based on internally-developed models, such as 
discounted cash flow or market comparable pricing techniques. 
Some of the inputs used in these valuations are unobservable. 
Unobservable inputs are generally derived from or can be 
correlated to historic performance of similar portfolios or 
previous market trades in similar instruments where particular 
unobservable inputs may be implied. We attempt to correlate 
each unobservable input to historical experience and other third-
party data where available. 

Internal valuation models are subject to review prescribed 

within our model risk management policies and procedures, 
which include model validation. Model validation helps ensure our 
models are appropriate for their intended use and appropriate 
controls exist to help mitigate risk of invalid valuations. Model 
validation assesses the adequacy and appropriateness of our 
models, including reviewing its key components, such as inputs, 
processing components, logic or theory, output results and 
supporting model documentation. Validation also includes 
ensuring significant unobservable model inputs are appropriate 
given observable market transactions or other market data 
within the same or similar asset classes. 

We also have ongoing monitoring procedures in place for our 

Level 3 assets and liabilities that use internal valuation models. 
These procedures, which are designed to provide reasonable 
assurance that models continue to perform as expected, include: 
ongoing analysis and benchmarking to market transactions 
• 
and other independent market data (including pricing 
vendors, if available); 
back-testing of modeled fair values to actual realized 
transactions; and 
review of modeled valuation results against expectations, 
including review of significant or unusual fluctuations in 
value. 

• 

• 

We update model inputs and methodologies periodically to 

reflect these monitoring procedures. Additionally, existing 
models are subject to periodic reviews and we perform full model 
revalidations as necessary. 

Internal valuation models are subject to ongoing review by 
the appropriate principal line of business or enterprise function 
and monitoring oversight by Independent Risk Management. 
Independent Risk Management, through its Model Risk function, 
provides independent oversight of model risk management, and 
its responsibilities include governance, validation, periodic review, 
and monitoring of model risk across the Company and providing 
periodic reports to management and the Board’s Risk 
Committee. 

Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities (continued) 

DERIVATIVES  Derivatives are recorded at fair value on a recurring 
basis. The fair value of substantially all exchange-traded 
derivatives, which include certain equity option contracts, are 
measured using available quoted market prices. The fair value of 
non-exchange-traded derivatives, which predominantly relate to 
derivatives traded in over-the-counter (OTC) markets, are 
measured using internal valuation techniques, as quoted market 
prices are not always readily available. Valuation techniques and 
inputs to internally-developed models depend on the type of 
derivative and nature of the underlying rate, price or index upon 
which the value of the derivative is based. Key inputs can include 
yield curves, credit curves, foreign exchange rates, prepayment 
rates, volatility measurements and correlation of certain of these 
inputs. 

EQUITY SECURITIES  Marketable equity securities and certain 
nonmarketable equity securities that we have elected to account 
for at fair value are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis. Our 
remaining nonmarketable equity securities are accounted for 
using the equity method, cost method or measurement 
alternative and can be subject to nonrecurring fair value 
adjustments to record impairment. Additionally, the carrying 
value of equity securities accounted for under the measurement 
alternative is also remeasured to fair value upon the occurrence 
of orderly observable transactions of the same or similar 
securities of the same issuer. 

We use quoted prices to determine the fair value of 

marketable equity securities, as the securities are publicly traded. 
Quoted prices are typically not available for nonmarketable 
equity securities. We therefore use other methods, generally 
market comparable pricing techniques, to determine fair value 
for such securities. We use all available information in making this 
determination, which includes observable transaction prices for 
the same or similar security, prices from third-party pricing 
services, broker quotes, trading multiples of comparable public 
companies, and discounted cash flow models. Where appropriate, 
we make adjustments to observed market data to reflect the 
comparative differences between the market data and the 
attributes of our equity security, such as differences with public 
companies and other investment-specific considerations like 
liquidity, marketability or differences in terms of the 
instruments. 

FORECLOSED ASSETS  Foreclosed assets are carried at net 
realizable value, which represents fair value less costs to sell. Fair 
value is generally based upon independent market prices or 
appraised values of the collateral. 

Liabilities 
SHORT-SALE TRADING LIABILITIES  Short-sale trading liabilities in 
our trading business are recorded at fair value on a recurring 
basis and are measured using quoted prices in active markets, 
where available. When quoted prices for the same instruments 
are not available or markets are not active, fair values are 
estimated using recent trades of similar securities. 

202 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
VENDOR-DEVELOPED VALUATIONS  We routinely obtain pricing 
from third-party vendors to value our assets or liabilities. In 
certain limited circumstances, this includes assets and liabilities 
that we classify as Level 3. We have processes in place to approve 
and periodically review third-party vendors to ensure information 
obtained and valuation techniques used are appropriate. This 
review may consist of, among other things, obtaining and 
evaluating control reports issued and pricing methodology 
materials distributed. We monitor and review vendor prices on an 
ongoing basis to ensure the fair values are reasonable and in line 
with market experience in similar asset classes. While the inputs 
used to determine fair value are not provided by the pricing 
vendors, and therefore unavailable for our review, we perform 
one or more of the following procedures to validate the pricing 
information and determine appropriate classification within the 
fair value hierarchy: 

• 
• 
• 

• 

• 

comparison to other pricing vendors (if available); 
variance analysis of prices; 
corroboration of pricing by reference to other independent 
market data, such as market transactions and relevant 
benchmark indices; 
review of pricing by Company personnel familiar with market 
liquidity and other market-related conditions; and 
investigation of prices on a specific instrument-by-
instrument basis. 

Assets and Liabilities Recorded at Fair Value on a 
Recurring Basis 
Table 17.1 presents the balances of assets and liabilities recorded 
at fair value on a recurring basis. 

Table 17.1:  Fair Value on a Recurring Basis 

(in millions) 

Trading debt securities: 

Level 1 

Level 2 

Level 3 

Total 

Level 1 

Level 2 

Level 3 

Total 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

$ 

32,060 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Corporate debt securities 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Other debt securities 

Total trading debt securities 

Available-for-sale debt securities: 

Securities of U.S. Treasury and federal agencies 

Non-U.S. government securities 

Securities of U.S. states and political subdivisions 

Federal agency mortgage-backed securities 

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities 

Collateralized loan obligations 

Other debt securities 

— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

32,060 

22,159 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

38 

Total available-for-sale debt securities 

22,197 

Loans held for sale 

Mortgage servicing rights (residential) 

Derivative assets (gross): 

Interest rate contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Total derivative assets (gross) 

Equity securities: 

Marketable 

Nonmarketable (1) 

Total equity securities 

Total assets prior to derivative netting 

Derivative netting (2) 

Total assets after derivative netting 

Derivative liabilities (gross): 

Interest rate contracts 

Commodity contracts 

Equity contracts 

Foreign exchange contracts 

Credit contracts 

Total derivative liabilities (gross) 

Short-sale trading liabilities 

$ 

$ 

— 

— 

11 

— 

4,888 

19 

— 

4,918 

23,995 

10 

24,005 

83,180 

(27) 

— 

(4,860) 

(10) 

— 

(4,897) 

(15,292) 

Total liabilities prior to derivative netting 

$ 

(20,189) 

Derivative netting (2) 

Total liabilities after derivative netting 

3,197 

534 

10,696 

23,549 

1,039 

3,847 

42,862 

— 

16,813 

19,182 

139,070 

3,697 

9,018 

7,421 

195,201 

17,572 

— 

35,590 

1,997 

12,384 

8,573 

45 

58,589 

596 

21 

617 

— 

148 

13 

— 

12 

— 

173 

— 

— 

224 

— 

32 

— 

2,738 

2,994 

1,234 

6,125 

462 

39 

1,613 

11 

50 

35,257 

682 

10,709 

23,549 

1,051 

3,847 

75,095 

22,159 

16,813 

19,406 

139,070 

3,729 

9,018 

10,197 

220,392 

18,806 

6,125 

36,063 

2,036 

18,885 

8,603 

95 

5 

9,228 

9,233 

24,596 

9,259 

33,855 

32,335 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

32,335 

13,460 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

37 

4,382 

555 

11,006 

26,458 

1,254 

3,520 

47,175 

1,500 

— 

39,924 

162,453 

4,719 

29,055 

10,746 

13,497 

248,397 

— 

183 

38 

— 

— 

2 

223 

— 

— 

413 

— 

42 

— 

1,110 

1,565 

1,214 

— 

— 

26 

— 

2,946 

12 

— 

16,364 

— 

11,517 

23,792 

1,413 

4,135 

5,197 

49 

229 

8 

1,455 

5 

59 

36,717 

738 

11,044 

26,458 

1,254 

3,522 

79,733 

14,960 

— 

40,337 

162,453 

4,761 

29,055 

11,893 

263,459 

17,578 

11,517 

24,047 

1,421 

8,536 

5,214 

108 

33,702 

— 

33,702 

82,518 

216 

22 

238 

3 

7,847 

7,850 

33,921 

7,869 

41,790 

346,760 

24,125 

453,403 

(25,123) 

428,280 

2,175 

65,682 

2,984 

34,586 

1,756 

39,326 

314,841 

21,934 

419,955 

(39,836) 

380,119 

(26,259) 

(1,503) 

(15,219) 

(8,134) 

(49) 

(51,164) 

(7,149) 

(58,313) 

(16) 

(40) 

(26,302)  $ 

(1,543) 

(23) 

— 

(1,927) 

(22,006) 

(2,011) 

(12) 

(9) 

(8,156) 

(58) 

(11) 

— 

(19,328) 

(1,746) 

(6,729) 

(6,213) 

(53) 

(15) 

(24) 

(19,366) 

(1,770) 

(1,724) 

(10,464) 

(23) 

(30) 

(6,247) 

(83) 

(2,004) 

(58,065) 

(2,045) 

(34,069) 

(1,816) 

(37,930) 

— 

(22,441) 

(11,482) 

(5,948) 

— 

(17,430) 

(2,004) 

(80,506) 

(13,527) 

(40,017) 

(1,816) 

(55,360) 

41,556 

(38,950) 

28,851 

(26,509) 

(1) 

(2) 

Excludes $154 million and $146 million of nonmarketable equity securities as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, that are measured at fair value using non-published NAV per share (or its 
equivalent) as a practical expedient that are not classified in the fair value hierarchy. 
Represents balance sheet netting of derivative asset and liability balances, related cash collateral and portfolio level counterparty valuation adjustments. See Note 16 (Derivatives) for additional 
information. 

203 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities (continued) 

Level 3 Assets and Liabilities Recorded at Fair Value 
on a Recurring Basis 
Table 17.2 presents the changes in Level 3 assets and 
liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. 

Table 17.2:  Changes in Level 3 Fair Value Assets and Liabilities on a Recurring Basis 

(in millions) 

Year ended December 31, 2020 

Balance, 
beginning
of period 

Net gains/
(losses) (1) 

Purchases (2) 

Sales 

Settlements 

Transfers 
into 
Level 3 (3) 

Transfers 
out of 
Level 3 (4) 

Balance, 
end of 
period 

Trading debt securities 

$ 

Available-for-sale debt securities 

Loans held for sale 

223 

1,565 

1,214 

(53) 

(34) 

(96) 

Mortgage servicing rights (residential) (8) 

11,517 

(7,068) 

Net derivative assets and liabilities: 

Interest rate contracts 

Equity contracts 

Other derivative contracts 

Total derivative contracts 

Equity securities 

Year ended December 31, 2019 

Trading debt securities 

Available-for-sale debt securities 

Loans held for sale 

214 

(269) 

(5) 

(60) 

7,850 

290 

2,044 

1,057 

$ 

$ 

2,074 

(316) 

(63) 

1,695 

1,369 

(31) 

(6) 

56 

600 

43 

1,312 

1,707 

— 

— 

8 

8 

2 

391 

475 

356 

Mortgage servicing rights (residential) (8) 

14,649 

(4,779) 

1,933 

Net derivative assets and liabilities: 

Interest rate contracts 

Equity contracts 

Other derivative contracts 

Total derivative contracts 

Equity securities 

Year ended December 31, 2018 

Trading debt securities 

Available-for-sale debt securities 

Loans held for sale 

Mortgage servicing rights (residential) (8) 

Net derivative assets and liabilities: 

Interest rate contracts 

Equity contracts 

Other derivative contracts 

Total derivative contracts 

$ 

$ 

25 

(17) 

13 

21 

585 

(571) 

(176) 

(162) 

5,468 

2,383 

407 

2,994 

1,012 

13,625 

71 

(511) 

62 

(378) 

(16) 

71 

(25) 

(915) 

(397) 

(108) 

(34) 

(539) 

703 

Equity securities 

$ 

5,203 

— 

— 

13 

13 

— 

428 

364 

444 

2,010 

— 

3 

12 

15 

— 

(589) 

(68) 

(586) 

(32) 

— 

— 

3 

3 

— 

(385) 

(9) 

(237) 

(286) 

— 

— 

(12) 

(12) 

(1) 

(352) 

(167) 

(360) 

(71) 

— 

(37) 

(7) 

(44) 

(51) 

(12) 

(263) 

(323) 

1 

(1,842) 

298 

73 

(1,471) 

— 

(34) 

(743) 

(263) 

— 

(396) 

292 

132 

28 

— 

(161) 

(874) 

(156) 

— 

351 

556 

(13) 

894 

(399) 

115 

2,255 

1,927 

— 

— 

(22) 

22 

— 

23 

1 

6 

354 

— 

— 

6 

2 

8 

12 

— 

— 

152 

— 

— 

(1) 

(7) 

(8) 

16 

(111) 

(504) 

(2,214) 

— 

— 

(5) 

1 

(4) 

173 

2,994 

1,234 

6,125 

446 

(314) 

39 

171 

(11) 

9,233 

(9) 

(202) 

(109) 

— 

— 

21 

23 

44 

223 

1,565 

1,214 

11,517 

214 

(269) 

(5) 

(60) 

(12) 

7,850 

(16) 

(344) 

(10) 

— 

— 

81 

— 

81 

(4) 

290 

2,044 

1,057 

14,649 

25 

(17) 

13 

21 

5,468 

Net unrealized 
gains (losses)
related 
to assets and 
liabilities held 
at period end 

(5) 

(36)  (6) 

1  (6) 

(38)  (6) 

(4,693)  (7) 

334 

(19) 

11 

326  (9) 

1,370  (6) 

(31)  (6) 

(4)  (6) 

51 

(6) 

(2,569)  (7) 

249 

(186) 

12 

75 

(9) 

2,386 

(6) 

(15)  (6) 

(4)  (6) 

(21)  (6) 

960 

(7) 

(42) 

(169) 

(28) 

(239)  (9) 

642 

(6) 

(1) 

(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
(5) 

(6) 
(7) 
(8) 
(9) 

Includes net gains (losses) included in both net income and other comprehensive income. All amounts represent net gains (losses) included in net income except for $0 million, $(40) million, and 
$(18) million included in other comprehensive income from available-for-sale debt securities for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. 
Includes originations of mortgage servicing rights and loans held for sale. 
All assets and liabilities transferred into Level 3 were previously classified within Level 2. 
All assets and liabilities transferred out of Level 3 are classified as Level 2, except for $153 million of available-for-sale debt securities that were transferred to loans during third quarter 2019. 
Includes net unrealized gains (losses) related to assets and liabilities held at period end included in both net income and other comprehensive income. All amounts represent net unrealized gains 
(losses) included in net income except for $57 million included in other comprehensive income from available-for-sale debt securities for the year ended December 31, 2020. 
Included in net gains on trading and securities in the consolidated statement of income. 
Included in mortgage banking income and other noninterest income in the consolidated statement of income. 
For more information on the changes in mortgage servicing rights, see Note 9 (Mortgage Banking Activities). 
Included in mortgage banking income, net gains on trading and securities, and other noninterest income in the consolidated statement of income. 

Table 17.3 provides quantitative information about the 
valuation techniques and significant unobservable inputs used in 
the valuation of our Level 3 assets and liabilities measured at fair 
value on a recurring basis for which we use an internal model. 

The significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 assets and 
liabilities inherent in the fair values obtained from third-party 
vendors are not included in the table, as the specific inputs 
applied are not provided by the vendor (see discussion in the 
“Level 3 Asset and Liability Valuation Processes” section within 
this Note regarding vendor-developed valuations). 

Weighted averages of inputs are calculated using 

outstanding unpaid principal balance for cash instruments, such 
as loans and securities, and notional amounts for derivative 
instruments. 

204 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.6 

(8.4) 

8.0x 

1.7 

4.5 

18.4 

15.1 

130 

5.8 

19.9 

1.7 

50.0 

18.2 

28.8 

65.5 

(8.2) 

1.0 

24.8 

26.4 

(13.8) 

6.6 

0.5 

0.7 

4.5 

21.7 

7.8 

102 

7.2 

11.9 

1.7 

50.0 

15.0 

16.7 

36.4 

(7.7) 

1.5 

23.8 

18.7 

(14.6) 

Table 17.3: Valuation Techniques – Recurring Basis 

($ in millions, except cost to service amounts) 

December 31, 2020 

Fair Value 
Level 3 

Valuation Technique(s) 

Significant 
Unobservable Inputs 

Range of Inputs 

Weighted
Average 

Trading and available-for-sale debt securities 

$ 

2,126 

Discounted cash flow 

Discount rate 

0.4 

Loans held for sale 

759 

173 

109 

1,234 

Vendor priced 

Market comparable pricing 

Comparability adjustment 

Market comparable pricing 

Discounted cash flow 

Multiples 

Default rate 

Discount rate 

Loss severity 

Prepayment rate 

Mortgage servicing rights (residential) 

6,125 

Discounted cash flow 

Cost to service per loan (1) 

$ 

Discount rate 

(39.8) 

7.2x 

0.0 

1.3 

0.0 

8.3 

63 

4.9 

Prepayment rate (2) 

14.3 

Net derivative assets and (liabilities): 

Interest rate contracts 

206 

Discounted cash flow 

Default rate 

Loss severity 

Prepayment rate 

Interest rate contracts: derivative loan 

commitments 

Equity contracts 

240 

220 

(534) 

Discounted cash flow 

Fall-out factor 

Discounted cash flow 

Conversion factor 

Initial-value servicing 

Option model 

Weighted average life 

Correlation factor 

Volatility factor 

Nonmarketable equity securities 

9,228 

Market comparable pricing 

Comparability adjustment 

0.0 

50.0 

2.8 

1.0 

(51.6) 

(8.6) 

0.5 

(77.0) 

6.5 

(20.3) 

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

14.7 

% 

% 

% 

0.3 

12.1x 

31.6 

12.0 

32.3 

23.6 

712 

8.3 

22.8 

6.0 

50.0 

22.0 

99.0 

268.0 

bps 

% 

yrs 

% 

0.0 

2.0 

99.0 

96.6 

(3.2) 

Insignificant Level 3 assets, net of liabilities 

44 

Total Level 3 assets, net of liabilities 

$ 

19,930  (3) 

December 31, 2019 

Trading and available-for-sale debt securities 

$ 

Loans held for sale 

693 

852 

243 

1,214 

Mortgage servicing rights (residential) 

11,517 

Discounted cash flow 

Cost to service per loan (1) 

$ 

Net derivative assets and (liabilities): 

Interest rate contracts 

146 

Discounted cash flow 

Interest rate contracts: derivative loan 
commitments 

Equity contracts 

68 

147 

(416) 

Discounted cash flow 

Vendor priced 

Discount rate 

1.3 

14.9 

% 

Market comparable pricing 

Comparability adjustment 

(19.7) 

Discounted cash flow 

Default rate 

Discount rate 

Loss severity 

Prepayment rate 

Discount rate 

Prepayment rate (2) 

Default rate 

Loss severity 

Prepayment rate 

Fall-out factor 

Initial-value servicing 

Discounted cash flow 

Discounted cash flow 

Conversion factor 

Option model 

Weighted average life 

Correlation factor 

Volatility factor 

0.0 

3.0 

0.0 

5.7 

61 

6.0 

9.6 

0.0 

50.0 

2.8 

1.0 

(32.2) 

(8.8) 

0.5 

(77.0) 

6.8 

(20.2) 

19.2 

15.5 

5.6 

43.5 

15.4 

495 

13.6 

24.4 

5.0 

50.0 

25.0 

99.0 

% 

149.0 

bps 

% 

yrs 

% 

0.0 

3.0 

99.0 

100.0 

(4.2) 

Nonmarketable equity securities 

7,847 

Market comparable pricing 

Comparability adjustment 

Insignificant Level 3 assets, net of liabilities 

(2) 

Total Level 3 assets, net of liabilities 

$ 

22,309 

(3) 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

The high end of the range of inputs is for servicing modified loans. For non-modified loans the range is $63 - $252 at December 31, 2020, and $61 - $231 at December 31, 2019. 
Includes a blend of prepayment speeds and expected defaults. Prepayment speeds are influenced by mortgage interest rates as well as our estimation of drivers of borrower behavior. 
Consists of total Level 3 assets of $21.9 billion and $24.1 billion and total Level 3 liabilities of $2.0 billion and $1.8 billion, before netting of derivative balances, at December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively. 

