The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) wants Wells Fargo to pay more than $1 billion over alleged customer abuse, a settlement that would top the agency’s record… last set by Wells Fargo .
That’s according to a Friday, November 4 report from Bloomberg News, citing people familiar with the matter. Discussions would focus on auto loans, consumer deposit accounts and the banking giant’s mortgage business.
Sources told Bloomberg that a deal with the bureau isn’t ready and likely won’t happen this month. With CFPB director Rohit Chopra pledging to impose tougher penalties on big business, the agency could consider imposing restrictions on Wells Fargo’s operations while issuing a fine, sources said.
CFPB and Wells Fargo representatives were not immediately available for comment.
In 2018, Wells Fargo agreed to pay a $1 billion fine after the CFPB accused it of overcharging consumers on mortgages and adding insurance costs and fees to certain auto loans by the through a compulsory insurance program.
Read more: Wells Fargo faces class action lawsuit over alleged Zelle scams
Earlier this year, Wells Fargo and money transfer service Zelle were named in a class action lawsuit brought by a Seattle resident who claims he was the victim of a scam targeting Wells Fargo Bank customers who use the app. Zella.
The victim claimed fraudsters stole $7,500 from him by impersonating a Wells Fargo customer service agent who then asked him to send them money, according to court documents.
The lawsuit also claimed that Wells Fargo and Zelle “knew or should have known” that this type of scam could occur and of the possible “financial harm to consumers.”
The victim later dropped the lawsuit, but did not explain why.
As PYMNTS noted in September, Chopra had already made a name for himself as a tough enforcer since his time at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a previous role at the CFPB. Part of his goal at CFPB is to make the office more consumer-focused and less friendly to financial firms.
https://www.pymnts.com/news/cfpb/2022/cfpb-looks-to-give-consumers-more-control-over-their-data/partial/
