Claims Accepted in Wells Fargo Discrimination Settlement

On May 31, 2011, Wells Fargo entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The agreement requires Wells Fargo to compensate certain individuals who experienced disability discrimination in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when trying to call Wells Fargo or Wachovia, visit a Wells Fargo or Wachovia bank or retail store, or otherwise access Wells Fargo or Wachovia services before May 31, 2011.

Any person who experienced disability-based discrimination that happened before May 31, 2011 in violation of Title III of the ADA based on something Wells Fargo or Wachovia did or didn’t do may be eligible for compensation under this settlement agreement.

All types of disability discrimination can be claimed; for example, physical inaccessibility at bank branches, refusal by a bank branch to provide documents in alternate formats, policies that cause barriers to equal access by individuals with disabilities and refusal to accept relay calls.

The deadline to file a claim for compensation is January 29, 2012. If you or someone you know may be eligible, it is important to file a claim for compensation by that date.

Begin the process of filing a claim by sending your name, address, email address, and day and evening telephone numbers by email to WFclaims@usdoj.gov or by leaving a message at 866-708-1273 (voice mail) or 866-544-5309 (TTY).

This claims process also helps to identify ADA violations to be fixed by Wells Fargo (i.e., physical inaccessibility at retail stores and policies that cause barriers to equal access by individuals with disabilities). Please visit www.ada.gov/wells_fargo/ for more information about the settlement or the claims process.