205 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities (continued) 

The internal valuation techniques used for our Level 3 assets 

and liabilities, as presented in Table 17.3, are described as 
follows: 
•  Discounted cash flow – Discounted cash flow valuation 

techniques generally consist of developing an estimate of 
future cash flows that are expected to occur over the life of 
an instrument and then discounting those cash flows at a 
rate of return that results in the fair value amount. 
•  Market comparable pricing – Market comparable pricing 

valuation techniques are used to determine the fair value of 
certain instruments by incorporating known inputs, such as 
recent transaction prices, pending transactions, financial 
metrics of comparable companies, or prices of other similar 
investments that require significant adjustment to reflect 
differences in instrument characteristics. 

•  Option model – Option model valuation techniques are 
generally used for instruments in which the holder has a 
contingent right or obligation based on the occurrence of a 
future event, such as the price of a referenced asset going 
above or below a predetermined strike price. Option models 
estimate the likelihood of the specified event occurring by 
incorporating assumptions such as volatility estimates, price 
of the underlying instrument and expected rate of return. 

The unobservable inputs presented in the previous tables are 
those we consider significant to the fair value of the Level 3 asset 
or liability. We consider unobservable inputs to be significant if 
by their exclusion the fair value of the Level 3 asset or liability 
would be impacted by a predetermined percentage change. We 
also consider qualitative factors, such as nature of the 
instrument, type of valuation technique used, and the 
significance of the unobservable inputs relative to other inputs 
used within the valuation. Following is a description of the 
significant unobservable inputs provided in the table. 
• 

Comparability adjustment – is an adjustment made to 
observed market data, such as a transaction price to reflect 
dissimilarities in underlying collateral, issuer, rating, or other 
factors used within a market valuation approach, expressed 
as a percentage of an observed price. 
Conversion Factor – is the risk-adjusted rate in which a 
particular instrument may be exchanged for another 
instrument upon settlement, expressed as a percentage 
change from a specified rate. 
Correlation factor – is the likelihood of one instrument 
changing in price relative to another based on an established 
relationship expressed as a percentage of relative change in 
price over a period over time. 
Cost to service – is the expected cost per loan of servicing a 
portfolio of loans, which includes estimates for 
unreimbursed expenses (including delinquency and 
foreclosure costs) that may occur as a result of servicing 
such loan portfolios. 

• 

• 

• 

•  Default rate – is an estimate of the likelihood of not 
collecting contractual amounts owed expressed as a 
constant default rate (CDR). 

•  Discount rate – is a rate of return used to calculate the 

present value of the future expected cash flow to arrive at 
the fair value of an instrument. The discount rate consists of 
a benchmark rate component and a risk premium 
component. The benchmark rate component, for example, 
OIS, London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or U.S. 
Treasury rates, is generally observable within the market and 
is necessary to appropriately reflect the time value of 
money. The risk premium component reflects the amount of 
compensation market participants require due to the 

206 

uncertainty inherent in the instruments’ cash flows resulting 
from risks such as credit and liquidity. 
Fall-out factor – is the expected percentage of loans 
associated with our interest rate lock commitment portfolio 
that are likely of not funding. 
Initial-value servicing – is the estimated value of the 
underlying loan, including the value attributable to the 
embedded servicing right, expressed in basis points of 
outstanding unpaid principal balance. 
Loss severity – is the estimated percentage of contractual 
cash flows lost in the event of a default. 

• 

• 

• 

•  Multiples – are financial ratios of comparable public 

companies, such as ratios of enterprise value or market value 
of equity to earnings before interest, depreciation, and 
amortization (EBITDA), revenue, net income or book value, 
adjusted to reflect dissimilarities in operational, financial, or 
marketability to the comparable public company used in a 
market valuation approach. 
Prepayment rate – is the estimated rate at which forecasted 
prepayments of principal of the related loan or debt 
instrument are expected to occur, expressed as a constant 
prepayment rate (CPR). 
Volatility factor – is the extent of change in price an item is 
estimated to fluctuate over a specified period of time 
expressed as a percentage of relative change in price over a 
period over time. 

• 

• 

•  Weighted average life – is the weighted average number of 
years an investment is expected to remain outstanding 
based on its expected cash flows reflecting the estimated 
date the issuer will call or extend the maturity of the 
instrument or otherwise reflecting an estimate of the timing 
of an instrument’s cash flows whose timing is not 
contractually fixed. 

Interrelationships and Uncertainty of Inputs Used in 
Recurring Level 3 Fair Value Measurements 
Usage of the valuation techniques presented in Table 17.3 
requires determination of relevant inputs and assumptions, some 
of which represent significant unobservable inputs. Accordingly, 
changes in these unobservable inputs may have a significant 
impact on fair value. 

Certain of these unobservable inputs will (in isolation) have a 

directionally consistent impact on the fair value of the 
instrument for a given change in that input. Alternatively, the fair 
value of the instrument may move in an opposite direction for a 
given change in another input. Where multiple inputs are used 
within the valuation technique of an asset or liability, a change in 
one input in a certain direction may be offset by an opposite 
change in another input having a potentially muted impact to the 
overall fair value of that particular instrument. Additionally, a 
change in one unobservable input may result in a change to 
another unobservable input (that is, changes in certain inputs are 
interrelated to one another), which may counteract or magnify 
the fair value impact. 

DEBT SECURITIES AND LOANS HELD FOR SALE  The internal models 
used to determine fair value for these Level 3 instruments use 
certain significant unobservable inputs within a discounted cash 
flow or market comparable pricing valuation technique. Such 
inputs include discount rate, prepayment rate, default rate, loss 
severity, multiples, and comparability adjustment. 

These Level 3 assets would decrease (increase) in value 
based upon an increase (decrease) in discount rate, default rate 
or loss severity inputs and would generally decrease (increase) in 
value based upon an increase (decrease) in prepayment rate. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
Conversely, these Level 3 assets would increase (decrease) in 
value based upon an increase (decrease) in multiples. The 
comparability adjustment input may have a positive or negative 
impact on fair value depending on the change in fair value of the 
item the comparability adjustment references. 

Generally, a change in the assumption used for default rate is 

accompanied by a directionally similar change in the risk 
premium component of the discount rate (specifically, the 
portion related to credit risk) and a directionally opposite change 
in the assumption used for prepayment rates. Unobservable 
inputs for comparability adjustment, multiples, and loss severity 
do not increase or decrease based on movements in the other 
significant unobservable inputs for these Level 3 assets. 

MORTGAGE SERVICING RIGHTS  The discounted cash flow models 
used to determine fair value of Level 3 MSRs utilize certain 
significant unobservable inputs including prepayment rate, 
discount rate and costs to service. An increase in any of these 
unobservable inputs will reduce the fair value of the MSRs and 
alternatively, a decrease in any one of these inputs would result in 
the MSRs increasing in value. Generally, a change in the 
assumption used for the default rate is accompanied by a 
directionally similar change in the assumption used for cost to 
service and a directionally opposite change in the assumption 
used for prepayment. The sensitivity of our residential MSRs is 
discussed further in Note 9 (Mortgage Banking Activities). 

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS  Level 3 derivative instruments are 
valued using market comparable pricing, option pricing and 
discounted cash flow valuation techniques which use certain 
unobservable inputs to determine fair value. Such inputs consist 
of prepayment rate, default rate, loss severity, initial-value 
servicing, fall-out factor, volatility factor, weighted average life, 
conversion factor, and correlation factor. 

Level 3 derivative assets (liabilities) where we are long the 
underlying would decrease (increase) in value upon an increase 
(decrease) in default rate, fall-out factor, conversion factor, or 
loss severity inputs. Conversely, Level 3 derivative assets 
(liabilities) would generally increase (decrease) in value upon an 
increase (decrease) in prepayment rate, initial-value servicing, 
weighted average life or volatility factor inputs. The inverse of 
the above relationships would occur for instruments when we are 
short the underlying. The correlation factor input may have a 

Table 17.4:  Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis 

positive or negative impact on the fair value of derivative 
instruments depending on the change in fair value of the item 
the correlation factor references. 

Generally, for derivative instruments for which we are 

subject to changes in the value of the underlying referenced 
instrument, a change in the assumption used for default rate is 
accompanied by directionally similar change in the risk premium 
component of the discount rate (specifically, the portion related 
to credit risk) and a directionally opposite change in the 
assumption used for prepayment rates. Unobservable inputs for 
loss severity, initial-value servicing, fall-out factor, volatility 
factor, weighted average life, conversion factor, and correlation 
factor do not increase or decrease based on movements in other 
significant unobservable inputs for these Level 3 instruments. 

NONMARKETABLE EQUITY SECURITIES  Level 3 nonmarketable 
equity securities are valued using a market comparable pricing 
valuation technique, with a comparability adjustment as the 
single significant unobservable input. The comparability 
adjustment input may have a positive or negative impact on fair 
value depending on the change in fair value of the item the 
comparability adjustment references. 

Assets and Liabilities Recorded at Fair Value on a 
Nonrecurring Basis 
We may be required, from time to time, to measure certain 
assets at fair value on a nonrecurring basis in accordance with 
GAAP. These adjustments to fair value usually result from 
application of LOCOM accounting, write-downs of individual 
assets or application of the measurement alternative for 
nonmarketable equity securities. 

Table 17.4 provides the fair value hierarchy and fair value at 
the date of the nonrecurring fair value adjustment for all assets 
that were still held as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and for 
which a nonrecurring fair value adjustment was recorded during 
the years then ended. 

Table 17.5 presents the increase (decrease) in value of 
certain assets held at the end of the respective reporting periods 
presented for which a nonrecurring fair value adjustment was 
recognized during the periods presented. 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

(in millions) 

Loans held for sale (1) 

Loans: 

Commercial 

Consumer 

Total loans 

Mortgage servicing rights (commercial) 

Nonmarketable equity securities 

Other assets 

Level 2 

2,672 

Level 3 

2,945 

1,385 

395 

1,780 

— 

2,397 

1,350 

— 

— 

— 

510 

790 

428 

Total 

5,617 

1,385 

395 

1,780 

510 

3,187 

1,778 

Total assets at fair value on a nonrecurring basis 

$ 

8,199 

4,673 

12,872 

(1) 

Predominantly consists of commercial mortgages and residential mortgage – first lien loans. 

Level 2 

2,039 

Level 3 

3,803 

280 

213 

493 

— 

1,308 

359 

4,199 

— 

1 

1 

— 

173 

27 

4,004 

Total 

5,842 

280 

214 

494 

— 

1,481 

386 

8,203 

Nonmarketable equity securities includes impairment on 

private equity and venture capital investments and gains or 
losses under the measurement alternative. Premises and 
equipment includes the full impairment of certain capitalized 
software projects. Other assets includes impairments of 

operating lease ROU assets, valuation losses on foreclosed real 
estate and other collateral owned, and impairment on private 
equity and venture capital investments in consolidated portfolio 
companies. 

207 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities (continued) 

Table 17.5:  Change in Value of Assets with Nonrecurring Fair Value 
Adjustment 

(in millions) 

Loans held for sale 

$ 

Loans: 

Commercial 

Consumer 

Total loans 

Mortgage servicing rights 

(commercial) 

Nonmarketable equity 

securities 

Premises and equipment 

Other assets 

Total 

2020 

12 

(754) 

(260) 

(1,014) 

(37) 

435 

— 

(469) 

$ 

(1,073) 

Year ended December 31, 

2019 

11 

(291) 

(207) 

(498) 

2018 

(18) 

(221) 

(284) 

(505) 

— 

— 

322 

(170) 

(84) 

(419) 

265 

— 

(40) 

(298) 

Table 17.6 provides quantitative information about the 
valuation techniques and significant unobservable inputs used in 
the valuation of our Level 3 assets that are measured at fair value 
on a nonrecurring basis, a significant portion of which use an 
internal model. The table is limited to financial instruments that 
had nonrecurring fair value adjustments during the periods 
presented. Weighted averages of inputs are calculated using 
outstanding unpaid principal balance for cash instruments, such 
as loans, and carrying value prior to the nonrecurring fair value 
measurement for nonmarketable equity securities. 

Table 17.6:  Valuation Techniques – Nonrecurring Basis 

($ in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Loans held for sale (2) 

Fair Value 
Level 3 

Valuation 
Technique(s) (1) 

Significant 
Unobservable Inputs (1) 

Range of Inputs 
Positive (Negative) 

Weighted 
Average 

$ 

1,628 

Discounted cash flow 

Default rate  (3) 

Discount rate 

Loss severity 

0.3  — 

0.6  — 

0.4  — 

85.5  % 

11.9 

45.0 

1,317  Market comparable pricing 

Comparability adjustment 

(11.6)  — 

(1.8) 

Prepayment rate  (4) 

8.3  — 

100.0 

31.5 

3.0 

8.1 

42.5 

(3.1) 

Mortgage servicing rights (commercial) 

510 

Discounted cash flow 

Cost to service per loan 

$ 

150  — 

3,377 

2,779 

Nonmarketable equity securities (5) 

844  Market comparable pricing 

Discount rate 

Prepayment rate 

Multiples 

1.9  — 

0.0  — 

0.1x  — 

1.9  % 

20.0 

10.9x 

Insignificant Level 3 assets 

Total 

December 31, 2019 

Loans held for sale (2) 

188  Market comparable pricing 

Comparability adjustment 

(100.0)  — 

(20.0) % 

76 

91 

Other 

Company risk factor 

(100.0)  — 

(20.0) 

Discounted cash flow 

Discount rate 

10.0  — 

20.0 

Company risk factor 

(62.6)  — 

Crude oil prices ($/barrel) 

$ 

42  — 

Natural gas prices ($/
MMBtu) 

2  — 

0.0 

48 

2 

19 

$ 

4,673 

$ 

3,803 

Discounted cash flow 

Default rate  (3) 

Discount rate 

Loss severity 

Prepayment rate  (4) 

0.3  — 

1.5  — 

0.4  — 

4.8  — 

48.3  % 

9.4 

100.0 

100.0 

1.9 

5.4 

5.0x 

(61.4) 

(57.7) 

11.5 

(30.3) 

47 

2 

4.6 

4.3 

23.4 

23.2 

Insignificant Level 3 assets 

Total 

201 

$ 

4,004 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 
(4) 
(5) 

Refer to the narrative following Table 17.3 for a definition of the valuation technique(s) and significant unobservable inputs used in the valuation of loans held for sale, mortgage servicing rights, and 
certain nonmarketable equity securities. 
Consists of approximately $2.6 billion and $1.3 billion of government insured/guaranteed loans purchased from GNMA-guaranteed mortgage securitizations at December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively, and approximately $300 million and $2.5 billion of other mortgage loans that are not government insured/guaranteed at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively . 
Applies only to non-government insured/guaranteed loans. 
Includes the impact on prepayment rate of expected defaults for government insured/guaranteed loans, which impact the frequency and timing of early resolution of loans. 
Includes $417 million of private equity and venture capital investments in consolidated portfolio companies classified in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet. 

We typically use a market approach to estimate the fair 

value of our nonmarketable private equity and venture capital 
investments in portfolio companies. The market approach bases 
the fair value measurement on market data (for example, use of 
market comparable pricing techniques) that are used to derive 
the enterprise value of the portfolio company. Market 
comparable pricing techniques may include utilization of 
multiples and recent or anticipated transactions (for example, a 
financing round, merger, acquisition or bankruptcy) involving the 

subject portfolio company, or participants in its industry or 
related industries. Based upon these recent or anticipated 
transactions, current market conditions and other factors 
specific to the issuer, we make adjustments to estimate the 
enterprise value of the portfolio company. As a result of the 
recent market environment, we also utilized other valuation 
techniques. These techniques included the use of company risk 
factors in the estimation of the fair value of certain 
nonmarketable equity securities. The company risk factors are 

208 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
based upon entity-specific considerations including the debt and 
liquidity profile, projected cash flow or funding issues as well as 
other factors that may affect the company’s outlook. 

Fair Value Option 
The fair value option is an irrevocable election, generally only 
permitted upon initial recognition of financial assets or liabilities, 
to measure eligible financial instruments at fair value with 
changes in fair value reflected in earnings. We may elect the fair 
value option to align the measurement model with how the 
financial assets or liabilities are managed or to reduce complexity 
or accounting asymmetry. Following is a discussion of the 
portfolios for which we elected the fair value option. 

LOANS HELD FOR SALE (LHFS)  LHFS measured at fair value include 
residential mortgage loan originations for which an active 
secondary market and readily available market prices exist to 
reliably support our valuations. Loan origination fees on these 
loans are recorded when earned, and related direct loan 
origination costs are recognized when incurred. We believe fair 

Table 17.7:  Fair Value Option 

value measurement for LHFS, which we economically hedge with 
derivatives along with our MSRs measured at fair value, reduces 
certain timing differences and better matches changes in the 
value of these assets with changes in the value of derivatives 
used as economic hedges for these assets. 

Additionally we purchase loans for market-making purposes 

to support the buying and selling demands of our customers in 
our trading business. These loans are generally held for a short 
period of time and managed within parameters of internally 
approved market risk limits. Fair value measurement best aligns 
with our risk management practices. Fair value for these loans is 
generally determined using readily available market data based 
on recent transaction prices for similar loans. 

Table 17.7 reflects differences between the fair value 
carrying amount of the assets for which we have elected the fair 
value option and the contractual aggregate unpaid principal 
amount at maturity. Nonaccrual loans and loans 90 days or more 
past due and still accruing included in LHFS which we have 
elected the fair value option are insignificant at December 31, 
2020 and 2019. 

(in millions) 

Loans held for sale 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Fair value 
carrying 
amount 

Aggregate 
unpaid 
principal 

Fair value 
carrying 
amount less 
aggregate 
unpaid 
principal 

Fair value 
carrying 
amount 

Aggregate 
unpaid 
principal 

Fair value 
carrying 
amount less 
aggregate
unpaid 
principal 

$ 

18,806 

18,217 

589 

17,578 

17,299 

279 

The changes in fair value related to initial measurement and 

subsequent changes in fair value included in earnings for LHFS 
accounted for under the fair value option were $2.7 billion, 
$1.1 billion, and $462 million for the years ended December 31, 
2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Substantially all of these 
amounts were included in the mortgage banking noninterest 
income line of the consolidated statement of income. For 
performing loans, instrument-specific credit risk gains or losses 
were derived principally by determining the change in fair value 
of the loans due to changes in the observable or implied credit 
spread. Credit spread is the market yield on the loans less the 
relevant risk-free benchmark interest rate. For nonperforming 
loans, we attribute all changes in fair value to instrument-specific 
credit risk. Gains and losses attributable to instrument-specific 
credit risk related to assets accounted for under the fair value 
option for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 
are insignificant. 

209 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Note 17:  Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities (continued) 

Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments 
Table 17.8 presents a summary of fair value estimates for 
financial instruments that are not carried at fair value on a 
recurring basis. Some financial instruments are excluded from 
the scope of this table, such as certain insurance contracts and 
leases. This table also excludes assets and liabilities that are not 
financial instruments such as the value of the long-term 
relationships with our deposit, credit card and trust customers, 
MSRs, premises and equipment, goodwill and deferred taxes. 

Table 17.8:  Fair Value Estimates for Financial Instruments 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Financial assets 

Loan commitments, standby letters of credit and 
commercial and similar letters of credit are not included in 
Table 17.8. A reasonable estimate of the fair value of these 
instruments is the carrying value of deferred fees plus the 
allowance for unfunded credit commitments, which totaled 
$1.4 billion and $1.0 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively.

 The total of the fair value calculations presented does not 

represent, and should not be construed to represent, the 
underlying fair value of the Company. 

