UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 | Commission File Number 001-2979 |
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | No. 41-0449260 | |
(State of incorporation) |
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.) |
420 Montgomery Street, San
Francisco, California 94104
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
Registrants telephone number, including area code: 1-800-333-0343
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Name of Each Exchange
Title of Each Class
on Which Registered
New York Stock Exchange
Chicago Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
No securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934).
At June 30, 2003, the aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $83,262 million, based on a closing price of $50.40. At February 27, 2004, 1,699,182,753 shares of common stock were outstanding.
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Portions of the Companys 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Parts I, II and IV of this Form 10-K, and portions of the Companys definitive Proxy Statement for its 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. The cross-reference index on the following page identifies by page numbers the portions of each document that are incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K. Only those portions identified in the cross-reference index are incorporated into this Form 10-K.
FORM 10-K CROSS-REFERENCE INDEX
(1) | The information required to be submitted in response to these items is incorporated by reference to the identified portions of the Companys 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders. Pages 33 through 109 of the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders have been filed as Exhibit 13 to this Form 10-K. | |
(2) | The information required to be submitted in response to these items is incorporated by reference to the identified portions of the Companys definitive Proxy Statement for the 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on April 27, 2004, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A. | |
(3) | Not applicable. | |
(4) | Not including information under Audit and Examination Committee Report. |
1
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
General
Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company organized under the laws of Delaware and registered as a bank holding company and financial holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (BHC Act). Based on assets at December 31, 2003, it was the fifth largest bank holding company in the United States. In this report, Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries (consolidated) is referred to as the Company and Wells Fargo & Company alone is referred to as the Parent.
The Company engages in banking and a variety of related financial services businesses. Retail, commercial and corporate banking services are provided through banking stores in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Other financial services are provided by subsidiaries engaged in various businesses, principally: wholesale banking, mortgage banking, consumer finance, equipment leasing, agricultural finance, commercial finance, securities brokerage and investment banking, insurance agency services, computer and data processing services, trust services, mortgage-backed securities servicing and venture capital investment.
In November 2003, the Company received federal regulatory approval to consolidate 19 of its nationally chartered banks into a single, national community bank charter. The Company consolidated banks with stores in six states (Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming) with and into Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., whose stores already serviced customers primarily in California. The Company completed the consolidation in February 2004, which also included transfers of certain stores in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington to Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
The Company has three operating segments for management reporting purposes: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking and Wells Fargo Financial. The 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders includes financial information and descriptions of these operating segments.
The Company had 140,000 full-time equivalent team members at December 31, 2003.
History and Growth
The Company is the product of the merger involving Norwest Corporation and the former Wells Fargo & Company, completed on November 2, 1998 (the WFC Merger). On completion of the WFC Merger, Norwest Corporation changed its name to Wells Fargo & Company.
Norwest Corporation was organized in 1929 under the laws of the State of Delaware. Prior to the WFC Merger, it provided banking services to customers in 16 states and additional financial services through subsidiaries engaged in a variety of businesses including mortgage banking and consumer finance.
2
The former Wells Fargo & Companys principal subsidiary, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., was the successor to the banking portion of the business founded by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo in 1852. That business later operated the westernmost leg of the Pony Express and ran stagecoach lines in the western part of the United States. The California banking business was separated from the express business in 1905, merged in 1960 with American Trust Company, another of the oldest banks in the Western United States, and became Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., a national banking association, in 1968.
In April 1996, the former Wells Fargo & Company acquired First Interstate Bancorp, a $55 billion bank holding company in a transaction valued at $11 billion. In October 2000, the Company acquired First Security Corporation, a $23 billion bank holding company in a transaction valued at $3 billion.
The Company expands its business, in part, by acquiring banking institutions and other companies engaged in activities that are financial in nature. The Company continues to explore opportunities to acquire banking institutions and other financial services companies. Discussions are continually being carried on related to such possible acquisitions. The Company cannot predict whether, or on what terms, such discussions will result in further acquisitions. As a matter of policy, the Company generally does not comment on such discussions or possible acquisitions until a definitive acquisition agreement has been signed.
Competition
The financial services industry is highly competitive. The Companys subsidiaries compete with financial services providers, such as banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, finance companies, mortgage banking companies, insurance companies, and money market and mutual fund companies. They also face increased competition from nonbank institutions such as brokerage houses and insurance companies, as well as from financial services subsidiaries of commercial and manufacturing companies. Many of these competitors enjoy fewer regulatory constraints and some may have lower cost structures.
