Regulator Intends to Vet Next Wells Chief Executive -- WSJ
May 16 2019 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Andrew Ackerman
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (May 16, 2019).
WASHINGTON -- A top banking regulator told lawmakers Wednesday
his agency plans to keep close tabs on Wells Fargo & Co. and
will vet the next chief executive at the lender.
Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting, testifying before the
Senate Banking Committee, said he remains disappointed with Wells
Fargo over consumer abuses and management problems that have
plagued the bank for years.
Wells Fargo's former chief executive Timothy Sloan resigned in
late March, two weeks after an appearance before a House committee
that drew public criticism from the Office of the Comptroller of
the Currency and the Federal Reserve, another regulator that
oversees the bank.
Wells Fargo general counsel C. Allen Parker is serving as
interim CEO while the bank looks for an outsider to run the firm on
a permanent basis.
Wednesday's hearing turned testy when Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.,
Mass.) -- a presidential candidate -- asked Mr. Otting to release
the results of his agency's review of the bank's next chief
executive, saying the OCC "blew it" on a previous executive search.
She said the OCC should be transparent about its future decision
making.
Mr. Otting declined to do so, adding "no one has been more
tougher on Wells Fargo than myself." He also said the review was
confidential between the regulator and the bank.
"You mean at the OCC? That's a low bar," Sen. Warren
responded.
"I would disagree with that. I find that insulting, that you
would make that comment," Mr. Otting said.
"Good!" Sen. Warren responded.
A Wells Fargo spokeswoman declined to comment.
Wells Fargo's problems have grown since a 2016 sales scandal
erupted and led to the ouster of Mr. Sloan's predecessor, John
Stumpf. By the time Mr. Sloan took his seat before the House
Financial Services Committee in March, the lender was on the outs
with Washington.
Problems had emerged across the bank's other businesses, setting
off several government investigations. The OCC was debating the
rare step of forcing changes to Wells Fargo's senior management or
board, The Wall Street Journal has reported. And the Fed was
showing no sign it was ready to lift an unprecedented cap on the
bank's growth put in place a year earlier.
Under the terms of an April 2018 settlement, Wells Fargo must
clear changes to senior management in advance with the OCC.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 16, 2019 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)
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