Carrying 
amount 

Level 1 

Level 2 

Level 3 

Total 

Estimated fair value 

Cash and due from banks (1) 

Interest-earning deposits with banks (1) 

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale agreements (1) 

Held-to-maturity debt securities 

Loans held for sale 

Loans, net (2) 

Nonmarketable equity securities (cost method) 

$ 

28,236 

236,376 

65,672 

205,720 

17,578 

853,595 

3,588 

28,236 

236,258 

— 

48,597 

— 

— 

— 

— 

118 

65,672 

162,777 

14,952 

56,270 

— 

— 

— 

— 

933 

3,419 

817,827 

3,632 

28,236 

236,376 

65,672 

212,307 

18,371 

874,097 

3,632 

Total financial assets 

$ 

1,410,765 

313,091 

299,789 

825,811 

1,438,691 

Financial liabilities 

Deposits (3) 

Short-term borrowings 

Long-term debt (4) 

Total financial liabilities 

December 31, 2019 

Financial assets 

Cash and due from banks (1) 

Interest-earning deposits with banks (1) 

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale agreements (1) 

Held-to-maturity debt securities 

Loans held for sale 

Loans, net (2) 

Nonmarketable equity securities (cost method) 

$ 

52,807 

58,999 

212,922 

$ 

324,728 

$ 

21,757 

119,493 

102,140 

153,933 

6,741 

933,042 

4,790 

— 

— 

— 

— 

21,757 

119,257 

— 

46,138 

— 

— 

— 

33,321 

58,999 

219,321 

311,641 

— 

236 

102,140 

109,933 

2,944 

54,125 

19,940 

— 

1,381 

21,321 

— 

— 

— 

789 

4,721 

53,261 

58,999 

220,702 

332,962 

21,757 

119,493 

102,140 

156,860 

7,665 

891,714 

945,839 

— 

4,823 

4,823 

Total financial assets 

$ 

1,341,896 

187,152 

269,378 

902,047 

1,358,577 

Financial liabilities 

Deposits (3) 

Short-term borrowings 

Long-term debt (4) 

Total financial liabilities 

$ 

118,849 

104,512 

228,159 

$ 

451,520 

— 

— 

— 

— 

87,279 

104,513 

231,332 

423,124 

31,858 

— 

1,720 

33,578 

119,137 

104,513 

233,052 

456,702 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 

Amounts consist of financial instruments for which carrying value approximates fair value. 
Excludes lease financing with a carrying amount of $15.4 billion and $19.5 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
Excludes deposit liabilities with no defined or contractual maturity of $1.4 trillion and $1.2 trillion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
Excludes capital lease obligations under capital leases of $28 million and $32 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 

210 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 18:  Preferred Stock 

We are authorized to issue 20 million shares of preferred stock 
and 4 million shares of preference stock, both without par value. 
Preferred shares outstanding rank senior to common shares both 
as to dividends and liquidation preference but have no general 
voting rights. We have not issued any preference shares under 
this authorization. If issued, preference shares would be limited 
to one vote per share. Our total authorized, issued and 
outstanding preferred stock is presented in the following two 
tables along with the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) 
Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock. 

In January 2020, we issued $2.0 billion of our Preferred 
Stock, Series Z. In March 2020, we redeemed the remaining 
outstanding shares of our Preferred Stock, Series K, and 

Table 18.1:  Preferred Stock Shares 

DEP Shares 

Dividend Equalization Preferred Shares (DEP) 

Series I 

Floating Class A Preferred Stock (1) 

Series K 

redeemed 26,720 outstanding shares of our Preferred Stock, 
Series T. In October 2020, we issued $1.2 billion of our Preferred 
Stock, Series AA. In December 2020, we redeemed the remaining 
outstanding shares of our Preferred Stock, Series T, and all of the 
outstanding shares of our Preferred Stock, Series V. 

In January 2021, we issued $3.5 billion of our Preferred 
Stock, Series BB, and in February 2021, we issued $1.05 billion of 
our Preferred Stock, Series CC. Additionally, in February 2021, we 
announced the redemption of our Preferred Stock, Series I, 
Series P and Series W, and a partial redemption of our Preferred 
Stock, Series N, for an aggregate cost of $4.5 billion The 
redemptions are scheduled to occur on March 15, 2021. 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Liquidation
preference 
per share 

Shares 
authorized
and designated 

Liquidation
 preference 
per share

Shares 
authorized 
 and designated 

$ 

10 

97,000 

$ 

10 

97,000 

100,000 

25,010 

100,000 

25,010 

Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock (2) 

— 

— 

1,000 

3,500,000 

Series L 

7.50% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Convertible Class A Preferred Stock (3) 

1,000 

4,025,000 

1,000 

4,025,000 

Series N 

5.20% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

30,000 

25,000 

30,000 

Series O 

5.125% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

27,600 

25,000 

27,600 

Series P 

5.25% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

26,400 

25,000 

26,400 

Series Q 

5.85% Fixed-to-Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

69,000 

25,000 

69,000 

Series R 

6.625% Fixed-to-Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

34,500 

25,000 

34,500 

Series S 

5.90% Fixed-to-Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

80,000 

25,000 

80,000 

Series T 

6.00% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock (4) 

— 

— 

25,000 

32,200 

Series U 

5.875% Fixed-to-Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

80,000 

25,000 

80,000 

Series V 

6.00% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock (5) 

— 

— 

25,000 

40,000 

Series W 

5.70% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

40,000 

25,000 

40,000 

Series X 

5.50% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

46,000 

25,000 

46,000 

Series Y 

5.625% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

25,000 

27,600 

25,000 

27,600 

Series Z 

4.75% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

Series AA 

4.70% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

ESOP 

Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (6) 

Total 

25,000 

80,500 

25,000 

46,800 

— 

822,242 

5,557,652 

— 

— 

—

— 

— 

1,071,418 

9,251,728 

(1) 

(2) 
(3) 

(4) 
(5) 
(6) 

Series I preferred stock issuance relates to trust preferred securities. See Note 8 (Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities) for additional information. This issuance has a floating interest rate 
that is the greater of three-month LIBOR plus 0.93% and 5.56975%. 
Floating rate for Preferred Stock, Series K, is three-month LIBOR plus 3.77%. In first quarter 2020, the remaining $1.8 billion of Preferred Stock, Series K, was redeemed. 
Preferred Stock, Series L, may be converted at any time, at the option of the holder, into 6.3814 shares of our common stock, plus cash in lieu of fractional shares, subject to anti-dilution 
adjustments. 
In first quarter 2020 and fourth quarter 2020, $669 million and $131 million, respectively, of Preferred Stock, Series T, was redeemed. 
In fourth quarter 2020, $1.0 billion of Preferred Stock, Series V, was redeemed. 
See the “ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock” section in this Note for additional information about the liquidation preference for the ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock. 

211 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 18:  Preferred Stock (continued) 

Table 18.2: Preferred Stock – Shares Issued and Carrying Value 

(in millions, except shares) 

DEP Shares 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Shares 
issued and 
outstanding 

Liquidation
preference 
value 

Carrying 
value 

Discount 

Shares 
issued and 
outstanding 

Liquidation 
preference 
value 

Carrying 
value 

Discount 

Dividend Equalization Preferred Shares (DEP) 

96,546 

$ 

— 

— 

Series I (1) 

Floating Class A Preferred Stock 

Series K (2) 

25,010 

2,501 

2,501 

Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

— 

— 

— 

Series L (3) 

— 

— 

— 

96,546 

$ 

— 

— 

25,010 

2,501 

2,501 

— 

— 

1,802,000 

1,802 

1,546 

256 

7.50% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Convertible Class A Preferred Stock 

3,967,995 

3,968 

3,200 

768 

3,967,995 

3,968 

3,200 

768 

Series N 

5.20% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

Series O 

5.125% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

Series P 

5.25% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

Series Q 

30,000 

26,000 

25,000 

750 

650 

625 

750 

650 

625 

5.85% Fixed-to-Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

69,000 

1,725 

1,725 

Series R 

6.625% Fixed-to-Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

33,600 

840 

840 

Series S 

5.90% Fixed-to-Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

80,000 

2,000 

2,000 

Series T (4) 

6.00% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

— 

— 

— 

Series U 

5.875% Fixed-to-Floating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

80,000 

2,000 

2,000 

Series V (5) 

6.00% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

— 

— 

— 

Series W 

5.70% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

40,000 

1,000 

1,000 

Series X 

5.50% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

46,000 

1,150 

1,150 

Series Y 

5.625% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

27,600 

690 

690 

Series Z 

4.750% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

80,500 

2,013 

2,013 

Series AA 

4.70% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Class A Preferred Stock 

46,800 

1,170 

1,170 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

ESOP 

Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (6) 

Total 

822,242 

822 

822 

5,496,293 

$ 

21,904 

21,136 

— 

768 

30,000 

26,000 

25,000 

750 

650 

625 

750 

650 

625 

69,000 

1,725 

1,725 

33,600 

840 

840 

80,000 

2,000 

2,000 

32,000 

800 

800 

80,000 

2,000 

2,000 

40,000 

1,000 

1,000 

40,000 

1,000 

1,000 

46,000 

1,150 

1,150 

27,600 

690 

690 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,071,418 

1,072 

1,072 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

7,492,169 

$ 

22,573 

21,549 

1,024 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

(4) 
(5) 
(6) 

Floating rate for Preferred Stock, Series I, is the greater of three-month LIBOR plus 0.93% and 5.56975% 
Floating rate for Preferred Stock, Series K, is three-month LIBOR plus 3.77%. In first quarter 2020, the remaining $1.8 billion of Preferred Stock, Series K, was redeemed. 
Preferred Stock, Series L, may be converted at any time, at the option of the holder, into 6.3814 shares of our common stock, plus cash in lieu of fractional shares, subject to anti-dilution 
adjustments. 
In first quarter 2020 and fourth quarter 2020, $669 million and $131 million respectively, of Preferred Stock, Series T, was redeemed. 
In fourth quarter 2020, $1.0 billion of Preferred Stock, Series V, was redeemed. 
See the “ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock” section in this Note for additional information about the liquidation preference for the ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock. 

212 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ESOP CUMULATIVE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK  All shares of 
our ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (ESOP 
Preferred Stock) were issued to a trustee acting on behalf of the 
Wells Fargo & Company 401(k) Plan (the 401(k) Plan). Dividends 
on the ESOP Preferred Stock are cumulative from the date of 
initial issuance and are payable quarterly at annual rates based 
upon the year of issuance. Each share of ESOP Preferred Stock 
released from the unallocated reserve of the 401(k) Plan is 
converted into shares of our common stock based on the stated 

value of the ESOP Preferred Stock and the then current market 
price of our common stock. The ESOP Preferred Stock is also 
convertible at the option of the holder at any time, unless 
previously redeemed. We have the option to redeem the ESOP 
Preferred Stock at any time, in whole or in part, at a redemption 
price per share equal to the higher of (a) $1,000 per share plus 
accrued and unpaid dividends or (b) the fair market value, as 
defined in the Certificates of Designation for the ESOP Preferred 
Stock. 

Table 18.3:  ESOP Preferred Stock 

(in millions, except shares) 

ESOP Preferred Stock 

$1,000 liquidation preference per share 

2018 

2017 

2016 

2015 

2014 

2013 

2012 

2011 

Shares issued and outstanding 

Carrying value 

Adjustable dividend rate 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

Minimum 

Maximum 

221,945 

163,210 

162,450 

92,904 

99,151 

61,948 

20,634 

— 

254,945  $ 

192,210 

197,450 

116,784 

136,151 

97,948 

49,134 

26,796 

222 

163 

162 

93 

99 

62 

21 

— 

255 

192 

198 

117 

136 

98 

49 

27 

7.00  % 

8.00  % 

7.00 

9.30 

8.90 

8.70 

8.50 

10.00 

9.00 

8.00 

10.30 

9.90 

9.70 

9.50 

11.00 

10.00 

Total ESOP Preferred Stock (1) 

Unearned ESOP shares (2) 

822,242

1,071,418

$

$ 

822

(875) 

1,072

(1,143) 

At December 31, 2020 and 2019, additional paid-in capital included $53 million and $71 million, respectively, related to ESOP preferred stock. 

(1) 
(2)  We recorded a corresponding charge to unearned ESOP shares in connection with the issuance of the ESOP Preferred Stock. The unearned ESOP shares are reduced as shares of the ESOP Preferred 

Stock are committed to be released. 

213 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For various acquisitions and mergers, we converted 
employee and director stock options of acquired or merged 
companies into stock options to purchase our common stock 
based on the terms of the original stock option plan and the 
agreed-upon exchange ratio. In addition, we converted restricted 
stock awards into awards that entitle holders to our stock after 
the vesting conditions are met. Holders receive cash dividends on 
outstanding awards if provided in the original award. 

The total number of shares of common stock available for 
grant under the plans at December 31, 2020, was 202 million. 

Restricted Share Rights 
Holders of RSRs are entitled to the related shares of common 
stock at no cost generally vesting over three to five years after 
the RSRs are granted. A summary of the status of our RSRs at 
December 31, 2020, and changes during 2020 is presented in 
Table 19.3. 

Table 19.3:  Restricted Share Rights 

Nonvested at January 1, 2020 

Granted 

Vested 

Canceled or forfeited 

Nonvested at December 31, 2020 

Weighted-
average 
grant-date 
fair value 

52.30 

42.53 

54.22 

49.95 

46.30 

Number 

50,915,461  $ 

23,504,261 

(26,643,385) 

(1,544,567) 

46,231,770 

The weighted-average grant date fair value of RSRs granted 

during 2019 and 2018 was $49.32 and $58.47, respectively. 
At December 31, 2020, there was $890 million of total 
unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested RSRs. The 
cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average 
period of 2.4 years. The total fair value of RSRs that vested 
during 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $981 million, $773 million and 
$824 million, respectively. 

Note 19:  Common Stock and Stock Plans 

Common Stock 
Table 19.1 presents our reserved, issued and authorized shares of 
common stock at December 31, 2020. 

Table 19.1:  Common Stock Shares 

Dividend reinvestment and common stock purchase plans 

Director plans 

Stock plans (1) 

Convertible securities and warrants 

Total shares reserved 

Shares issued 

Shares not reserved or issued 

Total shares authorized 

Number of shares 

3,871,110 

229,730 

431,463,336 

65,835,437 

501,399,613 

5,481,811,474 

3,016,788,913 

9,000,000,000 

(1) 

Includes employee restricted share rights, performance share awards, 401(k), and deferred 
compensation plans. 

Dividend Reinvestment and Common Stock Purchase 
Plans 
Participants in our dividend reinvestment and common stock 
direct purchase plans may purchase shares of our common stock 
at fair market value by reinvesting dividends and/or making 
optional cash payments under the plan’s terms. 

Employee Stock Plans 
We offer stock-based employee compensation plans as 
described below. For information on our accounting for stock-
based compensation plans, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies). 

LONG-TERM INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLANS  Since 2010, we 
have granted restricted share rights (RSRs) and performance 
share awards (PSAs) as our primary long-term incentive awards 
using our Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan (LTICP). 
Holders of RSRs and PSAs may be entitled to receive 

additional RSRs and PSAs (dividend equivalents) or cash 
payments equal to the cash dividends that would have been paid 
had the RSRs or PSAs been issued and outstanding shares of 
common stock. RSRs and PSAs granted as dividend equivalents 
are subject to the same vesting schedule and conditions as the 
underlying award. 

Table 19.2 summarizes the major components of stock 
incentive compensation expense and the related recognized tax 
benefit. 

Table 19.2:  Stock Incentive Compensation Expense 

(in millions) 

RSRs (1) 

Performance shares (2) 

Total stock incentive 

compensation expense 

Related recognized tax benefit 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

$ 

732 

(110) 

622 

154 

$ 

$ 

2019 

1,109 

108 

1,217 

301 

2018 

1,013 

9 

1,022 

252 

(1) 

(2) 

In February 2018, a total of 11.9 million RSRs were granted to all eligible employees in the 
U.S., and eligible employees outside the U.S., referred to as broad-based RSRs. 
Compensation expense fluctuates with changes in our stock price and the estimated 
outcome of satisfying performance conditions. 

214 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
The weighted-average grant date fair value of performance 
awards granted during 2019 and 2018 was $49.26 and $58.62, 
respectively. 

At December 31, 2020, there was $16 million of total 

unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested 
performance awards. The cost is expected to be recognized over 
a weighted-average period of 1.9 years. The total fair value of 
PSAs that vested during 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $35 million, 
$82 million and $107 million, respectively. 

Director Awards 
Beginning in 2011, we granted only common stock awards under 
the LTICP to non-employee directors elected or re-elected at the 
annual meeting of stockholders and prorated awards to directors 
who join the Board at any other time. Stock awards vest 
immediately. Options also were granted to directors prior to 
2011 and can be exercised after 12 months through the tenth 
anniversary of the grant date. 

Stock Options 
Table 19.5 summarizes stock option activity and related 
information for the stock plans. Options assumed in mergers are 
included in the activity and related information for Incentive 
Compensation Plans if originally issued under an employee plan, 
and in the activity and related information for Director Awards if 
originally issued under a director plan. 

Number 

Weighted-
average 
exercise price 

Weighted-
average 
remaining 
contractual term 
(in years) 

Aggregate 
intrinsic 
value 
(in millions) 

60,560  $ 

(37,850) 

(22,710) 

— 

30.69 

31.72 

31.72 

— 

0.0  $ 

— 

Performance Share Awards 
Holders of PSAs are entitled to the related shares of common 
stock at no cost subject to the Company’s achievement of 
specified performance criteria over a three-year period. PSAs are 
granted at a target number based on the Company’s 
performance. The number of awards that vest can be adjusted 
downward to zero and upward to a maximum of either 125% or 
150% of target. The awards vest in the quarter after the end of 
the performance period. For PSAs whose performance period 
ended December 31, 2020, the determination of the number of 
performance shares that will vest will occur in first quarter of 
2021 after review of the Company’s performance by the Human 
Resources Committee of the Board. 

A summary of the status of our PSAs at December 31, 2020, 

and changes during 2020 is in Table 19.4, based on the 
performance adjustments recognized as of December 2020. 

Table 19.4:  Performance Share Awards 

Number 

Weighted-average 
grant-date fair value (1) 

Nonvested at January 1, 2020 

Granted 

Vested 

Canceled or forfeited 

6,504,213  $ 

1,509,410  $ 

(1,146,522)  $ 

(1,313,493)  $ 

Nonvested at December 31, 2020 

5,553,608  $ 

49.81 

40.39 

55.79 

52.20 

45.45 

(1) 

Reflects approval date fair value for grants subject to variable accounting. 

Table 19.5:  Stock Option Activity 

Incentive compensation plans 

Options outstanding as of December 31, 2019 

Canceled or forfeited 

Exercised 

Options exercisable and outstanding as of December 31, 2020 

The total intrinsic value to option holders, which is the stock 

market value in excess of the option exercise price, of options 
exercised during 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $0 million, 
$291 million and $375 million, respectively. 

Cash received from the exercise of stock options for 2020, 

2019 and 2018 was $1 million, $108 million and $227 million, 
respectively. 

We do not have a specific policy on repurchasing shares to 
satisfy share option exercises. Rather, we have a general policy on 
repurchasing shares to meet common stock issuance 
requirements for our benefit plans (including share option 
exercises), conversion of our convertible securities, acquisitions 
and other corporate purposes. Various factors determine the 
amount and timing of our share repurchases, including our capital 
requirements, the number of shares we expect to issue for 
acquisitions and employee benefit plans, market conditions 
(including the trading price of our stock), and regulatory and legal 
considerations. These factors can change at any time, and there 
can be no assurance as to the number of shares we will 
repurchase or when we will repurchase them. 

215 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 19:  Common Stock and Stock Plans (continued) 

Employee Stock Ownership Plan 
The Wells Fargo & Company 401(k) Plan (401(k) Plan) is a 
defined contribution plan with an Employee Stock Ownership 
Plan (ESOP) feature. The ESOP feature enables the 401(k) Plan 
to borrow money to purchase our preferred or common stock. 
From 1994 through 2018, with the exception of 2009, we loaned 
money to the 401(k) Plan to purchase shares of our ESOP 
preferred stock. As our employer contributions are made to the 
401(k) Plan and are used to make ESOP loan payments, the 
ESOP preferred stock in the 401(k) Plan is released and 
converted into our common stock shares. Dividends on the 
common stock shares allocated as a result of the release and 
conversion of the ESOP preferred stock reduce retained 
earnings, and the shares are considered outstanding for 
computing earnings per share. Dividends on the unallocated 

ESOP preferred stock do not reduce retained earnings, and the 
shares are not considered to be common stock equivalents for 
computing earnings per share. Loan principal and interest 
payments are made from our employer contributions to the 
401(k) Plan, along with dividends paid on the ESOP preferred 
stock. With each principal and interest payment, a portion of the 
ESOP preferred stock is released and converted to common 
stock shares, which are allocated to the 401(k) Plan participants 
and invested in the Wells Fargo ESOP Fund within the 401(k) 
Plan. 

Table 19.6 presents the balance of common stock and 
unreleased preferred stock held in the Wells Fargo ESOP fund, 
the fair value of unreleased ESOP preferred stock and the 
dividends on allocated shares of common stock and unreleased 
ESOP Preferred Stock paid to the 401(k) Plan. 

Table 19.6:  Common Stock and Unreleased Preferred Stock in the Wells Fargo ESOP Fund 

(in millions, except shares) 

Allocated shares (common) 

Unreleased shares (preferred) 

Fair value of unreleased ESOP preferred shares 

Allocated shares (common) 

Unreleased shares (preferred) 

Shares outstanding 

December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

155,810,091 

138,978,383 

138,182,911 

822,242 

822 

1,071,418 

1,406,460 

1,072 

1,407 

Dividends paid 

Year ended December 31, 

2019 

233 

101 

2018 

213 

159 

2020 

155 

77 

$ 

$ 

216 

Wells Fargo & Company  
Note 20:  Revenue from Contracts with Customers 

Our revenue includes net interest income on financial 
instruments and noninterest income. Table 20.1 presents our 
revenue by operating segment. For additional description of our 

operating segments, including additional financial information 
and the underlying management accounting process, see 
Note 26 (Operating Segments). 