Securities firms and insurance companies that elect to become financial holding companies may acquire banks and other financial institutions. Acquisitions of this type could significantly change the competitive environment in which the Company conducts business. The financial services industry is also likely to become more competitive as further technological advances enable more companies to provide financial services. These technological advances may diminish the importance of depository institutions and other financial intermediaries in the transfer of funds between parties.
REGULATION AND SUPERVISION
The following discussion, together with Notes 3 (Cash, Loan and Dividend Restrictions) and 26 (Regulatory and Agency Capital Requirements) to Financial Statements included in the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders sets forth the material elements of the regulatory framework applicable to bank holding companies and their subsidiaries and provides certain information specific to us. This regulatory framework is intended to protect depositors, federal deposit
3
insurance funds and the banking system as a whole, and not to protect security holders. To the extent that the information describes statutory and regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by reference to those provisions. Further, such statutes, regulations and policies are continually under review by Congress and state legislatures, and federal and state regulatory agencies. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to us, including changes in interpretation or implementation thereof, could have a material effect on the Companys business.
Applicable laws and regulations could restrict our ability to diversify into other areas of financial services, acquire depository institutions, and pay dividends on our capital stock. The Company may also be required to provide financial support to one or more of its subsidiary banks, maintain capital balances in excess of those desired by management, and pay higher deposit insurance premiums as a result of a general deterioration in the financial condition of depository institutions.
General
Parent Bank Holding Company. As a bank holding company, the Parent is subject to regulation under the BHC Act and to inspection, examination and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board or FRB).
Subsidiary Banks. The Companys national subsidiary banks are subject to regulation and examination primarily by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and secondarily by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the FRB. The Companys state-chartered banks are subject to primary federal regulation and examination by the FDIC and, in addition, are regulated and examined by their respective state banking departments.
Nonbank Subsidiaries. Many of the Companys nonbank subsidiaries are also subject to regulation by the FRB and other applicable federal and state agencies. The Companys brokerage subsidiaries are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and state securities regulators. The Companys insurance subsidiaries are subject to regulation by applicable state insurance regulatory agencies. The Companys other nonbank subsidiaries may be subject to the laws and regulations of the federal government and/or the various states in which they conduct business.
4
Parent Bank Holding Company Activities
Financial in Nature Requirement. As a bank holding company that has elected to become a financial holding company pursuant to the BHC Act, the Company may affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in other activities that are financial in nature or incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature. Financial in nature activities include securities underwriting, dealing and market making, sponsoring mutual funds and investment companies, insurance underwriting and agency, merchant banking, and activities that the FRB, in consultation with the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, determines from time to time to be financial in nature or incidental to such financial activity or is complementary to a financial activity and does not pose a safety and soundness risk.
FRB approval is not required for the Company to acquire a company (other than a bank holding company, bank or savings association) engaged in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to activities that are financial in nature, as determined by the FRB. Prior FRB approval is required before the Company may acquire the beneficial ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares or substantially all of the assets of a bank holding company, bank or savings association.
Because the Company is a financial holding company, if any of its subsidiary banks ceases to be well capitalized or well managed under applicable regulatory standards, the FRB may, among other actions, order the Company to divest the subsidiary bank. Alternatively, the Company may elect to restrict its activities to those permissible for a bank holding company that is not also a financial holding company.
Also, because the Company is a financial holding company, if any of our subsidiary banks receives a rating under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, as amended (CRA), of less than satisfactory, the Company will be prohibited, until the rating is raised to satisfactory or better, from engaging in new activities or acquiring companies other than bank holding companies, banks or savings associations, except that the Company could engage in new activities, or acquire companies engaged in activities that are closely related to banking under the BHC Act.
The Company became a financial holding company effective March 13, 2000. It continues to maintain its status as a bank holding company for purposes of other FRB regulations.
Interstate Banking . Under the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Act (Riegle-Neal Act), a bank holding company may acquire banks in states other than its home state, subject to any state requirement that the bank has been organized and operating for a minimum period of time, not to exceed five years, and the requirement that the bank holding company not control, prior to or following the proposed acquisition, more than 10% of the total amount of deposits of insured depository institutions nationwide or, unless the acquisition is the bank holding companys initial entry into the state, more than 30% of such deposits in the state (or such lesser or greater amount set by the state).
5
The Riegle-Neal Act also authorizes banks to merge across state lines, thereby creating interstate branches. Banks are also permitted to acquire and to establish new branches in other states where authorized under the laws of those states.
