Wells Fargo probed for possible worker abuse

WASHINGTON >> The U.S. Labor Department is investigating possible abuses of employees by Wells Fargo in connection with the bank’s alleged efforts to open millions of unauthorized accounts to meet sales goals.

A group of Democratic senators last week asked the department to investigate whether Wells Fargo tellers, branch managers and customer service reps were harassed and threatened with termination in the aggressive sales push. A complete review of cases and complaints is needed to determine if the second-largest U.S. bank violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, the senators said. About 5,300 employees have been fired since 2011.

In a letter Monday, Labor Secretary Tom Perez said the department takes the senators’ concerns seriously and has started a “top-

to-bottom” review of labor practices at San Francisco-based Wells Fargo.

“We take the concerns raised in your letter very seriously,” Perez told the senators, led by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “Given the serious nature of the allegations ... and recent media reports, I have directed enforcement agencies within the department to conduct a top-to-bottom review of cases, complaints or violations concerning Wells Fargo over the last several years.”

Bank spokeswoman Jennifer Dunn declined to comment on the

Labor Department action.

The scandal over millions of deposit and credit card accounts allegedly opened without customers’ permission has widened. The Labor Department review comes atop investigations by congressional committees and federal prosecutors.

U.S. and California regulators fined Wells Fargo $185 million earlier this month. In a feverish drive to meet sales targets, bank employees opened the unauthorized accounts, transferred customers’ money into them and signed people up for online banking, according to the regulators. Debit cards were issued and activated, as well as PINs created, without customers’ knowledge.