Table 20.1:  Revenue by Operating Segment 

(in millions) 

Net interest income (2) 

Noninterest income 
Deposit-related fees 
Lending-related fees (2) 
Brokerage fees: 

Asset-based revenue (3) 
Transactional revenue 
Other revenue 

Total brokerage fees 

Trust and investment management fees: 

Investment management fees 
Trust fees 
Other revenue 

Total trust and investment management fees 

Investment banking fees 
Card fees: 

Card interchange and network revenues (4) 
Other card fees (2) 

Total card fees 
Mortgage banking (2) 
Net gains (losses) from trading activities (2) 
Net gains on debt securities (2) 
Net gains (losses) from equity securities (2) 
Lease income (2) 
Other (2) 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Net interest income (2) 

Noninterest income 
Deposit-related fees 
Lending-related fees (2) 
Brokerage fees: 

Asset-based revenue (3) 
Transactional revenue 
Other revenue 

Total brokerage fees 

Trust and investment management fees: 

Investment management fees (5) 
Trust fees (5) 
Other revenue (5) 

Total trust and investment management fees 

Investment banking fees 
Card fees: 

Card interchange and network revenues (4) 
Other card fees (2) 

Total card fees 
Mortgage banking (2) 
Net gains (losses) from trading activities (2) 
Net gains (losses) on debt securities (2) 
Net gains from equity securities (2) 
Lease income (2) 
Other (2) 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

(continued on following page) 

Consumer 
Banking and 
Lending 

Commercial 
Banking 

Corporate and 
Investment 
Banking 

Wealth and 
Investment 
Management 

$ 

23,378 

6,191 

7,501 

2,993 

Corporate 

247 

Reconciling 
Items (1) 

Consolidated 
Company 

(475) 

39,835 

Year ended December 31, 2020 

2,904 
158 

1,219 
531 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
(8) 

2,805 
513 

3,318 
3,224 
1 
6 

10 
— 

1,025 

10,638 

34,016 

25,786 

3,582 
230 

— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
(5) 

2,973 
699 

3,672 
2,314 
2 

— 
4 
— 
2,306 

12,105 

37,891 

$ 

$ 

$ 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 
314 
82 

396 
76 

170 
— 

170 
— 
(4) 
— 

(147) 
646 

660 

3,547 

9,738 

8,184 

1,175 
524 

— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
313 
75 

388 
85 

254 
— 

254 
— 
(10) 

4 
115 
931 
688 

4,154 

12,338 

1,062 
684 

— 
17 
298 

315 

— 
— 
95 

95 
1,952 

51 
— 

51 
282 
1,190 
— 

212 
20 

456 

27 
9 

6,992 
1,504 
574 

9,070 

1,970 
416 
(3) 

2,383 
14 

3 
— 

3 
(13) 
5 
— 

(94) 
— 

115 

6,319 

13,820 

11,519 

14,512 

9 
(1) 

(1) 
(8) 
(1) 

(10) 

— 
— 
(2) 

(2) 
(169) 

1 
1 

2 
— 
(20) 
867 

684 
579 

1,277 

3,216 

3,463 

— 
— 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

(2,734) 

(2,734) 

(3,209) 

5,221 
1,381 

6,991 
1,513 
871 

9,375 

1,970 
730 
172 

2,872 
1,865 

3,030 
514 

3,544 
3,493 
1,172 

873 
665 
1,245 

799 

32,505 

72,340 

8,005 

1,029 
710 

— 
26 
266 

292 

— 
— 
62 

62 
1,804 

79 
— 

79 
413 
1,022 

(5) 
297 
22 
498 

6,223 

14,228 

3,917 

1,950 

(611) 

47,231 

Year ended December 31, 2019 

24 
8 

6,777 
1,534 
636 

8,947 

1,988 
423 
(4) 

2,407 
6 

6 
— 

6 
(12) 
53 

— 
272 
— 
104 

11,815 

15,732 

9 
2 

(2) 
— 
— 

(2) 

— 
179 
2 

181 
(93) 

6 
(1) 

5 
— 
(74) 

141 
2,155 
661 
2,874 

5,859 

7,809 

— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
(2,324) 

(2,324) 

(2,935) 

5,819 
1,474 

6,775 
1,560 
902 

9,237 

1,988 
915 
135 

3,038 
1,797 

3,318 
698 

4,016 
2,715 
993 

140 
2,843 
1,614 
4,146 

37,832 

85,063 

217 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 20:  Revenue from Contracts with Customers (continued) 

(continued from previous page) 

Net interest income (2) 

Noninterest income 
Deposit-related fees 
Lending-related fees (2) 
Brokerage fees: 

Asset-based revenue (3) 
Transactional revenue 
Other revenue 

Total brokerage fees 

Trust and investment management fees: 

Investment management fees (5) 
Trust fees (5) 
Other revenue (5) 

Total trust and investment management fees 

Investment banking fees 
Card fees: 

Card interchange and network revenues (4) 
Other card fees (2) 

Total card fees 
Mortgage banking (2) 
Net gains (losses) from trading activities (2) 
Net gains (losses) on debt securities (2) 
Net gains (losses) from equity securities (2) 
Lease income (2) 
Other (2) 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Consumer 
Banking and 
Lending 

Commercial 
Banking 

Corporate and 
Investment 
Banking 

Wealth and 
Investment 
Management 

$ 

26,985 

8,748 

8,345 

4,317 

Corporate 

2,259 

Reconciling 
Items (1) 

Consolidated 
Company 

(659) 

49,995 

Year ended December 31, 2018 

3,431 
258 

1,219 
604 

— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
— 

— 

— 
(1) 

2,854 

697 

3,551 
2,666 
6 
— 
5 
— 

3,014 

12,930 

39,915 

$ 

— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
301 
58 

359 

53 

264 

— 

264 
— 
(8) 
— 
37 
1,025 

779 

4,332 

13,080 

1,057 
742 

1 
70 
246 

317 

— 
— 
54 

54 

1,730 

79 

— 

79 
362 
561 
(3) 
277 
3 

547 

24 
8 

6,899 
1,618 
646 

9,163 

2,079 
442 
(12) 

2,509 

9 

6 

— 

6 
(11) 
57 
9 
(283) 
— 

61 

5,726 

14,071 

11,552 

15,869 

10 
16 

(2) 
(40) 
(2) 

(44) 

— 
386 
8 

394 

(34) 

5 

2 

7 
— 
(14) 
102 
1,479 
729 

1,368 

4,013 

6,272 

— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
— 

— 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

(2,140) 

(2,140) 

(2,799) 

5,741 
1,628 

6,898 
1,648 
890 

9,436 

2,079 
1,129 
108 

3,316 

1,757 

3,208 

699 

3,907 
3,017 
602 
108 
1,515 
1,757 

3,629 

36,413 

86,408 

(1) 

Taxable-equivalent adjustments related to tax-exempt income on certain loans and debt securities are included in net interest income, while taxable-equivalent adjustments related to income tax 
credits for low-income housing and renewable energy investments are included in noninterest income, in each case with corresponding impacts to income tax expense (benefit). Adjustments are 
included in Corporate, Commercial Banking, and Corporate and Investment Banking and are eliminated to reconcile to the Company’s consolidated financial results. 
These revenues are related to financial assets and liabilities, including loans, leases, securities and derivatives, with additional details included in other footnotes to our financial statements. 

(2) 
(3)  We earned trailing commissions of $1.1 billion, $1.2 billion, and $1.3 billion for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. 
(4) 

The cost of credit card rewards and rebates of $1.3 billion, $1.5 billion and $1.4 billion for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, are presented net against the related 
revenues. 
 In 2020, we changed the classification of certain fees within trust and investment management fees. Prior periods have been revised to conform with the current period presentation. 

(5)

We provide services to customers which have related 

performance obligations that we complete to recognize revenue. 
Our revenues are generally recognized either immediately upon 
the completion of our service or over time as we perform 
services. Any services performed over time generally require that 
we render services each period and therefore we measure our 
progress in completing these services based upon the passage of 
time. 

DEPOSIT-RELATED FEES are earned in connection with depository 
accounts for commercial and consumer customers and include 
fees for account charges, overdraft services, cash network fees, 
wire transfer and other remittance fees, and safe deposit box 
fees. Account charges include fees for periodic account 
maintenance activities and event-driven services such as stop 
payment fees. Our obligation for event-driven services is 
satisfied at the time of the event when the service is delivered, 
while our obligation for maintenance services is satisfied over the 
course of each month. Our obligation for overdraft services is 
satisfied at the time of the overdraft. Cash network fees are 
earned for processing ATM transactions, and our obligation is 
completed upon settlement of ATM transactions. Wire transfer 
and other remittance fees consist of fees earned for providing 
funds transfer services and issuing cashier’s checks and money 
orders. Our obligation is satisfied at the time of the performance 
of the funds transfer service or upon issuance of the cashier’s 
check or money order. Safe deposit box fees are generally 
recognized over time as we provide the services. 

218 

BROKERAGE FEES are earned for providing brokerage services and 
include fees earned on asset-based and transactional brokerage 
accounts, as well as other brokerage services. 

Asset-based revenues are charged based on the market 
value of the client’s assets. The services and related obligations 
associated with certain of these revenues, which include 
investment advice, active management of client assets, and 
assistance with selecting and engaging a third-party advisory 
manager, are generally satisfied over a month or quarter. The 
remaining revenues include trailing commissions which are 
earned for selling shares to investors. Our obligation associated 
with earning trailing commissions is satisfied at the time shares 
are sold. However, these fees are received and recognized over 
time during the period the customer owns the shares and we 
remain the broker of record. The amount of trailing commissions 
is variable based on the length of time the customer holds the 
shares and on changes in the value of the underlying assets. 
Transactional revenues are earned for executing 

transactions at the client’s direction. Our obligation is generally 
satisfied upon the execution of the transaction and the fees are 
based on the size and number of transactions executed. 

Other revenues earned from other brokerage advisory 

services include omnibus and networking fees received from 
mutual fund companies in return for providing record keeping 
and other administrative services, and annual account 
maintenance fees charged to customers. 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
INVESTMENT BANKING FEES are earned for underwriting debt and 
equity securities, arranging syndicated loan transactions and 
performing other advisory services. Our obligation for these 
services is generally satisfied at closing of the transaction. 

CARD FEES include credit and debit card interchange and network 
revenues and various card-related fees. Credit and debit card 
interchange and network revenues are earned on credit and debit 
card transactions conducted through payment networks such as 
Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Our obligation is 
satisfied concurrently with the delivery of services on a daily 
basis. Other card fees represent late fees, cash advance fees, 
balance transfer fees, and annual fees. 

TRUST AND INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEES are earned for 
providing trust, investment management and other related 
services. 

Investment management services include managing and 
administering assets, including mutual funds, and institutional 
separate accounts. Fees for these services are generally 
determined based on a tiered scale relative to the market value 
of assets under management (AUM). In addition to AUM, we 
have client assets under administration (AUA) that earn various 
administrative fees which are generally based on the extent of 
the services provided to administer the account. Services with 
AUM and AUA-based fees are generally satisfied over time. 

Trust services include acting as a trustee or agent for 
corporate trust, personal trust, and agency assets. Obligations 
for trust services are generally satisfied over time, while 
obligations for activities that are transactional in nature are 
satisfied at the time of the transaction. 

Other related services include the custody and safekeeping 

of accounts. Our obligation for these services is generally 
satisfied over time. 

Note 21:  Employee Benefits and Other Expenses 

Pension and Postretirement Plans 
We sponsor a frozen noncontributory qualified defined benefit 
retirement plan, the Wells Fargo & Company Cash Balance Plan 
(Cash Balance Plan), which covers eligible employees of 
Wells Fargo. The Cash Balance Plan was frozen on July 1, 2009, 
and no new benefits accrue after that date. 

Prior to July 1, 2009, eligible employees’ Cash Balance Plan 

accounts were allocated a compensation credit based on a 
percentage of their certified compensation; the freeze 
discontinued the allocation of compensation credits after 
June 30, 2009. Investment credits continue to be allocated to 
participants’ accounts based on their accumulated balances. 

We voluntarily made contributions of $700 million to our 

Cash Balance Plan in 2020. We do not expect that we will be 
required to make a contribution to the Cash Balance Plan in 
2021. For the nonqualified pension plans and postretirement 
benefit plans, there is no minimum required contribution beyond 
the amount needed to fund benefit payments. 

We recognize settlement losses for our Cash Balance Plan 

based on an assessment of whether lump sum benefit payments 
will, in aggregate for the year, exceed the sum of its annual 
service and interest cost (threshold). Settlement losses of 
$121 million and $134 million were recognized during 2020 and 
2018, respectively, representing the pro rata portion of the net 
loss in cumulative other comprehensive income based on the 
percentage reduction in the Cash Balance Plan’s projected 
benefit obligation attributable to 2020 and 2018 lump sum 
payments (included in the “Benefits paid” line in Table 21.1). 
Settlement losses were not recognized in 2019 as lump sum 
payments did not exceed the 2019 threshold. 

Our nonqualified defined benefit plans are unfunded and 
provide supplemental defined benefit pension benefits to certain 
eligible employees. The benefits under these plans were frozen in 
prior years. 

We provide health care and life insurance benefits for certain 
retired employees, and we reserve the right to amend, modify or 
terminate any of the benefits at any time. 

219 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 21:  Employee Benefits and Other Expenses (continued) 

The information set forth in the following tables is based on 

current actuarial reports using the measurement date of 
December 31 for our pension and postretirement benefit plans. 

Table 21.1 presents the changes in the benefit obligation 

and the fair value of plan assets, the funded status, and the 

amounts recognized on the consolidated balance sheet. At both 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, changes in the benefit obligation 
for the qualified plans were primarily driven by the changes in the 
actuarial losses due to a decrease in the discount rates. 

Table 21.1:  Changes in Benefit Obligation and Fair Value of Plan Assets 

(in millions) 

Change in benefit obligation: 

Benefit obligation at beginning of year 

Service cost 

Interest cost 

Plan participants’ contributions 

Actuarial loss (gain) 

Benefits paid 

Settlements, Curtailments, and Amendments 

Foreign exchange impact 

Benefit obligation at end of year 

Change in plan assets: 

Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year 

Actual return on plan assets 

Employer contribution 

Plan participants’ contributions 

Benefits paid 

Settlement 

Foreign exchange impact 

Fair value of plan assets at end of year 

Funded status at end of year 

Amounts recognized on the consolidated balance sheet at end of year: 

Assets 

Liabilities 

$ 

$ 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Pension benefits 

Pension benefits 

Qualified 

Non-
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

Qualified 

Non-
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

$ 

11,116 

14 

325 

— 

1,205 

(706) 

(1) 

3 

11,956 

10,763 

1,291 

712 

— 

(706) 

(1) 

2 

12,061 

105 

181 

(76) 

572 

— 

16 

— 

25 

(57) 

— 

— 

556 

— 

— 

57 

— 

(57) 

— 

— 

— 

(556) 

— 

(556) 

525 

— 

16 

43 

(15) 

(78) 

— 

— 

491 

540 

38 

6 

43 

(78) 

— 

— 

549 

58 

84 

(26) 

10,129 

11 

419 

— 

1,229 

(672) 

(2) 

2 

11,116 

9,477 

1,758 

199 

— 

(672) 

(1) 

2 

10,763 

(353) 

1 

(354) 

557 

— 

22 

— 

49 

(57) 

— 

1 

572 

— 

— 

57 

— 

(57) 

— 

— 

— 

(572) 

— 

(572) 

555 

— 

23 

44 

(11) 

(86) 

— 

— 

525 

511 

64 

7 

44 

(86) 

— 

— 

540 

15 

44 

(29) 

Table 21.2 provides information for pension and post 

retirement plans with benefit obligations in excess of plan assets. 

Table 21.2:  Plans with Benefit Obligations in Excess of Plan Assets 

(in millions) 

Projected benefit obligation 

Accumulated benefit obligation 

Fair value of plan assets 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Pension Benefits 

Other Benefits 

Pension Benefits 

Other Benefits 

$ 

715 

684 

82 

N/A 

26 

— 

11,653 

11,634 

10,727 

N/A 

29 

— 

220 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
  
Table 21.3 presents the components of net periodic benefit 

cost and other comprehensive income (OCI). Service cost is 
reported in personnel expense and all other components of net 

periodic benefit cost are reported in other noninterest expense 
on the consolidated statement of income. 

Table 21.3:  Net Periodic Benefit Cost and Other Comprehensive Income 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

December 31, 2018 

Pension benefits 

Pension benefits 

Pension benefits 

Qualified 

Non-
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

Qualified 

Non-
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

Qualified 

Non- 
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

(in millions) 

Service cost 

Interest cost 

Expected return on plan assets 

Amortization of net actuarial loss (gain) 

Amortization of prior service credit 

Settlement loss 

Net periodic benefit cost 

Other changes in plan assets and benefit 

obligations recognized in other comprehensive 
income: 

Net actuarial loss (gain) 

Amortization of net actuarial gain (loss) 

Prior service cost 

Amortization of prior service credit 

Settlement 

Total recognized in other comprehensive income 

$ 

14 

325 

(603) 

157 

— 

121 

14 

517 

(157) 

— 

— 

(121) 

239 

Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and 

other comprehensive income 

$ 

253 

— 

16 

— 

14 

— 

3 

33 

25 

(14) 

— 

— 

(3) 

8 

41 

— 

16 

(21) 

(19) 

(10) 

— 

(34) 

(32) 

19 

— 

10 

— 

11 

419 

(567) 

148 

— 

— 

11 

38 

(148) 

— 

— 

— 

(3) 

(110) 

(37) 

(99) 

— 

22 

— 

10 

— 

2 

34 

49 

(10) 

— 

— 

(2) 

37 

71 

— 

23 

(28) 

(17) 

(10) 

— 

(32) 

(47) 

17 

— 

10 

— 

(20) 

(52) 

11 

392 

(641) 

131 

— 

134 

27 

445 

(131) 

1 

— 

(134) 

181 

208 

— 

21 

— 

14 

— 

2 

37 

(27) 

(14) 

— 

— 

(2) 

(43) 

(6) 

— 

21 

(31) 

(18) 

(10) 

— 

(38) 

15 

18 

— 

10 

— 

43 

5 

Table 21.4 provides the amounts recognized in cumulative 

OCI (pre-tax). 

Table 21.4:  Benefits Recognized in Cumulative OCI 

(in millions) 

Net actuarial loss (gain) 

Net prior service cost (credit) 

Total 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Pension benefits 

Pension benefits 

Qualified 

3,465 

1 

3,466 

$ 

$ 

Non- 
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

194 

— 

194 

(370) 

(136) 

(506) 

Qualified 

3,226 

1 

3,227 

Non- 
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

186 

— 

186 

(357) 

(146) 

(503) 

Plan Assumptions 
For additional information on our pension accounting 
assumptions, see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting 
Policies). Table 21.5 presents the weighted-average assumptions 
used to estimate the projected benefit obligation. 

Table 21.5:  Weighted-Average Assumptions Used to Estimate Projected Benefit Obligation 

Discount rate 

Interest crediting rate 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

Pension benefits 

Pension benefits 

Qualified 

2.46  % 

2.66 

Non- 
qualified 

2.15 

0.87 

Other 
benefits 

2.31 

N/A 

Qualified 

3.21 

2.70 

Non- 
qualified 

3.03 

1.35 

Other 
benefits 

3.10 

N/A 

221 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 21:  Employee Benefits and Other Expenses (continued) 

Table 21.6 presents the weighted-average assumptions 

used to determine the net periodic benefit cost. 

Table 21.6:  Weighted-Average Assumptions Used to Determine Net Periodic Benefit Cost 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

December 31, 2018 

Pension benefits 

Pension benefits 

Pension benefits 

Qualified 

Non-
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

Qualified 

Non-
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

Qualified 

Non-
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

Discount rate (1) 

Interest crediting rate (1) 

Expected return on plan assets 

2.95  % 

2.68 

5.74 

3.12 

1.46 

N/A 

3.10 

N/A 

4.00 

4.30 

3.22 

6.24 

4.10 

2.05 

N/A 

4.24 

N/A 

5.75 

3.65 

2.74 

6.24 

3.65 

1.68 

N/A 

3.54 

N/A 

5.75 

(1) 

Includes the impact of interim re-measurements as applicable. 

To account for postretirement health care plans, we used 

health care cost trend rates to recognize the effect of expected 
changes in future health care costs due to medical inflation, 
utilization changes, new technology, regulatory requirements 
and Medicare cost shifting. In determining the end of year 
benefit obligation, we assumed an average annual increase of 
approximately 7.80% for health care costs in 2021. This rate is 
assumed to trend down 0.30%-0.40% per year until the trend 
rate reaches an ultimate rate of 4.50% in 2030. The 2020 
periodic benefit cost was determined using an initial annual trend 
rate of 8.30%. This rate was assumed to decrease 0.40%-0.50% 
per year until the trend rate reached an ultimate rate of 4.50% in 
2028. 