Regulatory Approval. In determining whether to approve a proposed bank acquisition, federal bank regulators will consider, among other factors, the effect of the acquisition on competition, the public benefits expected to be received from the acquisition, the projected capital ratios and levels on a post-acquisition basis, and the acquiring institutions record of addressing the credit needs of the communities it serves, including the needs of low and moderate income neighborhoods, consistent with the safe and sound operation of the bank, under the CRA.
Dividend Restrictions
The Parent is a legal entity separate and distinct from its subsidiary banks and other subsidiaries. Its principal source of funds to pay dividends on its common and preferred stock and principal and interest on its debt is dividends from its subsidiaries. Various federal and state statutory provisions and regulations limit the amount of dividends the Parents subsidiary banks and certain other subsidiaries may pay without regulatory approval. For information about the restrictions applicable to the Parents subsidiary banks, see Note 3 (Cash, Loan and Dividend Restrictions) to Financial Statements included in the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders.
Federal bank regulatory agencies have the authority to prohibit the Parents subsidiary banks from engaging in unsafe or unsound practices in conducting their businesses. The payment of dividends, depending on the financial condition of the bank in question, could be deemed an unsafe or unsound practice. The ability of the Parents subsidiary banks to pay dividends in the future is currently, and could be further, influenced by bank regulatory policies and capital guidelines.
Holding Company Structure
Transfer of Funds from Subsidiary Banks. The Parents subsidiary banks are subject to restrictions under federal law that limit the transfer of funds or other items of value from such subsidiaries to the Parent and its nonbank subsidiaries (including affiliates) in so-called covered transactions. In general, covered transactions include loans and other extensions of credit, investments and asset purchases, as well as certain other transactions involving the transfer of value from a subsidiary bank to an affiliate or for the benefit of an affiliate. Unless an exemption applies, covered transactions by a subsidiary bank with a single affiliate are limited to 10% of the subsidiary banks capital and surplus and, with respect to all covered transactions with affiliates in the aggregate, to 20% of the subsidiary banks capital and surplus. Also, loans and extensions of credit to affiliates generally are required to be secured in specified amounts. A banks transactions with its nonbank affiliates are also generally required to be on arms length terms.
Source of Strength. The FRB has a policy that a bank holding company is expected to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to each of its subsidiary banks and, under appropriate circumstances, to commit resources to support each such subsidiary bank. This support may be
6
required at times when the bank holding company may not have the resources to provide the support.
The OCC may order the assessment of the Parent if the capital of one of its national bank subsidiaries were to become impaired. If the Parent failed to pay the assessment within three months, the OCC could order the sale of the Parents stock in the national bank to cover the deficiency.
Capital loans by the Parent to any of its subsidiary banks are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and certain other indebtedness of the subsidiary bank. In addition, in the event of the Parents bankruptcy, any commitment by the Parent to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to a priority of payment.
Depositor Preference. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDI Act) provides that, in the event of the liquidation or other resolution of an insured depository institution, the claims of depositors of the institution (including the claims of the FDIC as subrogee of insured depositors) and certain claims for administrative expenses of the FDIC as a receiver will have priority over other general unsecured claims against the institution. If an insured depository institution fails, insured and uninsured depositors, along with the FDIC, will have priority in payment ahead of unsecured, nondeposit creditors, including the Parent, with respect to any extensions of credit they have made to such insured depository institution.
Liability of Commonly Controlled Institutions. All of the Parents banks are insured by the FDIC. FDIC-insured depository institutions can be held liable for any loss incurred, or reasonably expected to be incurred, by the FDIC due to the default of an FDIC-insured depository institution controlled by the same bank holding company, and for any assistance provided by the FDIC to an FDIC-insured depository institution that is in danger of default and that is controlled by the same bank holding company. Default means generally the appointment of a conservator or receiver. In danger of default means generally the existence of certain conditions indicating that a default is likely to occur in the absence of regulatory assistance.
Capital Requirements
The Parent is subject to regulatory capital requirements and guidelines imposed by the FRB, which are substantially similar to the capital requirements and guidelines imposed by the FRB, the OCC and the FDIC on depository institutions within their jurisdictions. For information about these capital requirements and guidelines, see Note 26 (Regulatory and Agency Capital Requirements) to Financial Statements included in the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders.
The FRB may set higher capital requirements for holding companies whose circumstances warrant it. For example, holding companies experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions are expected to maintain strong capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets. Also, the FRB considers a tangible Tier 1 leverage ratio (deducting all intangibles) and other indications of capital strength in evaluating proposals for expansion or engaging in new activities.
