Funding a solar revolution
An energy crisis and a growing environmental movement created the first commercial solar projects in the 1970s, funded by Wells Fargo.
Marching with Pride and expanding LGBTQ protections
Tim Hanlon and other employees advocated for a more LGBTQ inclusive community at Wells Fargo in the 1990s.
Averting a Y2K crisis with years of preparation
How Wells Fargo — and the banks that are now a part of Wells Fargo — prepared 20 years ago for Y2K and ensured that a worldwide crisis never happened.
America’s summertime postwar swimming pool craze
Backyard pool ownership grew 25-fold after World War II, making the poolside a popular place for summertime parties and fun. Learn more about how Wells Fargo supported middle-class customers and helped make backyard swimming pools more accessible.
Letters from incarceration camps
When Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes into federal incarceration camps in 1942, their banker J. Elmer Morrish made it his mission to support them in any way possible.
How Wells Fargo secretly moved $3 billion through the streets of San Francisco
Rare video from 1915 shows Wells Fargo successfully moving $121 million — or $3 billion in today’s dollars — securely through the streets of San Francisco.
How Wells Fargo used secret codes to do business
In the 1800s, the telegraph allowed Wells Fargo to do business and help customers transfer money. To secure messages and minimize risk, the company used a system of encryption with secret codes.
When AIDS crisis hit home, these coworkers stepped up
A Wells Fargo team member stepped in to lead Shanti Project, a valuable community organization that helped San Franciscans respond to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.
Wells Fargo’s long history of serving Spanish-speaking customers
Since the 1800s, when Wells Fargo offered in-language services and hired Spanish-speaking team members, the company has strived to best serve its Hispanic customers.
Before Online Bill Pay, there was “Supercheck”
Customers at First National Bank of Arizona (today Wells Fargo) saved time and money using a new bill pay service in 1970. It started a revolution with hundreds of banks copying the new innovation.
The first banking solutions for customers who are blind
Before the 1970s, many bank customers with visual impairments had to depend on friends and family to handle their finances —until banks began providing new options.
How American women in the 1700s ran their businesses
When women in early America needed access to credit and payment tools, they turned to the Bank of North America in Philadelphia, America’s first commercial bank, and today Wells Fargo.
100+ years of celebrating Lunar New Year
A Wells Fargo historian shares how the company has celebrated the Chinese lunar calendar since 1912.
Good luck comes in red envelopes
Since 1961, Chinese customers preparing Lunar New Year gifts of “lucky money” have turned to Wells Fargo for festive envelopes.
From fighting slavery to public service: Mifflin Gibbs
Mifflin Wistar Gibbs lived a life of service and activism. As he fought to end slavery, served as a politician for change, and became a successful African American business owner in Gold Rush California, Wells Fargo was there to help in his pursuits.
Ponies, vacations, and cars: The story behind bank giveaways
As banks like Wells Fargo underwent a revolution in the mid-1900s, giveaways were a way to attract new customers and, over time, become reflections of shared memories and lifelong relationships.
First in Online Banking
As more customers used computers in their daily lives, Wells Fargo innovated new tools to improve their banking experience. In 1995, they created the first online banking platform.
A revolution in banking
In creating a new nation, America’s founding fathers established the first commercial bank in the nation. It provided loans to the government and businesses and helped the fledging economy prosper.
The stagecoach comes to town
Learn about the enduring tradition of celebrating community events with the Wells Fargo stagecoach.
Making time for the future
In 1976, Wells Fargo made history by becoming the first major bank to offer team members paid leave to volunteer in their communities in programs of their choice.
A loan to fly and an opportunity to serve in WWII
In the 1940s, Elizabeth “Betty” Wall got a loan from a local bank to join a local Sky Club. She used her flight experience to become one of the first women to fly military aircraft in U.S. history.
Surviving and thriving in the Great Depression
The threat of bank runs during the Great Depression pushed many banks to find innovative new ways to secure their depositors’ money and provide economic stability to their communities.
Yesterday’s revolutionary form of currency
A Wells Fargo historian shares how the exchange of money has evolved from papers with handwritten instructions and signatures to digital payments.
Meet the four-legged pride of Wells Fargo Service
Whether delivering mail and money to customers or starring in the Stagecoach Appearance Program, Wells Fargo’s horses have always been well-fed, well-cared for, and well-loved.
When neon lights predicted the weather in Minnesota
Northwestern National Bank installed a 157-foot-tall Weatherball atop its building in downtown Minneapolis in 1949, making it the largest bank sign between Chicago and the West Coast.
Keeping pace with changing lives on the road and in the air
Find out how the introduction of motor banks in the 1930s made banking more convenient for customers — and led to future innovations.
Changing lives by funding technology for the sight impaired
Find out how a Wells Fargo business loan helped people with blindness and low vision have more access to reading materials.
How a few team members spearheaded recycling in the 1970s
Find out how Wells Fargo’s first recycling program began — and led to decades of sustainability and corporate responsibility.
Standing up for Chinese merchants in the 1880s
After Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, Wells Fargo agents testified on behalf of Chinese customers and supported their businesses.
Tucson’s first Mexican American mayor paid a price
A Wells Fargo historian shares why an Arizona businessman and Wells Fargo express agent abandoned his freight company out of loyalty to the U.S.
How a Wells Fargo president created a culture of caring
Find out how a Wells Fargo agent in 1864 stopped at nothing to deliver mail, money, and newspapers to customers — and how he later became the company’s president.
A Wells Fargo board member’s fight against slavery
James McKaye, an original board member for Wells Fargo, was an abolitionist whose work led to the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1864 to protect the rights of African Americans.
Meet the man who helped ignite the civil rights movement
Find out how Robert “Patt“ Patterson went from being a civil rights activist to the first African American in Greensboro, North Carolina, to hold a management position at a major bank.
Breaking glass ceilings in the 1960s as the first female branch manager
In 1967, Shirley Nelson made history when she became the first female branch manager for Wells Fargo, paving the way for other female leaders.
Hear the bank commercial that became a hit song
Find out how a song originally written for a bank commercial became a hit — and one of the most popular wedding songs.
From Tuskegee Airmen to Wells Fargo bankers
A Wells Fargo historian shares the stories of Col. George S. Roberts and Lt. Col. James A. Walker, two former team members who were part of the famous Tuskegee Airmen.
The surprising start of Wells, Fargo, & Co.
Throughout their lives, Henry Wells and William G. Fargo, the founders of Wells, Fargo & Co., were known for their innovation and dedication to customers.
Follow the history of Stagecoach No. 186
Find out how the historic stagecoach came to Wells Fargo’s museum in San Francisco — and what significant events were part of its journey.
Translating Wells Fargo one Chinese character at a time
A Wells Fargo historian shares how a banker — wanting to make his customers feel comfortable and welcomed — created the company’s Chinese name in 1971.
Woman takes stagecoach reins and makes history
In the late 1800s, Mary Langdon built a business that covered hundreds of miles along the Pacific Coast in a male-dominated industry.
Checks almost too pretty to cash?
A Wells Fargo historian shares how full-colored stagecoach designs made their way into Wells Fargo checkbooks, revolutionizing the ‘rather dull field’ of bank checks.
The real story behind the Pony Express
Find out how the Pony Express allowed people across the U.S. to hear the latest news and get in touch with friends and family quicker than ever — and why a national crisis made the service essential.
Delivering a farm-to-table revolution 100 years ago
Learn how Wells Fargo’s Food Products Department helped farmers and gave customers a new way to buy the foods they loved.