Investment Strategy and Asset Allocation 
We seek to achieve the expected long-term rate of return with a 
prudent level of risk, given the benefit obligations of the pension 
plans and their funded status. Our overall investment strategy is 
designed to provide our Cash Balance Plan with a moderate 
amount of long-term growth opportunities while ensuring that 
risk is mitigated through diversification across numerous asset 
classes and various investment strategies, coupled with an 
investment strategy for the fixed income assets that is generally 
designed to approximate the interest rate sensitivity of the Cash 
Balance Plan’s benefit obligations. The Cash Balance Plan 
currently has a target asset allocation mix comprised of the 
following ranges: 65%-75% fixed income, 20%-30% equities, and 
5%-10% in real estate, private equity and other investments. The 
Employee Benefit Review Committee (EBRC), which includes 
several members of senior management, formally reviews the 
investment risk and performance of our Cash Balance Plan on a 
quarterly basis. Annual Plan liability analysis and periodic asset/ 
liability evaluations are also conducted. 

Other benefit plan assets include (1) assets held in a 401(h) 
trust, which are invested with a target mix of 40%-60% for both 
equities and fixed income, and (2) assets held in the Retiree 
Medical Plan Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association 
(VEBA) trust, which are predominately invested in fixed income 
securities and cash. Members of the EBRC formally review the 
investment risk and performance of these assets on a quarterly 
basis. 

Projected Benefit Payments 
Future benefits that we expect to pay under the pension and 
other benefit plans are presented in Table 21.7. 

Table 21.7:  Projected Benefit Payments 

(in millions) 

Year ended December 31, 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

Pension benefits 

Qualified 

Non-
qualified 

Other 
benefits 

$ 

763 

806 

732 

710 

716 

47 

45 

43 

42 

40 

39 

38 

36 

35 

34 

2026-2030 

3,397 

173 

146 

222 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Fair Value of Plan Assets 
Table 21.8 presents the classification of the fair value of the 
pension plan and other benefit plan assets in the fair value 
hierarchy. See Note 17 (Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities) for a 
description of the fair value hierarchy. 

Table 21.8:  Pension and Other Benefit Plan Assets 

Pension plan assets 

Carrying value at year end 

Other benefits plan assets 

Level 1 

Level 2 

Level 3 

Total 

Level 1 

Level 2 

Level 3 

Total 

(in millions) 

December 31, 2020 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Long duration fixed income (1) 

Intermediate (core) fixed income (2) 

High-yield fixed income 

International fixed income 

Domestic large-cap stocks (3) 

Domestic mid-cap stocks 

Domestic small-cap stocks 

Global stocks (4) 

International stocks (5) 

Emerging market stocks 

Real estate 

Hedge funds/absolute return 

Other 

$ 

68 

1,032 

154 

6,092 

— 

— 

— 

647 

216 

212 

— 

260 

51 

133 

73 

174 

333 

232 

136 

242 

121 

10 

417 

440 

216 

44 

77 

65 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1 

— 

2 

— 

9 

222 

7,124 

333 

232 

136 

889 

337 

222 

417 

701 

267 

179 

150 

248 

Plan investments – excluding investments at NAV 

$

2,866

8,579

12

11,457

Investments at NAV (6) 

Net receivables 

Total plan assets 

December 31, 2019 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Long duration fixed income (1) 

Intermediate (core) fixed income (2) 

High-yield fixed income 

International fixed income 

Domestic large-cap stocks (3) 

Domestic mid-cap stocks 

Domestic small-cap stocks 

Global stocks (4) 

International stocks (5) 

Emerging market stocks 

Real estate 

Hedge funds/absolute return 

Other 

572 

32 

$  12,061 

290 

6,080 

167 

217 

130 

990 

323 

210 

466 

687 

249 

183 

118 

114 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

7 

— 

9 

$ 

3 

821 

— 

— 

33 

700 

210 

201 

92 

567 

— 

141 

68 

57 

287 

5,259 

167 

217 

97 

290 

113 

9 

374 

120 

249 

35 

50 

48 

Plan investments – excluding investments at NAV 

$ 

2,893 

7,315 

16 

10,224 

Investments at NAV (6) 

Net receivables 

Total plan assets 

478 

61 

$  10,763 

46 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

12 

— 

— 

— 

5 

63

53 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

12 

— 

— 

— 

4 

69 

145 

— 

186 

— 

— 

74 

20 

12 

— 

25 

— 

— 

— 

— 

462

145 

— 

177 

— 

— 

73 

19 

11 

— 

22 

— 

— 

— 

— 

447 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

24 

24

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

24 

24 

191 

— 

186 

— 

— 

74 

20 

12 

— 

37 

— 

— 

— 

29 

549

— 

— 

549 

198 

— 

177 

— 

— 

73 

19 

11 

— 

34 

— 

— 

— 

28 

540 

— 

— 

540 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

This category includes a diversified mix of assets, which are being managed in accordance with a duration target of approximately 12 years and 10 years, for December 31, 2020 and 2019, 
respectively, and an emphasis on corporate credit bonds combined with investments in U.S. Treasury securities and other U.S. agency and non-agency bonds. 
This category includes assets that are intermediate duration, investment grade bonds held in investment strategies benchmarked to the Bloomberg Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, 
including U.S. Treasury securities, agency and non-agency asset-backed bonds and corporate bonds. 
This category covers a broad range of investment styles, including active, enhanced index and passive approaches, as well as style characteristics of value, core and growth emphasized strategies. 
Assets in this category are currently diversified across eight unique investment strategies with no single investment manager strategy representing more than 2.0% of total plan assets. 
This category consists of five unique investment strategies providing exposure to broadly diversified, global equity investments with no single strategy representing more than 1.5% of total Plan 
assets. 
This category includes assets diversified across five and four unique investment strategies for December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, providing exposure to companies in developed market, non-
U.S. countries with no single strategy representing more than 2.5% of total plan assets in both years. 
Consists of certain investments that are measured at fair value using NAV per share (or its equivalent) as a practical expedient and are excluded from the fair value hierarchy. 

223 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 21:  Employee Benefits and Other Expenses (continued) 

Table 21.9 presents the changes in Level 3 pension plan and 

other benefit plan assets measured at fair value. 

Table 21.9:  Fair Value Level 3 Pension and Other Benefit Plan Assets 

(in millions) 

Year ended December 31, 2020 

Pension plan assets 

Other benefits plan assets 

Year ended December 31, 2019 

Pension plan assets 

Other benefits plan assets 

Balance 
beginning 
of year 

Gains 
(losses) (1) 

Purchases, 
sales and 
settlements 
(net) 

Transfer into/ 
(out of) Level 3 

Balance 
end of 
year 

$ 

16 

24 

22 

24 

(1) 

— 

4 

— 

(4) 

— 

(10) 

— 

1 

— 

— 

— 

12 

24 

16 

24 

(1) 

Represents unrealized and realized gains (losses). All unrealized gains (losses) relate to instruments held at period end. 

Defined Contribution Retirement Plans 
We sponsor a qualified defined contribution retirement plan, the 
Wells Fargo & Company 401(k) Plan (401(k) Plan). Under the 
401(k) Plan, after 1 month of service, eligible employees may 
contribute up to 50% of their certified compensation, subject to 
statutory limits. Eligible employees who complete one year of 
service are eligible for quarterly company matching 
contributions, which are generally dollar for dollar up to 6% of an 
employee’s eligible certified compensation. Matching 
contributions are 100% vested. The 401(k) Plan includes an 
employer discretionary profit sharing contribution feature to 
allow us to make a contribution to eligible employees’ 401(k) 
Plan accounts for a plan year. Eligible employees who complete 
one year of service are eligible for profit sharing contributions. 
Profit sharing contributions are vested after three years of 
service. Total defined contribution retirement plan expenses 
were $1.1 billion in both 2020, 2019 and $1.2 billion, in 2018. 

Effective January 2021, we implemented the following 
changes to the 401(k) Plan: (1) added a new base contribution of 
1% of certified compensation for employees with annual 
compensation of less than $75,000; (2) replaced the 
discretionary profit sharing contribution with a discretionary 
contribution for employees with annual compensation of less 
than $150,000; (3) revised the contribution and vesting timing, 
whereby the match, base and discretionary employer 
contributions require one year of service, vest after three years 
of service, and are made annually at year-end for employees who 
are eligible for benefits on December 15; and (4) allow 
participants to elect installment distributions in addition to lump 
sum and partial lump sum distributions. 

Other Expenses 
Regulatory Charges and Assessments expense, which is included 
in other noninterest expense, was $834 million, $723 million, and 
$1.1 billion in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and primarily 
consisted of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) 
deposit assessment expense. 

VALUATION METHODOLOGIES  Following is a description of the 
valuation methodologies used for assets measured at fair value. 

Cash and Cash Equivalents – includes investments in 
collective investment funds valued at fair value based upon the 
fund’s NAV per share held at year-end. The NAV per share is 
quoted on a private market that is not active; however, the NAV 
per share is based on underlying investments traded on an active 
market. This group of assets also includes investments in 
registered investment companies valued at the NAV per share 
held at year-end and in interest-bearing bank accounts. 
Long Duration, Intermediate (Core), High-Yield, and 

International Fixed Income – includes investments traded on the 
secondary markets; prices are measured by using quoted market 
prices for similar securities, pricing models, and discounted cash 
flow analyses using significant inputs observable in the market 
where available, or a combination of multiple valuation 
techniques. This group of assets also includes highly liquid 
government securities such as U.S. Treasuries, limited 
partnerships valued at the NAV, registered investment 
companies and collective investment funds described above. 

Domestic, Global, International and Emerging Market Stocks – 

investments in exchange-traded equity securities are valued at 
quoted market values. This group of assets also includes 
investments in registered investment companies and collective 
investment funds described above. 

Real Estate – includes investments in real estate, which are 
valued at fair value based on an income capitalization valuation 
approach. Market values are estimates, and the actual market 
price of the real estate can only be determined by negotiation 
between independent third parties in sales transactions. This 
group of assets also includes investments in exchange-traded 
equity securities and collective investment funds described 
above. 

Hedge Funds / Absolute Return – includes investments in 
registered investment companies, and limited partnerships, as 
described above. 

Other – insurance contracts that are stated at cash surrender 

value. This group of assets also includes investments in 
registered investment companies and collective investment 
funds described above. 

The methods described above may produce a fair value 
calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or 
reflective of future fair values. While we believe our valuation 
methods are appropriate and consistent with other market 
participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions 
to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could 
result in a different fair value measurement at the reporting date. 

224 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 22:  Restructuring Charges 

The Company is pursuing various initiatives to reduce expenses 
and create a more efficient and streamlined organization. 
Actions from these initiatives may include (i) reorganizing and 
simplifying business processes and structures to improve 
internal operations and the customer experience, (ii) reducing 
headcount, (iii) optimizing third-party spending, including for our 
technology infrastructure, and (iv) rationalizing our branch and 
administrative locations, which may include consolidations and 
closures. The evaluation of potential actions will continue in 
future periods. 

Restructuring charges are recorded as a component of 
noninterest expense on our consolidated statement of income. 

The following costs associated with these initiatives are 

included in restructuring charges. 
• 

Personnel costs – Severance costs associated with 
headcount reductions with payments made over time in 
accordance with our severance plan, as well as payments for 
other employee benefit costs such as incentive 
compensation. 
Facility closure costs – Write-downs and acceleration of 
depreciation and amortization of owned or leased assets for 
branch and administrative locations, as well as related 
decommissioning costs. 

• 

•  Other – Impairment of other assets and costs associated 

with our technology infrastructure. 

Table 22.1 provides details on our restructuring charges. 

Table 22.1:  Accruals for Restructuring Charges 

(in millions) 

Beginning balance at January 1, 2020 

Restructuring charges 

Payments and utilization 

Changes in estimates (1) 

Ending balance at December 31, 2020 

Personnel costs 

Facility closure costs 

$ 

$ 

— 

1,371 

(105) 

(96) 

1,170 

— 

80 

(80) 

— 

— 

Other 

— 

144 

(100) 

— 

44 

Total 

— 

1,595 

(285) 

(96) 

1,214 

(1) 

Represents reduction of expense for changes in previously estimated amounts based on refinements of assumptions. 

225 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
Deferred taxes related to net unrealized gains (losses) on 

debt securities, net unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives, 
foreign currency translation, and employee benefit plan 
adjustments are recorded in cumulative OCI. See Note 25 (Other 
Comprehensive Income) for more information. 

We have determined that a valuation allowance is required 
for 2020 in the amount of $310 million, attributable to deferred 
tax assets in various state and non-U.S. jurisdictions where we 
believe it is more likely than not that these deferred tax assets 
will not be realized due to lack of sources of taxable income, 
limitations on carry back of losses or credits and the inability to 
implement tax planning to realize these deferred tax assets. We 
have concluded that it is more likely than not that the remaining 
deferred tax assets will be realized based on our history of 
earnings, sources of taxable income in carry back periods, and our 
ability to implement tax planning strategies. 

At December 31, 2020, we had net operating loss and tax 

credit carry forwards with related deferred tax assets of 
$366 million. If these carry forwards are not utilized, they will 
mostly expire in varying amounts through December 31, 2040. 
We do not intend to distribute earnings of certain non-U.S. 

subsidiaries in a taxable manner, and therefore intend to limit 
distributions to non-U.S. earnings previously taxed in the U.S., 
that would qualify for the 100% dividends received deduction, 
and that would not result in any significant state or non-U.S. 
taxes. All other undistributed non-U.S. earnings will continue to 
be permanently reinvested outside the U.S. and the related tax 
liability on these earnings is insignificant. 

Note 23:  Income Taxes 

Table 23.1 presents the components of income tax expense 
(benefit). 

Table 23.1:  Income Tax Expense (Benefit) 

(in millions) 

Current: 

U.S. Federal 

U.S. State and local 

Non-U.S. 

Total current 

Deferred: 

U.S. Federal 

U.S. State and local 

Non-U.S. 

Total deferred 

Total 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

$ 

389 

(291) 

211 

309 

5,244 

2,005 

154 

7,403 

2,382 

1,140 

170 

3,692 

(2,460) 

(2,374) 

1,706 

(794) 

(60) 

(3,314) 

$ 

(3,005) 

(863) 

(9) 

(3,246) 

4,157 

236 

28 

1,970 

5,662 

The tax effects of our temporary differences that gave rise 

to significant portions of our deferred tax assets and liabilities 
are presented in Table 23.2. 

Table 23.2:  Net Deferred Taxes (1) 

(in millions) 

Deferred tax assets 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019 

Allowance for credit losses 

$ 

4,871 

Deferred compensation and employee 

benefits 

Accrued expenses 

Basis difference in debt securities 

Net operating loss and tax credit carry 

forwards 

Other 

Total deferred tax assets 

Deferred tax assets valuation allowance 

Deferred tax liabilities 

Mark to market, net 

Leasing 

Mortgage servicing rights 

Basis difference in investments 

Net unrealized gains on debt securities 

Intangible assets 

Insurance reserves 

Other 

3,225 

1,098 

555 

366 

906 

11,021 

(310) 

(4,043) 

(3,849) 

(2,647) 

(1,894) 

(994) 

(605) 

(586) 

(851) 

Total deferred tax liabilities 

(15,469) 

Net deferred tax liability (2) 

$ 

(4,758) 

2,587 

2,969 

874 

690 

363 

1,276 

8,759 

(306) 

(4,146) 

(4,413) 

(3,080) 

(1,626) 

(504) 

(511) 

(561) 

(890) 

(15,731) 

(7,278) 

(1) 
(2) 

Prior period amounts have been revised to conform with the current period presentation. 
The net deferred tax liability is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities. Balances 
as of December 31, 2020, include a $322 million impact as a result of the Company’s 
adoption of CECL. 

226 

Wells Fargo & Company 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
Table 23.3 reconciles the statutory federal income tax rate 

to the effective income tax rate. Our effective tax rate is 
calculated by dividing income tax expense (benefit) by income 

before income tax expense (benefit) less the net income from 
noncontrolling interests. 

Table 23.3:  Effective Income Tax Expense (Benefit) and Rate (1) 

(in millions) 

Amount 

2020 

Rate 

Amount 

2019 

Rate 

Amount 

2018 

Rate 

December 31, 

Statutory federal income tax expense and rate 

$ 

62 

21.0  %  $ 

4,978 

21.0  %  $ 

5,892 

21.0  % 

Change in tax rate resulting from: 

State and local taxes on income, net of federal income tax benefit 

Tax-exempt interest 

Tax credits 

Nondeductible expenses 

Changes in prior year unrecognized tax benefits, inclusive of interest 

Other 

(20) 

(358) 

(2,014) 

199 

(6.8) 

(121.0) 

(680.6) 

67.2 

(938) 

(316.9) 

64 

21.5 

896 

(460) 

(1,715) 

799 

(88) 

(253) 

3.8 

(2.0) 

(7.2) 

3.3 

(0.4) 

(1.0) 

1,076 

(494) 

(1,537) 

500 

432 

(207) 

3.9 

(1.8) 

(5.5) 

1.8 

1.5 

(0.7) 

Effective income tax expense (benefit) and rate 

$ 

(3,005) 

(1,015.6) %  $ 

4,157 

17.5  %  $ 

5,662 

20.2  % 

(1) 

In 2020, we reclassified certain items within the effective income tax reconciliation. Prior period amounts have been revised to conform with the current period presentation. 

All three years include the impact of litigation accruals that 

are not deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The 
2018 effective tax rate reflects $164 million of income tax 
expense resulting from the final measurement of our initial 
estimates regarding the impacts of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (Tax 
Act) signed into law December 2017. In addition, the 2018 
effective tax rate includes the reconsideration of reserves for 
state income taxes following the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in 
South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. 

Table 23.4 presents the change in unrecognized tax benefits. 

Table 23.4:  Change in Unrecognized Tax Benefits (1) 

(in millions) 

Balance at beginning of year 

Additions: 

Year ended 
December 31, 

2020 

$ 

6,996 

2019 

7,143 

For tax positions related to the current year 

For tax positions related to prior years 

Reductions: 

For tax positions related to prior years 

Lapse of statute of limitations 

Settlements with tax authorities 

52 

263 

(1,820) 

(3) 

(662) 

268 

91 

(378) 

(5) 

(123) 

We account for interest and penalties related to 
unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax 
expense. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, we have accrued 
approximately $951 million and $998 million, respectively, for 
interest and penalties, net of tax. In 2020 and 2019, we 
recognized income tax expense, net of tax, of $10 million and 
$35 million, respectively, related to interest and penalties. 

We are subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as income 
tax in numerous state and non-U.S. jurisdictions. We are routinely 
examined by tax authorities in these various jurisdictions. With 
few exceptions, Wells Fargo and its subsidiaries are not subject to 
federal, state, local and non-U.S. income tax examinations for 
taxable years prior to 2011. It is possible that one or more of the 
examinations or appeals may be resolved within the next twelve 
months resulting in a decrease of up to $1.4 billion of our gross 
unrecognized tax benefits. Table 23.5 summarizes our major tax 
jurisdiction examination status as of December 31, 2020. 

Table 23.5: Tax Examination Status 
Jurisdiction 

Tax Year(s) 

Status 

United States 

United States 

United States 

California 

Balance at end of year 

$ 

4,826 

6,996 

New York State and City 

(1) 

Prior period amounts have been revised to reflect the impact of certain refund claims, 
which also impacted the balance at the beginning of the year ended December 31, 2020. 
The revisions did not impact income tax expense (benefit). 

Of the $4.8 billion of unrecognized tax benefits at 

December 31, 2020, approximately $3.4 billion would, if 
recognized, affect the effective tax rate. The remaining 
$1.4 billion of unrecognized tax benefits relates to income tax 
positions on temporary differences. 

2004-2007

Administrative appeals 

2011-2014 

Administrative appeals 

2015-2018 

2015-2016 

2015-2016 

Field examination 

Field examination 

Field examination 

227 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Note 24:  Earnings and Dividends Per Common Share 

Table 24.1 shows earnings per common share and diluted 
earnings per common share and reconciles the numerator and 
denominator of both earnings per common share calculations. 
See Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) for 

discussion on share repurchases, and the Consolidated 
Statement of Changes in Equity and Note 19 (Common Stock 
and Stock Plans) for information about stock and options activity 
and terms and conditions of warrants. 

