Wells Fargo Supports Veterans With Housing, Career Transition Assistance

SAN FRANCISCO, November 8, 2019 /3BL Media/ – Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:  WFC) announced the company has donated more than $170 million overall since 2012 to military- and veteran-related nonprofits that support housing, career transition, financial education and more.  

As part of the company’s commitment to helping communities succeed, Wells Fargo launched its Military Affairs Program in 2012 to expand the company’s outreach to members of the military, veterans and their families who may be facing financial hardships.

Highlights

• Donated more than 400 mortgage-free homes, valued at more than $60 million, to support veterans in all 50 states, and through several programs provided more than $26 million in grants to support sustainable housing and homeownership for veterans.
• Sponsored the donation of more than 30 vehicles — plus financial mentoring — to veterans and Gold Star families across the U.S., with a value of more than $1 million.
• Hired more than 12,000 veterans, and participated in more than 1,350 military job fairs. In addition, more than 200 Wells Fargo team members are on military leave at any given time.
• Launched Hands on Banking® for Military, a financial education program. It has been shared online, in print and in person — to groups or one-on-one — with more than 1.5 million military service members, veterans and their families since July 2013.

“It’s an honor to give back to our military, veterans and their families who have given so much for us and our freedoms,” said Army reservist Jerry Quinn, head of Military & Veteran Initiatives at Wells Fargo. “We’re inspired by the many stakeholders that join us to make our housing, financial education, career transition and other initiatives a success. By working together, we are able to have more meaningful impact.”

Housing initiatives

This fall, former Army Cpl. Matt Burgess was presented with a rehabilitated home near Fort Benning, Georgia, and a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to continue training rescue dogs to be service dogs for veterans. Wells Fargo team members volunteered more than 300 hours to repair, clean and paint 15 homes for wounded veterans, including Burgess’s home. The company presented a $100,000 grant to House of Heroes to assist with creating handicap-accessible bathrooms at the homes of several low- to moderate-income veterans and their families. Many of these veterans have been on a waiting list for several years to receive assistance with vital repairs.

“Our veterans have sacrificed so much and deserve a place to call home,” said Susan Wood, executive director of House of Heroes. “It was such an honor to witness Cpl. Burgess receive a grant to continue the life-saving work he’s doing with veterans and their service dogs, and we couldn’t appreciate Wells Fargo more for all they’ve supported in our organization and for veterans nationwide.”

Career transition

In August, Wells Fargo Advisors, a Wells Fargo affiliate, welcomed 22 active duty service members to its campus as part of a 12-week Corporate Fellowship Program in collaboration with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative. Service members were immersed in on-the-job training designed to show them how their experience in the military can translate into a career in financial services. The program will expand in 2020 to include additional lines of business at Wells Fargo.

“This program brought us talented service members who have an unparalleled commitment to duty and country,” said Matt Sebenoler, an Army veteran and Wells Fargo Advisors Next Generation Talent Strategic Initiatives manager. “The challenge has always been helping service members translate their skills to business, and the Corporate Fellowship Program addresses that directly by showing them how.”

Veteran entrepreneurs

Wells Fargo recently teamed with “Hiring America,” a nationally syndicated TV show, to develop a series that highlights veteran entrepreneurs, tools and resources, and the powerful connections between veteran and business communities. Scheduled for early 2020, the series’ goal is to increase veteran entrepreneurship in all 50 states.

“We are thrilled to work with Wells Fargo to share the journey of three veteran entrepreneurs as they develop their businesses,” said Bill Deutch, CEO, Hiring America. “We hope that their stories will serve to educate veterans on resources that are available to them as well as inspire others to follow their dreams and start their own businesses.”

Learn more about Wells Fargo’s support for military service members, veterans and their families: https://stories.wf.com/series/military

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, Members SIPC, separate registered broker-dealers and non-bank affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company. Wells Fargo Advisors associates referenced are registered with Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,500 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 32 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 261,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune’s 2019 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

Media

Lisa Westermann, 415-845-7759
Lisa.b.Westermann@wellsfargo.com
@LWestermannWF