Wells Fargo to Help Southwest Florida Customers Facing Mortgage Payment Challenges

7,500 homeowners invited to free workshop in Fort Myers; 32 workshops scheduled in 2011 to help thousands of American families avert foreclosure

FORT MYERS, Fla.--()--Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is hosting a free Home Preservation Workshop in Fort Myers for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Wells Fargo Financial, Wachovia Mortgage and Wells Fargo Home Equity customers facing financial hardships. Wells Fargo has invited about 7,500 mortgage customers in the Southwest Florida area to the workshop which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, November 16 & 17 from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., at the Harborside Event Center located at 1375 Monroe Street in Fort Myers.

How to register for Wells Fargo’s Fort Myers Home Preservation Workshop

Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is strongly recommended in order to guarantee the ability to meet one-on-one with a representative. Sign up by Monday, November 14 at www.wfhmevents.com/leadingthewayhome. For more information call 1-800-405-8067.

“We understand that some of our home mortgage customers are struggling with their mortgage payments,” said Carl Miller, Wells Fargo regional president for the Greater Gulf Coast. “So, we're pleased to provide these customers the opportunity to attend the Home Preservation Workshop and learn about potential options that are available to them to help avoid foreclosure.”

Approximately 100 Wells Fargo home retention team members – including bilingual specialists – will be on hand at the upcoming workshop to assist customers. Where possible, borrowers will receive a decision on a workout, loan modification, or other options, on site or shortly following the workshop. Options include Wells Fargo’s own loan modification program and the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). This is the 46th such workshop that Wells Fargo has held since September 2009. Wells Fargo has met with nearly 28,000 customers at its 45 Home Preservation Workshops.

“Wells Fargo wants to help homeowners stay in their homes and we’re working hard to do what we can to help our customers avoid foreclosures and succeed financially,” said Hugh Rowden, Wells Fargo’s regional servicing director. “This workshop gives Wells Fargo and Wachovia home mortgage customers, who are faced with payment challenges, the opportunity to meet face-to-face with our home retention specialists to explore and discuss the options available for them.”

Upcoming 2011 Home Preservation Workshops

Following Fort Myers, Wells Fargo will host two additional Home Preservation Workshops in:

*Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Dec. 7-8)

*Charlotte, NC (Dec. 15)

For more information, Wells Fargo customers may call 1-800-405-8067.

About Wells Fargo’s Home Loans

  • Wells Fargo originates one in every four home loans in the country, and services one of every six.
  • In the third quarter of 2011, more than 92 percent of Wells Fargo’s mortgage customers remained current on their loan payments.
  • Since January 2009 through September 2011, the company had 716,176 active trial and completed modifications. Of those modifications, 85 percent were done through Wells Fargo’s own modification programs and 15 percent were through the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).
  • As of the second quarter in 2011, Wells Fargo’s delinquency and foreclosure rates remain significantly below the industry average.
  • Less than 1.3 percent of the loans secured by owner-occupied homes and serviced by Wells Fargo resulted in a foreclosure sale in the last 12 months.
  • Just 7.44 percent of the first mortgage and home equity loans Wells Fargo services were past due or in foreclosure in the second quarter of 2011 compared to an industry average of 10.58 percent, according to the Sept. 2 edition of Inside Mortgage Finance. Wells Fargo’s totals are down from a peak of 8.96 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. With approximately 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 23 on Fortune’s 2011 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.

Contacts

Wells Fargo
Kathy Harrison, 904-489-3602 (Media)
Mobile: 904-553-9971
kathy.harrison@wellsfargo.com
Christina Smotryski, 305-523-2544 (Media)
Mobile: 786-459-9160
christina.smotryski@wellsfargo.com

Contacts

Wells Fargo
Kathy Harrison, 904-489-3602 (Media)
Mobile: 904-553-9971
kathy.harrison@wellsfargo.com
Christina Smotryski, 305-523-2544 (Media)
Mobile: 786-459-9160
christina.smotryski@wellsfargo.com