Table 24.1:  Earnings Per Common Share Calculations 

(in millions, except per share amounts) 

Wells Fargo net income 

Less: Preferred stock dividends and other (1) 

Wells Fargo net income applicable to common stock (numerator) 

Earnings per common share 

Average common shares outstanding (denominator) 

Per share 

Diluted earnings per common share 

Average common shares outstanding 

Add: 

Stock options (2) 

Restricted share rights (2) 

Warrants (2) 

Diluted average common shares outstanding (denominator) 

Per share 

2020 

3,301 

1,591 

1,710 

4,118.0 

0.42 

Year ended December 31, 

2019 

19,549 

1,611 

17,938 

4,393.1 

4.08 

2018 

22,393 

1,704 

20,689 

4,799.7 

4.31 

4,118.0 

4,393.1 

4,799.7 

— 

16.2 

— 

4,134.2 

0.41 

0.8 

31.5 

— 

8.0 

26.3 

4.4 

4,425.4 

4,838.4 

4.05 

4.28 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

(1) 

(2) 

The years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, includes $301 million, $220 million and $155 million, respectively, from the elimination of discounts or issuance costs associated with 
redemptions of preferred stock. 
Calculated using the treasury stock method. 

Table 24.2 presents the outstanding securities that were 

anti-dilutive and therefore not included in the calculation of 
diluted earnings per common share. 

Table 24.2:  Outstanding Anti-Dilutive Securities 

Weighted-average shares 

Year ended December 31, 

(in millions) 

2020 

2019 

2018 

Convertible Preferred Stock, 

Series L (1) 

Restricted share rights (2) 

Stock options (2) 

(1) 
(2) 

Calculated using the if-converted method. 
Calculated using the treasury stock method. 

25.3 

1.1 

— 

25.3 

— 

— 

25.3 

— 

0.3 

Table 24.3 presents dividends declared per common share. 

Table 24.3:  Dividends Declared Per Common Share 

Per common share 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

1.22 

$ 

2019 

1.92 

2018 

1.64 

228 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
Note 25:  Other Comprehensive Income 

Table 25.1 provides the components of other comprehensive 
income (OCI), reclassifications to net income by income 
statement line item, and the related tax effects. 

Table 25.1:  Summary of Other Comprehensive Income 

(in millions) 

Debt securities: 

Before 
tax 

Tax 
effect 

2020 

Net of 
tax 

Before 
tax 

Tax 
effect 

2019 

Net of 
tax 

Before 
tax 

Tax 
effect 

2018 

Net of 
tax 

Year ended December 31, 

Net unrealized gains (losses) arising during the period 

$  2,317 

(570) 

1,747 

5,439 

(1,337) 

4,102 

(4,493) 

1,100 

(3,393) 

Reclassification of net (gains) losses to net income: 

Interest income on debt securities (1) 

Net gains on debt securities 

Other noninterest income 

Subtotal reclassifications to net income 

Net change 

Derivatives and hedging activities: 

Fair Value Hedges: 

Change in fair value of excluded components on 

fair value hedges (2) 

Cash Flow Hedges: 

Net unrealized gains (losses) arising during the 

period on cash flow hedges 

Reclassification of net losses to net income: 

Interest income on loans 

Interest expense on long-term debt 

Subtotal reclassifications to net income 

Net change 

Defined benefit plans adjustments: 

Net actuarial and prior service losses arising during the 

period 

Reclassification of amounts to noninterest expense (3): 

Amortization of net actuarial loss 

Settlements and other 

Subtotal reclassifications to noninterest 

expense 

Net change 

Foreign currency translation adjustments: 

Net unrealized gains (losses) arising during the 

period 

Net change 

532 

(873) 

— 

(341) 

1,976 

(132) 

213 

— 

81 

400 

(660) 

— 

(260) 

263 

(140) 

(1) 

122 

(65) 

34 

— 

(31) 

198 

(106) 

(1) 

91 

357 

(108) 

(1) 

248 

(88) 

27 

— 

(61) 

269 

(81) 

(1) 

187 

(489) 

1,487 

5,561 

(1,368) 

4,193 

(4,245) 

1,039 

(3,206) 

(31) 

7 

(24) 

(3) 

10 

(2) 

8 

(21) 

215 

4 

219 

198 

(53) 

(1) 

(54) 

(49) 

162 

3 

165 

149 

291 

8 

299 

275 

1 

5 

(72) 

(2) 

(74) 

(68) 

(2) 

(254) 

63 

(191) 

(16) 

(278) 

67 

(211) 

219 

6 

225 

207 

292 

2 

294 

(238) 

(72) 

— 

(72) 

58 

220 

2 

222 

(180) 

(510) 

126 

(384) 

(40) 

10 

(30) 

(434) 

106 

(328) 

152 

114 

266 

(244) 

53 

53 

(37) 

(26) 

(63) 

63 

(2) 

(2) 

115 

88 

203 

(181) 

51 

51 

141 

(8) 

133 

93 

73 

73 

(35) 

5 

(30) 

(20) 

(2) 

(2) 

106 

(3) 

103 

73 

127 

126 

253 

(181) 

(31) 

(29) 

(60) 

46 

96 

97 

193 

(135) 

71 

71 

(156) 

(156) 

1 

1 

(155) 

(155) 

Other comprehensive income (loss) 

$  1,983 

(477) 

1,506 

6,002 

(1,458) 

4,544 

(4,820) 

1,144 

(3,676) 

Less: Other comprehensive income (loss) from 

noncontrolling interests, net of tax 

Wells Fargo other comprehensive income (loss), 

net of tax 

1 

$  1,505 

— 

4,544 

(2) 

(3,674) 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 

Represents net unrealized gains and losses amortized over the remaining lives of securities that were transferred from the available-for-sale portfolio to the held-to-maturity portfolio. 
Represents changes in fair value of cross-currency swaps attributable to changes in cross-currency basis spreads, which are excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness and recorded in 
other comprehensive income. 
These items are included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 21 (Employee Benefits and Other Expenses) for more information). 

229 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 25:  Other Comprehensive Income (continued) 

Table 25.2 provides the cumulative OCI balance activity on 

an after-tax basis. 

Table 25.2:  Cumulative OCI Balances 

Debt 
securities 

Fair value 
hedges (1) 

Cash flow 
hedges (2) 

Defined 
benefit 
plans 
adjustments 

Foreign 
currency 
translation 
adjustments 

Cumulative 
other 
comprehensive 
income (loss) 

(in millions) 

Balance, December 31, 2017 

Transition adjustment (3) 

Balance, January 1, 2018 

Reclassification of certain tax effects to retained earnings (4) 

Net unrealized losses arising during the period 

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income 

Net change 

Less: Other comprehensive loss from noncontrolling interests 

Balance, December 31, 2018 

Transition adjustment (5) 

Balance, January 1, 2019 

Net unrealized gain (losses) arising during the period 

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income 

Net change 

Less: Other comprehensive income (loss) from noncontrolling interests 

Balance, December 31, 2019 

Net unrealized gains (losses) arising during the period 

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive 

income 

Net change 

Less: Other comprehensive income from noncontrolling interests 

$ 

171 

(118) 

53 

31 

(3,393) 

187 

(3,175) 

— 

(3,122) 

481 

(2,641) 

4,102 

91 

4,193 

— 

1,552 

1,747 

(260) 

1,487 

— 

11 

— 

11 

2 

(191) 

— 

(189) 

— 

(178) 

— 

(178) 

(2) 

— 

(2) 

— 

(180) 

(24) 

— 

(24) 

— 

(429) 

— 

(429) 

(89) 

(211) 

222 

(78) 

— 

(507) 

— 

(507) 

(16) 

225 

209 

— 

(1,808) 

— 

(1,808) 

(353) 

(328) 

193 

(488) 

— 

(2,296) 

— 

(2,296) 

(30) 

103 

73 

— 

(89) 

— 

(89) 

9 

(155) 

— 

(146) 

(2) 

(233) 

— 

(233) 

71 

— 

71 

— 

(298) 

(2,223) 

(162) 

8 

165 

173 

— 

(384) 

203 

(181) 

— 

51 

— 

51 

1 

(2,144) 

(118) 

(2,262) 

(400) 

(4,278) 

602 

(4,076) 

(2) 

(6,336) 

481 

(5,855) 

4,125 

419 

4,544 

— 

(1,311) 

1,398 

108 

1,506 

1 

194 

Balance, December 31, 2020 

$ 

3,039 

(204) 

(125) 

(2,404) 

(112) 

(1) 
(2) 

(3) 
(4) 

(5) 

Substantially all of the amounts for fair value hedges are foreign exchange contracts. 
Substantially all of the amounts for cash flow hedges are foreign exchange contracts for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, and interest rate contracts for the year- ended December 31, 
2018. 
The transition adjustment relates to our adoption of ASU 2016-01 – Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. 
Represents the reclassification from other comprehensive income to retained earnings as a result of our adoption of ASU 2018-02 – Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 
220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in third quarter 2018. 
The transition adjustment relates to our adoption of ASU 2017-08 – Receivables – Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt 
Securities in first quarter 2019. 

230 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 26:  Operating Segments 

We reorganized our management reporting into four reportable 
operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; 
Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and 
Wealth and Investment Management. All other business 
activities that are not included in the reportable operating 
segments have been included in Corporate. We define our 
reportable operating segments by type of product and customer 
segment, and their results are based on our management 
reporting process. The management reporting process measures 
the performance of the reportable operating segments based on 
the Company’s management structure, and the results are 
regularly reviewed by our Chief Executive Officer and Operating 
Committee. The management reporting process is based on U.S. 
GAAP and includes specific adjustments, such as funds transfer 
pricing for asset/liability management, shared revenues and 
expenses, and taxable-equivalent adjustments to consistently 
reflect income from taxable and tax-exempt sources, which 
allows management to assess performance consistently across 
the operating segments. 

Prior period reportable operating segment results have been 

revised to reflect the reorganization of our management 
reporting structure. The reorganization did not impact the 
previously reported consolidated financial results of the 
Company. 

Consumer Banking and Lending offers diversified financial 
products and services for consumers and small businesses with 
annual sales generally up to $5 million. These financial products 
and services include checking and savings accounts, credit and 
debit cards, as well as home, auto, personal, and small business 
lending. 

Commercial Banking provides financial solutions to private, 
family owned and certain public companies. Products and 
services include banking and credit products across multiple 
industry sectors and municipalities, secured lending and lease 
products, and treasury management. 

Corporate and Investment Banking delivers a suite of capital 
markets, banking, and financial products and services to 
corporate, commercial real estate, government and institutional 
clients globally. Products and services include corporate banking, 
investment banking, treasury management, commercial real 
estate lending and servicing, equity and fixed income solutions, 
as well as sales, trading, and research capabilities. 

Wealth and Investment Management provides personalized 
wealth management, investment and retirement products and 
services to clients across U.S.-based businesses including 
Wells Fargo Advisors, The Private Bank, Abbot Downing, and 
Wells Fargo Asset Management. We serve clients’ brokerage 
needs, and deliver financial planning, private banking, credit, and 
fiduciary services to high-net worth and ultra-high-net worth 
individuals and families. We also provide investment 
management capabilities delivered to global investment 
institutional clients through separate accounts and the 
Wells Fargo Funds. 

Corporate includes corporate treasury and enterprise functions, 
net of allocations (including funds transfer pricing, capital, 
liquidity and certain expenses), in support of the reportable 
operating segments, as well as our investment portfolio and 
affiliated venture capital and private equity partnerships. In 
addition, Corporate includes all restructuring charges related to 
efficiency initiatives. See Note 22 (Restructuring Charges) for 
more information on restructuring charges. Corporate also 
includes certain lines of business that management has 
determined are no longer consistent with the long-term 
strategic goals of the Company, including our student loan and 
rail car leasing businesses, as well as previously divested 
businesses. 

Basis of Presentation 
FUNDS TRANSFER PRICING  Corporate treasury manages a funds 
transfer pricing methodology that considers interest rate risk, 
liquidity risk, and other product characteristics. Operating 
segments pay a funding charge for their assets and receive a 
funding credit for their deposits, both of which are included in 
net interest income. The net impact of the funding charges or 
credits is recognized in corporate treasury. 

REVENUE AND EXPENSE SHARING  When lines of business jointly 
serve customers, the line of business that is responsible for 
providing the product or service recognizes revenue or expense 
with a referral fee paid or an allocation of cost to the other line of 
business based on established internal revenue-sharing 
agreements. 

When a line of business uses a service provided by another 
line of business or enterprise function (included in Corporate), 
expense is generally allocated based on the cost and use of the 
service provided. 

TAXABLE-EQUIVALENT ADJUSTMENTS  Taxable-equivalent 
adjustments related to tax-exempt income on certain loans and 
debt securities are included in net interest income, while taxable-
equivalent adjustments related to income tax credits for low-
income housing and renewable energy investments are included 
in noninterest income, in each case with corresponding impacts 
to income tax expense (benefit). Adjustments are included in 
Corporate, Commercial Banking, and Corporate and Investment 
Banking and are eliminated to reconcile to the Company’s 
consolidated financial results. 

231 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
  
Note 26:  Operating Segments (continued) 

Table 26.1 presents our results by operating segment. 

Table 26.1:  Operating Segments 

($ in millions) 

2020 

Net interest income (2) 

Noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense 

(benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Net income (loss) before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income (loss) from noncontrolling

interests 

Net income (loss) 

2019 

Net interest income (2) 

Noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Net income before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income (loss) from noncontrolling 

interests 

Net income 

2018 

Net interest income (2) 

Noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Net income before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income (loss) from noncontrolling 

interests 

Net income 

2020 

Loans (average) 

Assets (average) 

Deposits (average) 

Loans (period-end) 

Assets (period-end) 

Deposits (period-end) 

2019 

Loans (average) 

Assets (average) 

Deposits (average) 

Loans (period-end) 

Assets (period-end) 

Deposits (period-end) 

Consumer 
Banking and 
Lending 

Commercial 
Banking 

Corporate and 
Investment 

Wealth and 
Investment 
Banking  Management 

Corporate 

Reconciling 
Items (1) 

Consolidated 
Company 

Year ended December 31, 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

23,378 

10,638 

34,016

5,662 

26,976 

1,378 

302 

1,076 

— 

1,076 

25,786 

12,105 

37,891

2,184 

26,998 

8,709 

2,814 

5,895 

— 

5,895 

26,985 

12,930 

39,915 

1,931 

26,162 

11,822 

2,915 

8,907 

— 

$ 

8,907 

$ 

376,463 

432,042 

722,085 

362,796 

420,995 

784,565 

$ 

379,766 

439,396 

629,110 

385,002 

448,971 

647,152 

6,191 

3,547 

9,738

3,744 

6,908 

(914) 

(238) 

(676) 

5 

(681) 

8,184 

4,154 

12,338

190 

7,068 

5,080

1,266 

3,814 

6 

3,808 

8,748 

4,332 

13,080 

(79) 

7,368 

5,791 

1,456 

4,335 

27 

4,308 

211,436 

228,653 

200,381 

188,977 

209,134 

208,284 

229,354 

248,169 

186,942 

224,781 

244,984 

194,469 

7,501 

6,319 

13,820

4,946 

7,703 

1,171 

330 

841 

(1) 

842 

8,005 

6,223 

14,228

173 

7,432 

6,623

1,658 

4,965 

(1) 

4,966 

8,345 

5,726 

14,071 

13 

7,471 

6,587 

1,663 

4,924 

(7) 

4,931 

255,324 

521,861 

234,332 

244,456 

508,793 

203,004 

248,310 

520,973 

238,651 

253,436 

538,383 

261,134 

2,993 

11,519 

14,512

249 

12,051 

2,212 

552 

1,660 

4 

1,656 

3,917 

11,815 

15,732

2 

13,363 

2,367

590 

1,777 

9 

1,768 

4,317 

11,552 

15,869 

(9) 

12,551 

3,327 

831 

2,496 

1 

2,495 

78,775 

87,505 

162,521 

80,785 

89,380 

175,515 

74,986 

83,590 

139,151 

77,140 

86,505 

143,873 

247 

3,216 

3,463

(472) 

3,992 

(57) 

(742) 

685

277 

408 

1,950 

5,859 

7,809

138 

3,317 

4,354

764 

3,590 

478 

3,112 

2,259 

4,013 

6,272 

(112) 

2,574 

3,810 

1,596 

2,214 

462 

1,752 

19,790 

673,440 

56,692 

10,623 

726,861 

33,013 

18,540 

621,316 

92,407 

21,906 

608,712 

75,998 

(475) 

(2,734) 

(3,209)

— 

— 

(3,209) 

(3,209) 

— 

— 

— 

(611) 

(2,324) 

(2,935)

— 

— 

(2,935)

(2,935) 

— 

— 

— 

(659) 

(2,140) 

(2,799) 

— 

— 

(2,799) 

(2,799) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39,835 

32,505 

72,340

14,129 

57,630 

581 

(3,005) 

3,586

285 

3,301 

47,231 

37,832 

85,063

2,687 

58,178 

24,198 

4,157 

20,041 

492 

19,549 

49,995 

36,413 

86,408 

1,744 

56,126 

28,538 

5,662 

22,876 

483 

22,393 

941,788 

1,943,501 

1,376,011 

887,637 

1,955,163 

1,404,381 

950,956 

1,913,444 

1,286,261 

962,265 

1,927,555 

1,322,626 

(1) 

Taxable-equivalent adjustments related to tax-exempt income on certain loans and debt securities are included in net interest income, while taxable-equivalent adjustments related to income tax 
credits for low-income housing and renewable energy investments are included in noninterest income, in each case with corresponding impacts to income tax expense (benefit). Adjustments are 
included in Corporate, Commercial Banking, and Corporate and Investment Banking and are eliminated to reconcile to the Company’s consolidated financial results. 

(2)  Net interest income is the difference between interest earned on assets and the cost of liabilities to fund those assets. Interest earned includes actual interest earned on segment assets as well as 

interest credits for any funding of a segment available to be provided to other segments. The cost of liabilities includes actual interest expense on segment liabilities as well as funding charges for any 
funding provided from other segments. 

232 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
Note 27:  Parent-Only Financial Statements 

The following tables present Parent-only condensed financial 
statements. 

Table 27.1:  Parent-Only Statement of Income 

(in millions) 

Income 

Dividends from subsidiaries (1) 

Interest income from subsidiaries 

Other interest income 

Other income 

Total income 

Expense 

Interest expense: 

Indebtedness to nonbank subsidiaries 

Short-term borrowings 

Long-term debt 

Other 

Noninterest expense 

Total expense 

Income before income tax benefit and equity in undistributed income of subsidiaries 

Income tax benefit 

Equity in undistributed income of subsidiaries 

Net income 

Year ended December 31, 

2020 

2019 

2018 

$ 

$ 

42,578 

1,295 

3 

(231) 

43,645

155 

— 

3,591 

— 

794 

4,540

39,105 

(1,694) 

(37,498) 

3,301 

21,930 

3,356 

43 

(162) 

25,167

664 

— 

4,931 

2 

1,327 

6,924

18,243 

(945) 

361 

19,549 

22,427 

3,298 

49 

(424) 

25,350

644 

2 

4,541 

3 

286 

5,476

19,874 

(544) 

1,975 

22,393 

(1) 

Includes dividends paid from indirect bank subsidiaries of $1.8 billion, $21.8 billion and $20.8 billion in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. 

Table 27.2:  Parent-Only Statement of Comprehensive Income 

(in millions) 

Net income 

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax: 

Debt securities 

Derivatives and hedging activities 

Defined benefit plans adjustments 

Equity in other comprehensive income (loss) of subsidiaries 

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax: 

Total comprehensive income 

$ 

$ 

2020 

3,301 

(10) 

(2) 

(178) 

1,695 

1,505 

4,806 

Year ended December 31, 

2019 

19,549 

(45) 

(12) 

75 

4,526 

4,544 

24,093 

2018

22,393 

(12) 

(198) 

(132) 

(3,332) 

(3,674) 

18,719 

233 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
  
Note 27:  Parent-Only Financial Statements (continued) 

Table 27.3:  Parent-Only Balance Sheet 

(in millions) 

Assets 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash due from: 

Subsidiary banks 

Nonaffiliates 

Debt securities: 

Available-for-sale, at fair value 

Loans to nonbank subsidiaries 

Investments in subsidiaries (1) 

Equity securities 

Other assets 

Total assets 

Liabilities and equity 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities 

Long-term debt 

Indebtedness to nonbank subsidiaries 

Total liabilities 

Stockholders’ equity 

Total liabilities and equity 

Dec 31, 
2020 

Dec 31, 
2019

$ 

14,817 

14,948 

— 

— 

185,046 

172,844 

144 

5,857 

378,708 

8,249 

181,956 

3,616 

193,821 

184,887 

378,708 

$ 

$ 

$ 

1 

1 

145,383 

208,076 

1,007 

4,608 

374,024 

8,050 

152,628 

26,200 

186,878 

187,146 

374,024 

(1) 

The years ended December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, include indirect ownership of bank subsidiaries with equity of $173.5 billion and $170.4 billion, respectively. 

