Wells Fargo's CEO Shows Confidence Over $1.95T Asset Cap Potential End

On Wednesday, at the Bernstein Conference, Wells Fargo & Company’s WFC CEO Charlie Scharf expressed confidence in the bank’s regulatory improvements, signalling that the bank is inching closer to the point of lifting the $1.95 trillion asset cap.

In 2018, the Federal Reserve imposed the asset cap on Wells Fargo following the bank’s fake accounts scandal, which surfaced in 2016. The asset cap was introduced as a penalty for governance failures, restricting the bank’s ability to expand its balance sheet until it demonstrated sufficient improvements in risk management and compliance.

WFC’s Regulatory Progress Toward Solving Compliance Issues

During the Bernstein conference, Scharf highlighted Wells Fargo’s continued efforts to strengthen its compliance framework. The bank has resolved six consent orders in 2024, bringing the total number of resolved regulatory actions since 2019 to 12. It has also allocated $2 billion annually to enhance risk controls and operational processes.

The bank is working to address the final two remaining consent orders. As the bank nears resolution, it is actively preparing to expand its retail deposits business, positioning itself for a new phase of growth once restrictions are lifted.

Parting Thoughts on Wells Fargo

Due to the asset cap, the company is unable to grow to its potential. This is affecting its loan growth. Given that loans are among the largest assets a bank can hold, the lifting of the asset cap will mark a positive turning point for Wells Fargo. This move will allow the bank to offer loans without restrictions, supporting the top-line expansion and positioning the bank for long-term growth.

Further, WFC’s long-term strategy remains focused on expanding deposits and trading operations, reinforcing growth through continued compliance enhancements and operational improvements.

Additionally, the bank is taking a strategy centered on balancing sustainable growth with robust returns, aiming to achieve a return on tangible common equity (ROTCE) of 15% in 2025. The bank’s strategy includes organic expansion, with a focus on dividend increases and share buybacks to enhance capital efficiency. To further support its growth objectives, the bank is making significant investments in technology and artificial intelligence, aimed at streamlining operations, improving risk management, and driving future business development.

WFC’s Price Performance & Zacks Rank

Over the past year, shares of WFC have gained 24.1% compared with the industry’s growth of 28.2%.

Wells Fargo currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked bank stocks are Westamerica Bancorp WABC and Eastern Bankshares EBC, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WABC’s earnings has remained unchanged over the last seven days for 2025. Shares of WABC have gained 0.2% over the past six months.

Earnings estimates for EBC have remained unchanged over the past seven days for 2025. In the past six months, EBC shares have gained 10.5%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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