I’ve spent a lot of my life attached to my parents’ banking accounts, but I think I’m finally ready to choose one for myself.
Growing up, my parents had multiple accounts. Chase, Capital One, and Wells Fargo were familiar names in our household.
As I approach independence, the bank I choose will set me up for failure or success. While many seem promising, I’m definitely hesitant about one in particular.
Almost every day there’s a new headline detailing Wells Fargo’s abuses. Their 20-month scandal seems to get worse and worse.
Earlier this month, A federal judge ordered Wells Fargo to pay its California home mortgage consultants and private mortgage bankers a total of $97 million for a violation of labor laws.
I mean, really? As a recent graduate, I understand the tremendous stress employees endure to keep a stable job. A company that takes advantage of its employees doesn’t sit right with me.
Prior to that ruling, the bank reached a settlement and was ordered to pay $480 million to a group of shareholders who accused the bank of making “certain misstatements and omissions” in the company’s disclosures about its sales practices.
So, it exploits its employees, and acts shady with customers. That’s an extremely alarming thought to process, especially since the bank has an estimated 70 million customers.
Look, I’m not wealthy by any means. I graduated with student loans roughly the amount of an expensive car. The little money I’ve managed to save is important to me. The bank I choose will be one of the biggest decisions of my life, and I know I’m not alone.
There were about 83.1 million Millennials in 2015, according the U.S. Census Bureau. A large majority of these young adults are probably also looking for banks. How can Wells Fargo win us over?
Perhaps the launch of Wells Fargo’s Building Better Everyday campaign, can garner some faith. The campaign ultimately aims at rebuilding relationships with customers.
“Building Better Every Day reflects what we are doing to make things right for our stakeholders, and our efforts to develop and offer innovative products and services that help our customers reach their financial goals,” Chief Marketing Officer Jamie Moldafsky said in a statement.
But has the campaign done enough? Apparently not, since the company was ordered to replace four board members by the end of the year and has been prohibited from growing larger in assets. To make matters worse, company shares have gone down 10 % since the beginning of 2018.
If everyone is jumping ship, why would I want to jump on? This is a question Wells Fargo has yet to answer for me. I don’t know what bank I’ll choose to start my financial future, but Wells Fargo probably won’t be my first choice.
