Wells Fargo, the fifth-largest U.S. bank, waded into the mess by saying it will recognize $1.4 billion in losses in the fourth quarter on home equity loans that aren’t being repaid as the real estate slump deepens in California, the Midwest and other major markets.
Until Wells Fargo’s disclosure late Tuesday, the San Francisco-based bank had been largely unscathed by the turmoil that has battered a long list of other major lenders.
“Clearly, this is a disappointment because (Wells) had been seen as better managers of credit than many other big banks,” said RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Morford. “But now they have a big blemish on them, too.”
After gaining 34 cents to finish at $29.83 in Tuesday’s regular session, Wells Fargo shares plunged $1.40, or 4.7 percent, in the extended trading that followed a Securities and Exchange Commission filing outlining the bank’s home equity loan losses.
“Maybe people are going to be freaked out about Wells Fargo’s losses, but they shouldn’t be,” said Punk, Ziegel & Co. analyst Richard Bove. “Wells Fargo isn’t superhuman and they made some bad loans just like everyone else.”