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HARTFORD, Conn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is inviting thousands of Connecticut-area homeowners to attend a free workshop providing one-on-one consultation sessions for customers who are facing financial hardships and experiencing problems paying their mortgages. Wells Fargo mortgage customers facing financial hardships can schedule appointments for Tuesday, December 20, between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford. Bilingual representatives will be available to assist customers on site. Although walk-ins are welcome, registration is strongly recommended to guarantee customers the opportunity to meet in-person and one-on-one with a representative. Customers should sign up by Sunday, December 18at [ www.wfhmevents.com/leadingthewayhome ]. For more information call 1-800-405-8067.

aWeave intentionally scheduled our Home Preservation Workshop to closely follow the November 15 Mortgage Foreclosure Workshop sponsored by the State of Connecticutas Department of Banking and the Attorney Generalas office to build on the outreach to customers who attended that event, as well as to reach out to others who did not attend,a said Joe Kirk, Wells Fargoas regional president for New York and Connecticut. aWells Fargo is committed to helping people stay in their homes, and this workshop is yet another example of our efforts to reach out to homeowners facing payment challenges and provide answers about the options available for them. We want to do all we can to help our customers succeed financially, and we encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity.a

More than 50home retention team members will be available to meet with customers to confidentially discuss their financial situation and potential options. Customers can also find out about their eligibility for programs a" like the governmentas Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) a" that may help homeowners facing financial challenges remain in their homes. It is important that customers bring all of their home mortgage documents, recent pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements and all of the other documentation they would provide if they were applying for a home loan to facilitate prompt decisioning. In some cases homeowners will receive a decision on a loan modification, workout or other options on site or shortly following the workshop. In addition, they will be assigned a single point of contact to continue discussions going forward so they can speak to the same person about their case.

Since September 2009, Wells Fargo has met with more than 28,000 customers at its Home Preservation Workshops and from January 2009 through October 2011, the company has modified 721,116mortgage loans a" of which 609,148, or 84 percent, were done outside of HAMP. In the third quarter of 2011, approximately 92 percent of Wells Fargoas mortgage customers remained current on their loan payments and the companyas delinquency and foreclosure rates remain significantly below the industry average, according to data published by Inside Mortgage Finance. As a result, fewer than 2% percent of the loans secured by owner-occupied homes and serviced by Wells Fargo resulted in foreclosure sale in the last 12 months.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 23 on Fortuneas 2011 rankings of Americaas largest corporations. Wells Fargoas vision is to satisfy all our customersa financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is an equal housing lender.