2020 

2019 

2018 

Year ended December 31, 

$ 

50,193 

27,601 

19,024 

2,333 

(1,479) 

10 

(38,547) 

558 

425 

16 

(36,684) 

(22,613) 

34,918 

(15,803) 

3,116 

(3,602) 

(1,290) 

571 

(340) 

(3,415) 

(4,852) 

(331) 

(13,641) 

(132) 

14,949 

14,817 

$ 

326 

(1,052) 

(3) 

(5,286) 

1,703 

(384) 

22 

(4,674) 

355 

(220) 

(7) 

(2,441) 

756 

2,407 

109 

959 

(636) 

12,467 

20,369 

(8,143) 

— 

(1,550) 

(1,391) 

380 

(302) 

(24,533) 

(8,198) 

(275) 

(24,279) 

(1,352) 

16,301 

14,949 

1,876 

(9,162) 

— 

(2,150) 

(1,622) 

632 

(331) 

(20,633) 

(7,692) 

(248) 

(26,863) 

(6,880) 

23,181 

16,301 

Table 27.4:  Parent-Only Statement of Cash Flows 

(in millions) 

Cash flows from operating activities: 

Net cash provided by operating activities 

Cash flows from investing activities: 

Equity securities, not held for trading: 

Proceeds from sales and capital returns 

Purchases 

Loans: 

Net repayments from (advances to) subsidiaries 

Capital notes and term loans made to subsidiaries 

Principal collected on notes/loans made to subsidiaries 

Net decrease (increase) in investment in subsidiaries 

Other, net 

Net cash provided (used) by investing activities 

Cash flows from financing activities: 

Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings and indebtedness to subsidiaries 

Long-term debt: 

Proceeds from issuance 

Repayment 

Preferred stock: 

Proceeds from issuance 

Redeemed 

Cash dividends paid 

Common stock: 

Proceeds from issuance 

Stock tendered for payment of withholding taxes 

Repurchased 

Cash dividends paid 

Other, net 

Net cash used by financing activities 

Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of year 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of year 

234 

Wells Fargo & Company  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 28:  Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions 

Regulatory Capital Requirements 
The Company and each of its subsidiary banks are subject to 
regulatory capital adequacy requirements promulgated by federal 
banking regulators. The FRB establishes capital requirements for 
the consolidated financial holding company, and the OCC has 
similar requirements for the Company’s national banks, including 
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (the Bank). 

Table 28.1 presents regulatory capital information for 
Wells Fargo & Company and the Bank in accordance with Basel III 
capital requirements. Our capital adequacy is assessed based on 
the lower of our risk-based capital ratios calculated under the 
Standardized Approach and under the Advanced Approach. The 
Standardized Approach applies assigned risk weights to broad risk 
categories, while the calculation of risk-weighted assets (RWAs) 
under the Advanced Approach differs by requiring applicable 

Table 28.1:  Regulatory Capital Information (1) 

banks to utilize a risk-sensitive methodology, which relies upon 
the use of internal credit models, and includes an operational risk 
component. The Basel III capital requirements for calculating 
Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) and tier 1 capital, along with RWAs, 
are fully phased-in. However, the requirements for determining 
tier 2 and total capital are still in accordance with Transition 
Requirements and are scheduled to be fully phased-in by the end 
of 2021. Accordingly, the information presented below reflects 
fully phased-in CET1 capital, tier 1 capital, and RWAs, but reflects 
total capital still in accordance with Transition Requirements. 

At December 31, 2020, the Bank and our other insured 
depository institutions were considered well-capitalized under 
the requirements of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. 

(in millions, except ratios) 

Regulatory capital: 

Common Equity Tier 1 

Tier 1 

Total 

Assets: 

Risk-weighted assets (2) 

Adjusted average assets 

Regulatory capital ratios: 

Common Equity Tier 1 capital (2) 

Tier 1 capital (2) 

Total capital (2) 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

December 31, 2020 

Wells Fargo & Company 

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. 

December 31, 2019 

Advanced 
Approach 

Standardized 
Approach 

Advanced 
Approach 

Standardized 
Approach 

Advanced 
Approach 

Standardized 
Approach 

Advanced 
Approach 

Standardized 
Approach 

$ 

138,297 

158,196 

186,934 

138,297 

158,196 

196,660 

138,760 

158,949 

188,333 

138,760 

158,949 

196,223 

150,168 

150,168 

164,412 

150,168 

150,168 

173,719 

145,149 

145,149 

158,615 

145,149 

145,149 

166,056 

1,158,355 

1,900,258 

1,193,744 

1,900,258 

1,165,079 

1,913,297 

1,245,853 

1,913,297 

1,012,751 

1,735,406 

1,085,599 

1,735,406 

1,047,054 

1,695,807 

1,152,791 

1,695,807 

11.94  % 

13.66 

16.14 

* 

11.59  * 

13.25  * 

16.47 

11.91 

13.64 

16.16 

11.14  * 

12.76  * 

15.75  * 

14.83 

14.83 

16.23 

13.83  * 

13.83  * 

16.00  * 

13.86 

13.86 

15.15 

12.59  * 

12.59  * 

14.40  * 

December 31, 2020 

December 31, 2019 

December 31, 2020 

Wells Fargo & Company 

Regulatory leverage: 

Total leverage exposure (3) 

$ 

1,963,971 

Supplementary leverage ratio (SLR) (3) 

Tier 1 leverage ratio (4) 

8.05  % 

8.32 

2,247,729 

7.07 

8.31 

2,041,952 

7.35 

8.65 

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. 

December 31, 2019 

2,006,180 

7.24 

8.56 

*Denotes the binding ratio based on the lower calculation under the Advanced and Standardized Approaches. 
(1) 

At December 31, 2020, the impact of the CECL transition provision issued by federal banking regulators on the regulatory capital of the Company was an increase in capital of $1.7 billion, reflecting a 
$991 million (post-tax) increase in capital recognized upon our initial adoption of CECL, offset by 25% of the $10.8 billion increase in our ACL under CECL from January 1, 2020, through 
December 31, 2020. The impact of the CECL transition provision on the regulatory capital of the Bank at December 31, 2020, was an increase in capital of $1.7 billion. 
RWAs and capital ratios for December 31, 2019, have been revised as a result of a decrease in RWAs under the Advanced Approach due to the correction of duplicated operational loss amounts. 
RWAs for the Company and the Bank included an increase of $1.4 billion under the Standardized Approach and a decrease of $1.4 billion under the Advanced Approach related to the impact of the 
CECL transition provision on the excess allowance for credit losses as of December 31, 2020. 
The SLR consists of tier 1 capital divided by total leverage exposure. Total leverage exposure consists of total average assets, less goodwill and other permitted tier 1 capital deductions (net of 
deferred tax liabilities), plus certain off-balance sheet exposures. 
The tier 1 leverage ratio consists of tier 1 capital divided by total average assets, excluding goodwill and certain other items as determined under the rule. 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

At December 31, 2020, under transition requirements, the 
CET1, tier 1 and total capital ratio requirements for the Company 
included a global systemically important bank (G-SIB) surcharge 
of 2.00%. The G-SIB surcharge is not applicable to the Bank. In 
addition, the CET1, tier 1 and total capital ratio requirements for 
the Company and the Bank included a stress capital buffer of 
2.50% under the Standardized Approach and a capital 
conservation buffer of 2.50% under the Advanced Approach. The 
Company is required to maintain these risk-based capital ratios 
and to maintain an SLR of at least 5.00% (comprised of a 3.00% 
minimum requirement plus a supplementary leverage buffer of 
2.00%) to avoid restrictions on capital distributions and 
discretionary bonus payments. The Bank is required to maintain 
an SLR of at least 6.00% to be considered well-capitalized under 
applicable regulatory capital adequacy rules. Table 28.2 presents 
the risk-based capital and leverage requirements under 
Transition Requirements to which the Company and the Bank 

were subject as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, which were the 
same under both the Standardized and Advanced Approaches. 

Table 28.2:  Risk-Based Capital and Leverage Ratios – Transition 
Requirements 

Wells Fargo & 
Company 

Dec 31, 2020 

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. 

Dec 31, 2020 

and Dec 31, 2019 

and Dec 31, 2019 

Common Equity Tier 1 capital 

9.00  % 

Tier 1 capital 

Total capital 

Tier 1 leverage 

Supplementary leverage 

10.50 

12.50 

4.00 

5.00 

7.00 

8.50 

10.50

4.00

6.00

235 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 28:  Regulatory Capital Requirements and Other Restrictions (continued) 

Our nonbank subsidiaries are also limited by certain federal 

and state statutory provisions and regulations covering the 
amount of dividends that may be paid in any given year. In 
addition, under a Support Agreement dated June 28, 2017, as 
amended and restated on June 26, 2019, among Wells Fargo & 
Company, the parent holding company (the “Parent”), WFC 
Holdings, LLC, an intermediate holding company and subsidiary 
of the Parent (the “IHC”), Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Wells Fargo 
Securities, LLC, Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, and certain 
other direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Parent designated as 
material entities for resolution planning purposes or identified as 
related support entities in our resolution plan, the IHC may be 
restricted from making dividend payments to the Parent if 
certain liquidity and/or capital metrics fall below defined triggers 
or if the Parent’s board of directors authorizes it to file a case 
under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Based on retained earnings at 
December 31, 2020, our nonbank subsidiaries could have 
declared additional dividends of $28.3 billion at December 31, 
2020, without obtaining prior regulatory approval. 

Cash Restrictions 
Cash and cash equivalents may be restricted as to usage or 
withdrawal. Table 28.3 provides a summary of restrictions on 
cash and cash equivalents. 

Table 28.3:  Nature of Restrictions on Cash and Cash Equivalents 

(in millions) 

Required reserve balance for the FRB (1) 

$ 

Reserve balance for non-U.S. central banks 

Segregated for benefit of brokerage customers 

under federal and other brokerage regulations 

Related to consolidated variable interest entities 
(VIEs) that can only be used to settle liabilities 
of VIEs 

Dec 31, 
2020 

— 

243 

957 

14 

Dec 31, 
2019 

11,374 

460 

733 

300 

(1) 

Effective March 26, 2020, the FRB no longer required each of our subsidiary banks to 
maintain reserve balances on deposit with the Federal Reserve Banks. The amount for 
December 31, 2019, represents an average for the year ended December 31, 2019. 

Capital Planning Requirements 
The FRB’s capital plan rule establishes capital planning and other 
requirements that govern capital distributions, including 
dividends and share repurchases, by certain large bank holding 
companies (BHCs), including Wells Fargo. The FRB conducts an 
annual Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review exercise and 
has also published guidance regarding its supervisory 
expectations for capital planning, including capital policies 
regarding the process relating to common stock dividend and 
repurchase decisions in the FRB’s SR Letter 15-18. The Parent’s 
ability to make certain capital distributions is subject to the 
requirements of the capital plan rule and is also subject to the 
Parent meeting or exceeding certain regulatory capital 
minimums. 

On December 18, 2020, the FRB announced that it was 
extending, with certain adjustments, measures it announced on 
June 25, 2020, limiting large BHCs, including Wells Fargo, from 
making any capital distribution (excluding any capital distribution 
arising from the issuance of a capital instrument eligible for 
inclusion in the numerator of a regulatory capital ratio), unless 
otherwise approved by the FRB. For first quarter 2021, the FRB 
has generally authorized BHCs to (i) provided that the BHC does 
not increase the amount of its common stock dividends to be 
larger than the level paid in second quarter 2020, pay common 
stock dividends and make share repurchases that, in the 
aggregate, do not exceed an amount equal to the average of the 
BHC’s net income for the four preceding calendar quarters; (ii) 
make share repurchases that equal the amount of share 
issuances related to expensed employee compensation; and (iii) 
redeem and make scheduled payments on additional tier 1 and 
tier 2 capital instruments. The FRB is expected to announce by 
March 31, 2021, whether these capital distribution limitations 
will be extended for another quarter. 

Loan and Dividend Restrictions 
Federal law restricts the amount and the terms of both credit 
and non-credit transactions between a bank and its nonbank 
affiliates. These covered transactions may not exceed 10% of 
the bank’s capital and surplus (which for this purpose 
represents tier 1 and tier 2 capital, as calculated under the risk-
based capital rules, plus the balance of the ACL excluded from 
tier 2 capital) with any single nonbank affiliate and 20% of the 
bank’s capital and surplus with all its nonbank affiliates. 
Covered transactions that are extensions of credit may require 
collateral to be pledged to provide added security to the bank. 
Federal laws and regulations limit the dividends that a 
national bank may pay. Dividends that may be paid by a national 
bank without the express approval of the Office of the 
Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) are limited to that bank’s 
retained net profits for the preceding two calendar years plus 
retained net profits up to the date of any dividend declaration in 
the current calendar year. Retained net profits, as defined by the 
OCC, consist of net income less dividends declared during the 
period. Our national bank subsidiaries could have declared 
additional dividends of $3.6 billion at December 31, 2020, 
without obtaining prior regulatory approval. We have elected to 
retain higher capital at our national bank subsidiaries to meet 
internal capital policy minimums and regulatory requirements. 

236 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors 
Wells Fargo & Company: 

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries (the Company) as of 
December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in equity, and cash flows 
for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial 
statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the 
Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year 
period ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), 
the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control – 
Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated 
February 23, 2021, expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. 

Change in Accounting Principle 

As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for the recognition 
and measurement of credit losses as of January 1, 2020 due to the adoption of ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses 
(Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (CECL). 

Basis for Opinion 

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an 
opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and 
are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules 
and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB. 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to 
error or fraud. Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial 
statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, 
on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audit also included 
evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation 
of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

Critical Audit Matters 

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial 
statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or 
disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex 
judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, 
taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit 
matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate. 

Assessment of the allowance for credit losses for loans 
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company adopted ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit 
Losses (ASU Topic 326), as of January 1, 2020. The total allowance for credit loss for loans as of January 1, 2020 (the January 1, 2020 
ACL) was $9.1 billion. As discussed in Notes 1 and 4 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s allowance for credit losses 
for loans as of December 31, 2020 (the December 31, 2020 ACL) was $19.7 billion. The January 1, 2020 ACL and the December 31, 
2020 ACL include the measure of expected credit losses on a collective basis for those loans that share similar risk characteristics 
utilizing multiple credit loss models. The Company estimated the January 1, 2020 ACL and December 31, 2020 ACL for commercial 
loans by applying probability of default and severity of loss estimates to an expected exposure at default. The probability of default and 
severity of loss estimates are statistically derived through historical observation of default and losses after default for each credit risk 
rating. The Company estimated the January 1, 2020 ACL and December 31, 2020 ACL for consumer loans utilizing credit loss models 
which forecast expected credit losses in the portfolio based on historical experience of delinquency and default rates and loss severity. 
The Company’s credit loss models utilize economic variables, including economic assumptions forecast over a reasonable and 
supportable forecast period. The Company forecasts multiple economic scenarios and applies weighting to the scenarios that are used 
to measure expected credit losses. After the reasonable and supportable forecast period, the Company reverts over the reversion period 
to its historical loss rates, evaluated through historical observations of default and losses after default. A portion of the January 1, 2020 
ACL and December 31, 2020 ACL is comprised of adjustments for qualitative factors which may not be adequately captured in the loss 
models. 

237 

Wells Fargo & CompanyWe identified the assessment of the January 1, 2020 ACL and the December 31, 2020 ACL as a critical audit matter. A high degree of 
audit effort, including specialized skills and knowledge, and subjective and complex auditor judgment was involved in the assessment of 
the January 1, 2020 ACL and the December 31, 2020 ACL. Specifically, the assessment encompassed the evaluation of the January 1, 
2020 and the December 31, 2020 ACL methodology for collectively evaluated loans, including the methods and models used to 
estimate (1) probability of default and severity of loss estimates, significant economic assumptions, the reasonable and supportable 
forecast period, the historical observation period, and credit risk ratings for commercial loans, and (2) the adjustments for qualitative 
factors that may not be captured in the loss models. The assessment also included an evaluation of the conceptual soundness and 
performance of certain credit loss models. In addition, auditor judgment was required to evaluate the sufficiency of audit evidence 
obtained. 

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the 
operating effectiveness of certain internal controls related to the measurement of the January 1, 2020 ACL and the December 31, 2020 
ACL estimates, including controls over the: 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

development of the ACL methodology 
development of certain credit loss models 
performance monitoring of certain credit loss models 
identification and determination of the significant assumptions used in models 
development of the qualitative factors, including certain significant assumptions used in the measurement of the qualitative factors 
analysis of the ACL results, trends, and ratios. 

We evaluated the Company’s process to develop the January 1, 2020 ACL and December 31, 2020 estimates by testing certain sources 
of data, factors, and assumptions that the Company used, and considered the relevance and reliability of such data, factors, and 
assumptions. In addition, we involved credit risk professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in: 

• 
• 

• 

• 

• 
• 
• 

• 

evaluating the Company’s ACL methodology for compliance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles 
evaluating judgments made by the Company relative to the development and performance testing of the credit loss models by 
comparing them to relevant Company-specific metrics and trends and the applicable industry and regulatory practices 
assessing the conceptual soundness of the credit loss models by inspecting the model documentation to determine whether the 
models are suitable for their intended use 
evaluating the methodology used to develop the economic forecast scenarios, underlying assumptions and weighting applied to 
scenarios by comparing it to the Company’s business environment 
assessing the economic forecast scenarios through comparison to publicly available forecasts 
testing the historical observation period and reasonable and supportable forecast periods to evaluate the length of each period 
testing individual credit risk ratings for a selection of commercial loans by evaluating the financial performance of the borrower, 
sources of repayment, and any relevant guarantees or underlying collateral 
evaluating the methodology used to develop the qualitative factors and the effect of those factors on the ACL compared with 
relevant credit risk factors and consistency with credit trends and identified limitations of the underlying quantitative models. 

We also assessed the sufficiency of the audit evidence obtained related to the January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 ACL estimate by 
evaluating the: 

• 
• 
• 

cumulative results of the audit procedures 
qualitative aspects of the Company’s accounting practices 
potential bias in the accounting estimates. 

Assessment of the residential mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) 

As discussed in Notes 1, 8, 9, 10, and 17 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s residential MSR asset as of 
December 31, 2020 was $6.1 billion on an underlying loan servicing portfolio of $859 billion. The Company recognizes MSRs when it 
purchases servicing rights from third parties or retains servicing rights in connection with the sale or securitization of loans it originated 
and has elected to carry its residential MSRs at fair value with periodic changes reflected in earnings. The Company uses a valuation 
model for determining fair value that calculates the present value of estimated future net servicing income cash flows, which 
incorporates assumptions that market participants use in estimating future net servicing income cash flows. These assumptions include 
estimates of prepayment speeds, discount rates, default rates, cost to service (including delinquency and foreclosure costs), escrow 
account earnings, contractual servicing fee income, ancillary income and late fees. The estimated fair value of MSRs is periodically 
benchmarked to independent appraisals. 

We identified the assessment of the valuation of residential MSRs as a critical audit matter. A high degree of audit effort, including 
specialized skills and knowledge, and subjective and complex auditor judgment was involved in the assessment of the MSRs. Specifically, 
there was a high degree of subjectivity used to evaluate the following assumptions because they are unobservable and the sensitivity of 
changes to those assumptions had a significant effect on the valuation: (1) prepayment speeds (2) discount rates, and (3) costs to 
service. There was also a high degree of subjectivity and potential for management bias related to updates made to these significant 
assumptions due to changes in market conditions, mortgage interest rates, or servicing standards. 

238 

Wells Fargo & CompanyThe following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the 
operating effectiveness of certain internal controls related to the critical audit matter. This included controls related to the: 

• 
• 

• 

assessment of the valuation model 
evaluation of the significant assumptions (prepayment speeds, discount rates, and costs to service) used in determining the MSR 
fair value 
comparison of the MSR fair value to independent appraisals. 

We evaluated the Company’s process to develop the MSR estimate by testing certain sources of data and assumptions that the 
Company used, and considered the relevance and reliability of such data and assumptions. In addition, we involved valuation 
professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in: 

• 

• 

• 

evaluating the design of the valuation model used to estimate the MSR fair value in accordance with relevant U.S. generally 
accepted accounting principles 
evaluating significant assumptions based on an analysis of backtesting results and a comparison of significant assumptions to 
available data for comparable entities and independent appraisals 
assessing significant assumption updates made during the year by considering backtesting results, external market events, 
independent appraisals, and whether other circumstances that a market participant would have expected to be incorporated in the 
valuation were not incorporated. 

Assessment of goodwill impairment analysis 

As discussed in Notes 1 and 10 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s goodwill balance as of December 31, 2020 
was $26.4 billion. The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or 
circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill may be impaired, by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit with its 
carrying amount, including goodwill. Management determines the fair value of its reporting units using a discounted cash flow income 
approach and a market approach that utilizes observable market data from comparable publicly traded companies. 

