RISK FACTORS
Your investment in the notes will involve risks not associated with an investment in conventional debt securities. You should carefully consider the risk factors set forth below as well as the other information contained in the prospectus supplement and prospectus, including the documents they incorporate by reference. You should reach an investment decision only after you have carefully considered with your advisors the appropriateness of an investment in the notes in light of your particular circumstances.
Risks Relating To The Notes Generally
The Amount Of Interest You Receive May Be Less Than The Return You Could Earn On Other Investments.
Interest rates may change significantly over the term of the notes, and it is impossible to predict what interest rates will be at any point in the future. The interest rate payable on the notes may be more or less than prevailing market interest rates at any time during the term of the notes. As a result, the amount of interest you receive on the notes may be less than the return you could earn on other investments.
The Per Annum Interest Rate Will Affect Our Decision To Redeem The Notes.
It is more likely that we will redeem the notes prior to the stated maturity date during periods when the remaining interest is to accrue on the notes at a rate that is greater than that which we would pay on a conventional fixed-rate non-redeemable note of comparable maturity. If we redeem the notes prior to the stated maturity date, you may not be able to invest in other notes that yield as much interest as the notes.
Holders Of The Notes Have Limited Rights Of Acceleration.
Payment of principal on the notes may be accelerated only in the case of payment defaults that continue for a period of 30 days or certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency, whether voluntary or involuntary. If you purchase the notes, you will have no right to accelerate the payment of principal on the notes if we fail in the performance of any of our obligations under the notes, other than the obligations to pay principal and interest on the notes. See “Description of Debt Securities of Wells Fargo & Company—Events of Default and Covenant Breaches” in the accompanying prospectus.
Holders Of The Notes Could Be At Greater Risk For Being Structurally Subordinated If We Convey, Transfer Or Lease All Or Substantially All Of Our Assets To One Or More Of Our Subsidiaries.
Under the indenture, we may convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our assets to one or more of our subsidiaries. In that event, third-party creditors of our subsidiaries would have additional assets from which to recover on their claims while holders of the notes would be structurally subordinated to creditors of our subsidiaries with respect to such assets. See “Description of Debt Securities of Wells Fargo & Company—Consolidation, Merger or Sale” in the accompanying prospectus.
Risks Relating To An Investment In Wells Fargo’s Debt Securities, Including The Notes
The Notes Are Subject To The Credit Risk Of Wells Fargo.
The notes are our obligations and are not, either directly or indirectly, an obligation of any third party. Any amounts payable under the notes are subject to our creditworthiness. As a result, our actual and perceived creditworthiness may affect the value of the notes and, in the event we were to default on our obligations, you may not receive any amounts owed to you under the terms of the notes.
Our Ability To Service Our Debt, Including The Notes, May Be Limited By The Results Of Operations Of Our Subsidiaries And Certain Contractual Arrangements.
We conduct substantially all of our activities and operations through our subsidiaries and are a separate and distinct legal entity from those subsidiaries. We receive substantially all of our funding and liquidity from dividends, loans and other distributions from our subsidiaries. We generally use these funds, among other sources, to satisfy our financial obligations, including principal and interest on our debt, including the notes. In addition to limitations under laws and regulations applicable to us and our subsidiaries (as discussed below), funds available to us from our subsidiaries will be contingent upon the financial performance and condition of those subsidiaries. Adverse