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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
Wells Fargo & Company
San Francisco, California
Order Approving the Acquisition of a Bank Holding Company
Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), a financial holding company within
the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act (“BHC Act”), has requested the Board’s
approval under section 3 of the BHC Act to acquire Wachovia Corporation (“Wachovia”),1

[Footnote 1. 12 U.S.C. § 1842. End footnote.]
Charlotte, North Carolina, and thereby indirectly acquire Wachovia’s subsidiary banks,
Wachovia Bank, National Association (“Wachovia Bank”), Charlotte, and Wachovia Bank of
Delaware, National Association, Wilmington, Delaware.2 [Footnote 2. Wells Fargo initially
would acquire shares of newly issued voting preferred securities of Wachovia, representing
approximately 39.9 percent of aggregate voting securities. After shareholder approval, a
wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo would merge with and into Wachovia, with Wachovia
surviving the merger and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo
also seeks the Board’s approval pursuant to section 3 of the BHC Act to acquire Wachovia’s
indirect ownership of 5.7 percent of the voting shares of
United Bancshares, Inc. (“United”) and thereby indirectly acquire voting shares
of United’s subsidiary bank, United Bank of Philadelphia, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
End footnote.] In addition, Wells Fargo has
requested the Board’s approval under section 4 of the BHC Act3 [Footnote 3. 12 U.S.C. §
1843. End footnote.] to acquire the nonbanking
subsidiaries of Wachovia, including Wachovia’s two subsidiary savings
associations.4 [Footnote 4. Wachovia’s two savings associations are Wachovia
Mortgage, F.S.B., North Las Vegas, Nevada, and Wachovia Bank, F.S.B.,
Houston, Texas. Wells Fargo also proposes to acquire all of Wachovia’s other
nonbanking subsidiaries pursuant to section 4 of the BHC Act, including
(but not limited to) Wachovia Bank’s insured credit card subsidiary, Wachovia
Card Services, National Association, Atlanta, Georgia, and its nondepository
trust company, Delaware Trust Company, National Association, Wilmington,
Delaware. See 12 U.S.C. § 1843. Both of these Wachovia Bank subsidiaries
engage only in limited operations and, therefore, are not banks for purposes of the BHC Act.
See 12 U.S.C. § 1841(c)(2)(D) and (F). End footnote.] Wells Fargo also proposes to acquire
the agreement corporation and Edge Act subsidiaries and the foreign operations of Wachovia
pursuant to sections 25 and 25A of the Federal Reserve Act and
the Board’s Regulation K.5 [Footnote 5. 12 U.S.C. §§ 601 et seq. and 611 et seq.; 12
CFR Part 211. End footnote.]

Section 3(b)(1) of the BHC Act requires that the Board provide notice of an
application under section 3 to the appropriate federal or state supervisory authority for the banks
to be acquired and provide the supervisor a period of time (normally 30 days) within which to
submit views and recommendations on the proposal.6 [Footnote 6. 12 U.S.C. Section 1842(b)(1);
12 CFR 225.25(b). End footnote.] Section 4(i)(4) of the BHC Act imposes a
similar requirement with respect to a notice to acquire a savings association.7 [Footnote 7.
12 U.S.C. Section 1843(i)(4). End footnote.] In light of the unusual and exigent circumstances
affecting the financial markets, the weakened financial condition of Wachovia, and all other facts
and circumstances, the Board has shortened to 10 days the notice period to the primary regulators
of the banks and savings associations involved in, and waived public notice of, this proposal, in
accordance with the provisions of the BHC Act and the Board’s regulations.8

[Footnote 8. 12 U.S.C. Sections 1842(b)(1) and 1843(i)(4); 12 CFR 225.16(b)(3),
225.16(g)(2), 225.25(d), and 262.3(l). End footnote.] The Board has
contacted the primary federal supervisors of the insured depository institutions and the
Department of Justice; those agencies have indicated that they have no objection to the approval
of the proposal.
The Board has carefully considered the statutory factors in light of all the facts of
record, including confidential examination and other supervisory information, publicly reported
and additional financial information, the supervisory experiences of the Board and the other
federal supervisors of the organizations and institutions involved in the proposal, information
provided by Wells Fargo and Wachovia, and comments received on the proposal. Based on all
the facts of record, the Board has concluded that all the factors the Board must consider in acting
on the application and notices are consistent with approval. The application and notices are
hereby approved by the Board for the reasons set forth in the Board’s Statement, which will be
released at a later date.
The Board’s approval is specifically conditioned on compliance by Wells Fargo
with all the commitments made in connection with the proposal, including the commitments and
conditions discussed in the forthcoming Statement. This approval also is subject to all the
conditions set forth in Regulation Y and to the Board’s authority to require such modification or
termination of the nonbanking activities of a bank holding company or any of its subsidiaries as
the Board finds necessary to ensure compliance with, and to prevent evasion of, the provisions of

the BHC Act and the Board’s regulations and orders issued thereunder. These commitments and
conditions are deemed to be conditions imposed in writing by the Board in connection with its
findings and decision and, as such, may be enforced in proceedings under applicable law.
The proposed bank-related acquisitions may not be consummated before the fifth
calendar day9 [Footnote 9. 12 U.S.C. § 1849(b)(1); 12 CFR 225.16(h)(2). End footnote.]
after the effective date of this order, and the proposal may not be consummated
later than three months after the effective date of this order, unless such period is extended for
good cause by the Board or by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, acting pursuant to
delegated authority.
By order of the Board, effective October 12, 2008.10 [Footnote 10. Voting for
this action: Chairman Bernanke, Vice Chairman Kohn, and Governors Warsh,
Kroszner, and Duke. End footnote.]
(signed) Robert deV. Frierson
Robert deV. Frierson
Deputy Secretary of the Board