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Wells Fargo Offers $250,000 in Assistance for Southern CaliforniaWildfire Victims

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^{Published in Business and Finance on Monday, November 17th 2008 at 17:02 GMT by Market Wire}  

LOS ANGELES--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--To help victims of the Southern California wildfires, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) said today it is contributing $250,000 to several local agencies across Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties, including the American Red Cross Wildfire Disaster Relief Fund, to help with relief and rebuilding efforts.

"As the wildfires continue to threaten communities in Southern California, we're reaching out to help our area neighbors, friends, families and customers who've been affected by the fires," said Laura Schulte, president of Wells Fargo's Western Region. "We're also committed to helping the community rebuild and we'll work diligently to help families and business owners return to their homes and daily routines, especially when customers may face a difficult recovery."

Wells Fargo customers also may donate to the American Red Cross at more than 1,000 Wells Fargo ATMs throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Customers will not be charged a fee for using this service and 100 percent of the donation will be sent to the American Red Cross.

Wells Fargo customers affected by the fires should contact their banker and to visit their nearest Wells Fargo store to discuss financial options. Wells Fargo will work one-on-one with its consumer and business customers to explore case-by-case assistance. Customers also can contact Wells Fargo 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-TO-WELLS (1-800-869-3557).

Assistance available includes:

• Wells Fargo Home Mortgage: Affected customers with existing home mortgages should call to inquire about payment options available to eligible customers.
• Credit and ATM/Check Cards: All impacted Wells Fargo Credit Card, ATM Card and Check Card customers are encouraged to call Wells Fargo to discuss case-by-case assistance available to qualified customers, such as payment options, credit line increases, and daily limit increases on Check Cards and ATM Cards. Customer service representatives are available 24/7.
• Wells Fargo Financial/Wells Fargo Auto Finance: Affected customers with existing home mortgages or other loans or lines through Wells Fargo Financial or auto loans through Wells Fargo Auto Finance should call Wells Fargo to explore case-by-case assistance.
• Wells Fargo Merchant Services: Affected customers with existing merchant services accounts should contact Wells Fargo to inquire about payment options available to qualified customers.
• Small Business: Several programs and services are available for qualified business customers including Credit Protection activation, emergency credit line increases, bridge and term loans, loan payment deferrals, skip-a-payments, fee waivers and case-by-case assistance.
• Wells Fargo Home Equity: Affected customers with existing home equity lines/loans should call to inquire about options available to qualified customers.
• Personal Credit Management: Unsecured loans ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 at a special rate are available to qualified customers in the affected areas.

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $622 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance through almost 6,000 stores and the internet ([ wellsfargo.com ]) across North America and internationally. The Company works with thousands of communities across North America to promote economic self-sufficiency, education, social services, the arts and the environment. Since 2006, the Company has given $200 million in grants to 14,000 nonprofits, making Wells Fargo one of America's largest corporate givers. In 2007 Wells Fargo team members contributed 796,000 volunteer hours to improve the quality of life where they live and work. Wells Fargo seeks to integrate environmental stewardship into its operations, business practices and culture, is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders program and has been listed on the Carbon Disclosure Project's Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. For more about Wells Fargo's achievements in Social Responsibility: [ www.wellsfargo.com/about/csr ].