We identified the assessment of the goodwill impairment analysis for the Commercial Banking reporting unit, which had $2.9 billion of 
allocated goodwill as of December 31, 2020, as a critical audit matter as it involved a high degree of challenging and subjective auditor 
judgment due to the significant estimation required. We performed sensitivity analyses as a risk assessment procedure over 
assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the reporting unit and determined that certain forecasted financial information and the 
discount rate used in the discounted cash flow income approach represented the significant assumptions. These assumptions for the 
reporting unit were the most sensitive to changes and were challenging to test as they represented subjective determinations of 
future financial results. Additionally, the audit effort associated with this estimate required specialized skills and knowledge. 

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the 
operating effectiveness of certain internal controls related to the Company’s determination of the estimated fair value of the 
Commercial Banking reporting unit, including controls over the: 

• 
• 

development of the assumption regarding certain forecasted financial information 
selection of the discount rate assumption used to develop the estimate. 

We evaluated the reasonableness of certain forecasted financial information for the reporting unit by evaluating historical 
performance and current industry and economic trends. We also evaluated the consistency of certain forecasted financial information 
by comparing the projections to other analyses used by the Company and inquiries performed of senior management regarding the 
strategic plans for the reporting unit. We compared certain historical forecasted financial information to actual results to assess the 
Company’s ability to accurately forecast. In addition, we involved a valuation professional with specialized skills and knowledge, who 
assisted in: 

• 

• 

evaluating the discount rate used in the fair value determination, by comparing the inputs to the discount rate to publicly available 
data for comparable entities and assessing the resulting discount rate 
evaluating the reasonableness of the total fair value through comparison to the Company’s market capitalization and analysis of the 
resulting premium to applicable market transactions. 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1931. 

San Francisco, California 
February 23, 2021 

239 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
Quarterly Financial Data 
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income – Quarterly (Unaudited) 

(in millions, except per share amounts) 

Interest income 

Interest expense 

Net interest income 

Noninterest income 

Deposit and lending-related fees 

Brokerage fees 

Trust and investment management fees 

Investment banking fees 

Card fees 

Mortgage banking 

Net gains (losses) from trading and securities 

Other 

Total noninterest income 

Total revenue 

Provision for credit losses 

Noninterest expense 

Personnel 

Technology, telecommunications and equipment 

Occupancy 

Operating losses 

Professional and outside services 

Advertising and promotion 

Restructuring charges 

Other 

Total noninterest expense 

Income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit) 

Income tax expense (benefit) 

Net income (loss) before noncontrolling interests 

Less: Net income (loss) from noncontrolling interests 

Dec 31, 

$  10,470 

1,195 

9,275 

1,689 

2,440 

747 

486 

943 

1,207 

984 

154 

8,650 

17,925 

(179) 

Sep 30, 

10,800 

1,432 

9,368 

1,651 

2,336 

737 

441 

912 

1,590 

1,274 

553 

9,494 

18,862 

769 

2020 

Quarter ended 

Jun 30, 

11,801 

1,921 

9,880 

1,465 

2,117 

687 

547 

797 

317 

1,552 

474 

7,956 

17,836 

9,534 

Mar 31, 

14,727 

3,415 

11,312 

1,797 

2,482 

701 

391 

892 

379 

(1,100) 

863 

6,405 

17,717 

4,005 

Dec 31, 

15,595 

4,395 

11,200 

1,888 

2,380 

728 

464 

1,020 

783 

574 

823 

8,660 

19,860 

644 

2019 

Quarter ended 

Jun 30, 

16,986 

4,891 

12,095 

Mar 31, 

17,003 

4,692 

12,311 

1,841 

2,318 

795 

455 

1,025 

758 

871 

1,426 

9,489 

1,710 

2,193 

786 

394 

944 

708 

1,296 

1,267 

9,298 

21,584 

21,609 

503 

845 

Sep 30, 

16,499 

4,874 

11,625 

1,854 

2,346 

729 

484 

1,027 

466 

1,235 

2,244 

10,385 

22,010 

695 

8,948 

8,624 

8,916 

8,323 

8,819 

8,604 

8,487 

9,218 

838 

826 

621 

1,664 

138 

781 

986 

14,802 

3,302 

108 

3,194 

202 

791 

851 

1,219 

1,760 

144 

718 

1,122 

15,229 

2,864 

645 

2,219 

184 

2,035 

315 

1,720 

672 

871 

1,219 

1,676 

137 

— 

1,060 

14,551 

(6,249) 

(3,917) 

(2,332) 

798 

715 

464 

1,606 

181 

— 

961 

13,048 

664 

159 

505 

47 

(148) 

(2,379) 

315 

(2,694) 

(0.66) 

(0.66) 

4,105.5 

4,105.5 

653 

611 

42 

0.01 

0.01 

4,104.8 

4,135.3 

936 

749 

1,916 

1,789 

244 

— 

821 

760 

1,920 

1,737 

266 

— 

1,161 

15,614 

1,091 

15,199 

3,602 

678 

2,924 

51 

2,873 

327 

2,546 

6,116 

1,304 

4,812 

202 

4,610 

573 

4,037 

0.61 

0.60 

4,197.1 

4,234.6 

0.93 

0.92 

4,358.5 

4,389.6 

734 

719 

247 

785 

717 

238 

1,715 

1,504 

329 

— 

1,218 

13,449 

7,632 

1,294 

6,338 

132 

6,206 

358 

5,848 

1.31 

1.30 

4,469.4 

4,495.0 

237 

— 

1,217 

13,916 

6,848 

881 

5,967 

107 

5,860 

353 

5,507 

1.21 

1.20 

4,551.5 

4,584.0 

Wells Fargo net income (loss) 

Less: Preferred stock dividends and other 

$ 

2,992 

350 

Wells Fargo net income (loss) applicable to common stock 

$ 

2,642 

Per share information 

Earnings per common share 

Diluted earnings per common share 

Average common shares outstanding 

Diluted average common shares outstanding 

$ 

0.64 

0.64 

4,137.6 

4,151.3 

0.42 

0.42 

4,123.8 

4,132.2 

240 

Wells Fargo & CompanyAverage Balances and Interest Rates (Taxable-Equivalent basis) – Quarterly (1) – (Unaudited) 

(in millions) 

Assets 

Average 
balance 

Interest 
income/ 
expense 

2020 

Interest 
rates 

Quarter ended December 31, 

Average 
balance 

Interest 
income/ 
expense 

2019 

Interest 
rates 

Interest-earning deposits with banks 

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under resale agreements 

$ 

222,010 

67,023 

0.10  % 

$ 

127,287 

523 

472 

1.63  % 

1.72 

Debt securities: 

Trading debt securities 

Available-for-sale debt securities 

Held-to-maturity debt securities 

Total debt securities 

Loans held for sale (2)(3) 

Loans: 

Commercial loans: 

Commercial and industrial – U.S. 

Commercial and industrial – Non-U.S. 

Real estate mortgage 

Real estate construction 

Lease financing 

Total commercial loans 

Consumer loans: 

Residential mortgage – first lien 

Residential mortgage – junior lien 

Credit card 

Auto 

Other consumer 

Total consumer loans 

Total loans (3) 

Equity securities 

Other 

Total interest-earning assets 

Cash and due from banks 

Goodwill 

Other 

Liabilities 

Deposits: 

Total noninterest-earning assets 

Total assets 

Demand deposits 

Savings deposits 

Time deposits 

Deposits in non-U.S offices 

Total interest-bearing deposits 

Short-term borrowings 

Long-term debt 

Other liabilities 

Total interest-bearing liabilities 

Noninterest-bearing demand deposits 

Other noninterest-bearing liabilities 

Total noninterest-bearing liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Total equity 

Total liabilities and equity 

57 

8 

563 

955 

942 

2,460 

262 

1,655 

328 

855 

177 

182 

2,240 

253 

0.05 

2.40 

1.78 

1.95 

1.96 

3.56 

2.58 

2.14 

2.81 

3.13 

4.34 

2.67 

3.12 

4.16 

1,072 

11.80 

582 

314 

4,461 

7,658 

132 

— 

4.82 

4.55 

4.20 

3.39 

2.04 

— 

93,877 

214,042 

192,697 

500,616 

29,436 

255,112 

60,812 

121,228 

22,559 

16,757 

287,361 

24,210 

36,135 

48,033 

27,497 

423,236 

899,704 

25,744 

7,896 

109,201 

103,818 

261,526 

153,152 

518,496 

25,350 

283,650 

67,307 

122,136 

20,076 

19,421 

292,388 

30,147 

39,898 

47,274 

34,239 

443,946 

956,536 

38,278 

6,478 

811 

1,910 

965 

3,686 

249 

2,747 

577 

1,255 

239 

214 

2,678 

403 

3.12 

2.92 

2.51 

2.84 

3.91 

3.84 

3.40 

4.07 

4.71 

4.41 

3.90 

3.66 

5.32 

1,233 

12.26 

600 

571 

5,485 

10,517 

269 

22 

5.04 

6.60 

4.92 

4.37 

2.81 

1.36 

476,468 

3,197 

512,590 

5,032 

$ 

1,752,429 

10,577 

2.41  % 

$  1,781,626 

15,738 

3.51  % 

22,896 

26,390 

125,157 

174,443 

— 

— 

— 

— 

19,943 

26,389 

113,885 

160,217 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,926,872 

10,577 

1,941,843 

15,738 

$ 

$ 

0.06  % 

$ 

63,292 

$ 

225,577 

611,674 

56,308 

32,170 

925,729 

57,304 

214,223 

25,949 

32 

46 

75 

10 

163 

956 

88 

0.03 

0.53 

0.12 

0.07 

1.78 

1.38 

0.39 

(12) 

(0.08) 

$ 

1,223,205 

1,195 

454,371 

63,548 

517,919 

1,741,124 

185,748 

$ 

$ 

$ 

1,926,872 

— 

— 

— 

1,195 

— 

1,195 

732,705 

119,427 

54,751 

970,175 

115,949 

230,430 

27,279 

$  1,343,833 

351,738 

53,879 

405,617 

1,749,450 

192,393 

1,941,843 

1.09  % 

0.59 

1.98 

1.50 

0.85 

1.50 

3.02 

2.04 

1.30 

174 

1,094 

596 

208 

2,072 

439 

1,743 

141 

4,395 

— 

— 

— 

4,395 

— 

4,395 

Interest rate spread on a taxable-equivalent basis (4) 

Net interest margin and net interest income on a taxable-equivalent basis (4) 

$ 

9,382 

2.02  % 

2.13  % 

$  11,343 

2.21  % 

2.53  % 

(1) 

(2) 

The average balance amounts represent amortized costs. The interest rates are based on interest income or expense amounts for the period and are annualized. Interest rates and amounts include 
the effects of hedge and risk management activities associated with the respective asset and liability categories. 
In fourth quarter 2020, loans held for sale and mortgage loans held for sale were combined into a single line item. Prior period balances have been revised to conform with the current period 
presentation. 

(3)  Nonaccrual loans and related income are included in their respective loan categories. 
(4) 

Includes taxable-equivalent adjustments of $107 million and $143 million for the quarters ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, predominantly related to tax-exempt income on certain 
loans and securities. The federal statutory tax rate was 21% for the periods ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. 

241 

Wells Fargo & Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Glossary of Acronyms 

ACL 

AFS 

ALCO 

ARM 

ASC 

ASU 

AUA 

AUM 

AVM 

BCBS 

BHC 

CCAR 

CD 

CECL 

CET1 

CFPB 

CLO 

CLTV 

CPI 

CRE 

DPD 

ESOP 

FASB 

FDIC 

FHA 

FHLB 

Allowance for credit losses 

Available-for-sale 

Asset/Liability Committee 

Adjustable-rate mortgage 

Accounting Standards Codification 

Accounting Standards Update 

Assets under administration 

Assets under management 

Automated valuation model 

Basel Committee on Bank Supervision 

Bank holding company 

Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review 

Certificate of deposit 

Current expected credit loss 

Common Equity Tier 1 

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

Collateralized loan obligation 

Combined loan-to-value 

Collateral protection insurance 

Commercial real estate 

Days past due 

Employee Stock Ownership Plan 

Financial Accounting Standards Board 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

Federal Housing Administration 

Federal Home Loan Bank 

FHLMC 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation 

FICO 

FNMA 

FRB 

GAAP 

GNMA 

GSE 

G-SIB 

HQLA 

Fair Isaac Corporation (credit rating) 

Federal National Mortgage Association 

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 

Generally accepted accounting principles 

Government National Mortgage Association 

Government-sponsored entity 

Globally systemic important bank 

High-quality liquid assets 

HTM 

LCR 

LHFS 

LIBOR 

LIHTC 

Held-to-maturity 

Liquidity coverage ratio 

Loans held for sale 

London Interbank Offered Rate 

Low-income housing tax credit 

LOCOM 

Lower of cost or fair value 

LTV 

MBS 

MSR 

NAV 

NPA 

NSFR 

OCC 

OCI 

OTC 

OTTI 

PCD 

PCI 

PTPP 

RMBS 

ROA 

ROE 

ROTCE 

RWAs 

SEC 

S&P 

SLR 

SOFR 

SPE 

TDR 

TLAC 

VA 

VaR 

VIE 

WIM 

Loan-to-value 

Mortgage-backed security 

Mortgage servicing right 

Net asset value 

Nonperforming asset 

Net stable funding ratio 

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency 

Other comprehensive income 

Over-the-counter 

Other-than-temporary impairment 

Purchased credit-deteriorated 

Purchased credit-impaired 

Pre-tax pre-provision profit 

Residential mortgage-backed securities 

Return on average assets 

Return on average equity 

Return on average tangible common equity 

Risk-weighted assets 

Securities and Exchange Commission 

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services 

Supplementary leverage ratio 

Secured Overnight Financing Rate 

Special purpose entity 

Troubled debt restructuring 

Total Loss Absorbing Capacity 

Department of Veterans Affairs 

Value-at-Risk 

Variable interest entity 

Wealth and Investment Management 

242 

Wells Fargo & CompanyStock Performance 

These graphs compare the cumulative total stockholder return and total compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for 

our common stock (NYSE: WFC) for the five- and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2020, with the cumulative 

total stockholder returns for the same periods for the Keefe, Bruyette and Woods (KBW) Total Return Bank Index 

(KBW Nasdaq Bank Index (BKX)) and the S&P 500 Index. 

The cumulative total stockholder returns (including reinvested dividends) in the graphs assume the investment of 

$100 in Wells Fargo’s common stock, the KBW Nasdaq Bank Index, and the S&P 500 Index. 

F I V E   Y E A R   P E R F O R M A N C E   G R A P H  

$260 

$240 

$220 

$200 

$180 

$160 

$140 

$120 

$100 

$  80 

$  60 

$  40 

$  20 

Wells Fargo 
(WFC) 

S&P 500 

KBW Nasdaq 
Bank Index 

2015 

$100 

100 

100 

2016 

$104 

112 

129 

2017 

$118 

136 

152 

2018 

$92 

130 

125 

2019 

$112 

171 

171 

2020 

$65 

203 

153 

5-year 
CAGR 

-8%  Wells Fargo 
15%  S&P 500 

9%  KBW Nasdaq 

Bank Index 

T E N   Y E A R   P E R F O R M A N C E   G R A P H  

$370 

$360 

$340 

$320 

$300 

$280 

$260 

$240 

$220 

$200 

$180 

$160 

$140 

$120 

$100 

$  80 

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019 

2020 

Wells Fargo 
(WFC) 

S&P 500 

KBW Nasdaq 
Bank Index 

10-year 
CAGR 

$100 

100 

100 

$91 

102 

77 

$115 

$158 

$195 

$199 

$208 

$235 

$184 

$224 

$130 

3%  Wells Fargo 

118 

102 

157 

141 

178 

154 

181 

155 

202 

199 

247 

236 

236 

194 

310 

264 

367 

237 

14%  S&P 500 

9%  KBW Nasdaq 

Bank Index 

243 

 
 
 
 
  
  
Wells Fargo & Company 

Wells Fargo & Company is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets and 

proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of all middle market companies in the U.S. We provide 

a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial 

finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; 

Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 

2020 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact 

on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial 

health and a low-carbon economy. 

COMMON STOCK 
Wells Fargo & Company is listed and trades on the 
New York Stock Exchange: WFC. At February 16, 
2021, there were 273,418 holders of record of the 
Company’s common stock and the closing price 
reported on the New York Stock Exchange for the 
common stock was $34.79 per share. 

4,144,011,543 common shares outstanding (12/31/20) 

ST OC K  PU RCHASE AND 
DIVIDE ND  REIN VESTMEN T 
You can buy Wells Fargo stock directly from 
Wells Fargo, even if you’re not a Wells Fargo shareholder, 
through optional cash payments or automatic monthly 
deductions from a bank account. You can also have your 
dividends reinvested automatically. It’s a convenient, 
economical way to increase your Wells Fargo investment. 

Call 1-877-840-0492 for an enrollment kit, which 
includes a plan prospectus. 

FORM   10-K 
We will send Wells Fargo’s 2020 Annual Report on 
Form 10-K (including the financial statements filed 
with the Securities and Exchange Commission) free 
to any shareholder who asks for a copy in writing. 

Shareholders also can ask for copies of any exhibit to 
the Form 10-K. We will charge a fee to cover expenses 
to prepare and send any exhibits. Please send requests 
to: Corporate Secretary, Wells Fargo & Company, MAC 
D1130-117, 301 S. Tryon Street, 11th Floor, Charlotte, 
North Carolina 28282. 

As disclosed in our Form 10-K, except for the Chief 
Auditor, all members of the Operating Committee 
listed on pages 22-23 of this Annual Report are 
executive officers. Muneera S. Carr, EVP, Chief 
Accounting Officer and Controller, also is an 
executive officer. 

SEC FILINGS 
Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports 
on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and 
amendments to those reports are available free of 
charge on our website (www.wellsfargo.com) as soon 
as practical after they are electronically filed with or 
furnished to the SEC. Those reports and amendments 
are also available free of charge on the SEC’s website 
at www.sec.gov. 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEM ENTS  
This Annual Report contains forward-looking 
statements about our future financial performance 
and business. Because forward-looking statements 
are based on our current expectations and assumptions 
regarding the future, they are subject to inherent risks 
and uncertainties. Do not unduly rely on forward-
looking statements, as actual results could differ 
materially from expectations. Forward-looking 
statements speak only as of the date made, and we 
do not undertake to update them to reflect changes 
or events that occur after that date. For information 
about factors that could cause actual results to 
differ materially from our expectations, refer to the 
discussion under “Forward-Looking Statements” and 
“Risk Factors” in the Financial Review portion of this 
Annual Report. 

INDE PE NDENT  REGISTERED 
PU BLI C ACCOUNTING FIRM 

SHAREOW NER SERVICES 
AND TRANSFER AGENT 

ANNUAL SHAREHOLDERS’ 
MEETING 

KPMG LLP 

San Francisco, California 

1-415-963-5100 

INVE STOR  RELATIONS 

1-415-371-2921 
investorrelations@wellsfargo.com 

EQ Shareowner Services 

10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time 

P.O. Box 64874 

St. Paul, Minnesota 

55164-0874 

1-877-840-0492 

www.shareowneronline.com 

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 

See Wells Fargo’s 2021 
Proxy Statement for more 
information about the annual 
shareholders’ meeting. 

244 

2020 Annual Report 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
   
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Wells Fargo’s Extensive Network 

LOCATIONS* 

6.9K 

ATMs 

13K 

CUSTOMERS 

70M 

MOBILE BANKING** 

26M 

mobile active users 

WELLSFARGO.COM** 

32M 

digital (online and mobile) active customers 

*Number of domestic and global locations. Includes 
Wells Fargo Advisors Private Client Group and 
Financial Network locations. 

**Data as of December 2020. 

In our communities 

Wells Fargo and Feeding America unite 
to address rising food insecurity during 
the pandemic. 

With a sharp rise in food insecurity from 
COVID-19, Wells Fargo joined with Feeding 
America®, the nation’s largest domestic 
hunger-relief organization, to help provide 
82 million meals* to people in need. 

Over the summer, the company first teamed 
with local Feeding America member food banks 
to launch the Drive-Up Food Bank program. 
Wells Fargo branches and corporate locations 
became mobile food distribution sites for more 
than 5 million pounds of food in 35 cities. 

Then, as part of its “Many hearts, One community” 
campaign and to extend this effort during the 
holidays, Wells Fargo hosted “surprise and delight” 
events with grants to Feeding America food banks 
in the U.S. — helping ensure there was food on the 
table for people who need it most. 

*82 million meals calculation is based on 1) Actual number of meals distributed 
through Wells Fargo Drive-Up Food Bank events and 2) Wells Fargo’s fnancial 
contributions to support Feeding America food banks 7/20/20-12/31/20. 
$1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf 
of local member food banks. 

245 

  
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
WELLS FARGO & COMPAN Y 

420 MONTGOMERY STREE T | S AN  FRAN CI SCO, CA  | 9410 4  

1-866-87 8-58 65  | WELLSFARG O.COM

© 2021 Wells Fargo & Company.  All rights reserved. 
Deposit products offered through Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. 
CCM5099  (Rev 00, 1/each)