7
Effective April 1, 2002, the FRB, OCC and FDIC issued new rules governing the capital treatment of nonfinancial equity investments, which includes investments made by the Companys venture capital subsidiaries. The rules impose a capital charge that increases incrementally as the level of nonfinancial equity investments increases relative to Tier 1 capital. For covered investments that total less than 15% of Tier 1 capital, the rules require a Tier 1 capital charge of 8% of the adjusted carrying value of the covered investments. For covered investments that total 15% or more but less than 25%, the Tier 1 capital charge is 12%, and for covered investments that total 25% or more, the Tier 1 capital charge is 25%. The new rules have not had a material impact on the Company.
Historically, issuer trusts that issued trust preferred securities have been consolidated by their parent companies and trust preferred securities have been treated as eligible for Tier 1 capital treatment by bank holding companies under FRB rules and regulations relating to minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries. Applying the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 46 (revised December 2003), Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, we deconsolidated the issuer trusts as of December 31, 2003. In a Supervisory Letter dated July 2, 2003, the FRB stated that trust preferred securities continue to qualify as Tier 1 capital until notice is given to the contrary. The FRB will review the regulatory implications of any accounting treatment changes and will provide further guidance if necessary or warranted.
FRB, FDIC and OCC rules also require the Company to incorporate market and interest rate risk components into its regulatory capital computations. Under the market risk requirements, capital is allocated to support the amount of market risk related to a financial institutions ongoing trading activities.
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision continues to evaluate certain aspects of the proposed New Basel Capital Accord. The New Basel Capital Accord incorporates three pillars that address (a) minimum capital requirements, (b) supervisory review, which relates to an institutions capital adequacy and internal assessment process, and (c) market discipline, through effective disclosure to encourage safe and sound banking practices. Embodied within these pillars are aspects of risk assessment that relate to credit risk, interest rate risk, operational risk, among others, and certain proposed approaches by the Basel Committee to complete such assessments may be considered complex. The Company continues to monitor the status of the New Basel Capital Accord.
From time to time, the FRB and the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) propose changes and amendments to, and issue interpretations of, risk-based capital guidelines and related reporting instructions. Such proposals or interpretations could, if implemented in the future, affect the Companys reported capital ratios and net risk-adjusted assets.
As an additional means to identify problems in the financial management of depository institutions, the FDI Act requires federal bank regulatory agencies to establish certain non-capital safety and soundness standards for institutions for which they are the primary federal regulator. The standards relate generally to operations and management, asset quality, interest rate exposure
8
and executive compensation. The agencies are authorized to take action against institutions that fail to meet such standards.
The FDI Act requires federal bank regulatory agencies to take prompt corrective action with respect to FDIC-insured depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. A depository institutions treatment for purposes of the prompt corrective action provisions will depend upon how its capital levels compare to various capital measures and certain other factors, as established by regulation.
Deposit Insurance Assessments
Through the Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) and the Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF), the FDIC insures the deposits of the Parents depository institution subsidiaries up to prescribed limits for each depositor. The amount of FDIC assessments paid by a BIF and SAIF member institution is based on its relative risk of default as measured by regulatory capital ratios and other factors. Specifically, the assessment rate is based on the institutions capitalization risk category and supervisory subgroup category. An institutions capitalization risk category is based on the FDICs determination of whether the institution is well capitalized, adequately capitalized or less than adequately capitalized. An institutions supervisory subgroup category is based on the FDICs assessment of the financial condition of the institution and the probability that FDIC intervention or other corrective action will be required.
The BIF and SAIF assessment rate currently ranges from zero to 27 cents per $100 of domestic deposits. The BIF and SAIF assessment rate for the Parents depository institutions currently is zero. The FDIC may increase or decrease the assessment rate schedule on a semi-annual basis. An increase in the assessment rate could have a material adverse effect on the Parents earnings, depending on the amount of the increase. The FDIC is authorized to terminate a depository institutions deposit insurance upon a finding by the FDIC that the institutions financial condition is unsafe or unsound or that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices or has violated any applicable rule, regulation, order or condition enacted or imposed by the institutions regulatory agency. The termination of deposit insurance for one or more of the Parents subsidiary depository institutions could have a material adverse effect on the Parents earnings, depending on the collective size of the particular institutions involved.
All FDIC-insured depository institutions must pay an annual assessment to provide funds for the payment of interest on bonds issued by the Financing Corporation, a federal corporation chartered under the authority of the Federal Housing Finance Board. The bonds (commonly referred to as FICO bonds) were issued to capitalize the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation. FDIC-insured depository institutions paid approximately 1.6 cents per $100 of BIF-assessable deposits in 2003. The FDIC established the FICO assessment rate effective for the first quarter of 2004 at approximately 1.5 cents annually per $100 of assessable deposits.
Fiscal and Monetary Policies
The Companys business and earnings are affected significantly by the fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies. The Company is particularly affected by the
9
policies of the FRB, which regulates the supply of money and credit in the United States. Among the instruments of monetary policy available to the FRB are (a) conducting open market operations in United States government securities, (b) changing the discount rates of borrowings of depository institutions, (c) imposing or changing reserve requirements against depository institutions deposits, and (d) imposing or changing reserve requirements against certain borrowings by banks and their affiliates. These methods are used in varying degrees and combinations to directly affect the availability of bank loans and deposits, as well as the interest rates charged on loans and paid on deposits. The policies of the FRB may have a material effect on the Companys business, results of operations and financial condition.
Privacy Provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
Federal banking regulators, as required under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the GLB Act), have adopted rules limiting the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose nonpublic information about consumers to nonaffiliated third parties. The rules require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to nonaffiliated third parties. The privacy provisions of the GLB Act affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial services companies and conveyed to outside vendors.
Future Legislation
Various legislation, including proposals to change substantially the financial institution regulatory system, is from time to time introduced in Congress. This legislation may change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Company in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, this legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Company cannot predict whether any of this potential legislation will be enacted and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the Companys business, results of operations or financial condition.
10
ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET INTEREST INCOME
The following table allocates the changes in net interest income on a
taxable-equivalent basis to changes in either average balances or average rates
for both interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. Because of
the numerous simultaneous volume and rate changes during any period, it is not
possible to precisely allocate such changes between volume and rate. For this
table, changes that are not solely due to either volume or rate are allocated
to these categories in proportion to the percentage changes in average volume
and average rate.
Year ended December 31
,
2003 over 2002
2002 over 2001
(in millions)
Volume
Rate
Total
Volume
Rate
Total
$
14
$
(17
)
$
(3
)
$
2
$
(53
)
$
(51
)
(24
)
(13
)
(37
)
(22
)
(20
)
(42
)
24
5
29
6
7
13
(617
)
37
(580
)
(68
)
7
(61
)
(23
)
(20
)
(43
)
42
(27
)
15
8
8
(20
)
(2
)
(22
)
1,034
(348
)
686
1,005
(150
)
855
71
(72
)
(1
)
34
(99
)
(65
)
51
(339
)
(288
)
(164
)
(568
)
(732
)
1,358
(428
)
930
640
(216
)
424
26
(189
)
(163
)
93
(459
)
(366
)
2
(47
)
(45
)
(12
)
(191
)
(203
)
407
(354
)
53
596
(432
)
164
100
(14
)
86
69
(71
)
(2
)
547
(309
)
238
69
(268
)
(199
)
23
(4
)
19
4
(24
)
(20
)
78
(17
)
61
34
(32
)
2
57
(67
)
(10
)
101
(44
)
57
3,136
(2,196
)
940
2,409
(2,642
)
(233
)
(7
)
(7
)
4
(25
)
(21
)
111
(299
)
(188
)
241
(1,023
)
(782
)
(99
)
(152
)
(251
)
(250
)
(500
)
(750
)
223
(71
)
152
152
(66
)
86
14
(26
)
(12
)
(41
)
(126
)
(167
)
(50
)
(164
)
(214
)
(22
)
(715
)
(737
)
337
(386
)
(49
)
349
(771
)
(422
)
20
(17
)
3
67
(38
)
29
556
(1,122
)
(566
)
500
(3,264
)
(2,764
)
$
2,580
$
(1,074
)
$
1,506
$
1,909
$
622
$
2,531
11
LOAN PORTFOLIO
The following table presents the remaining contractual principal maturities of
selected loan categories at December 31, 2003.
December 31, 2003
,
Over one year
through five years
Over five years
Floating
Floating
or
or
One year
Fixed
adjustable
Fixed
adjustable
(in millions)
or less
rate
rate
rate
rate
Total
$
16,232
$
4,692
$
19,801
$
1,063
$
6,941
$
48,729
745
1,386
233
31,891
49,280
83,535
4,330
3,377
7,579
4,308
7,998
27,592
3,514
458
3,084
189
964
8,209
306
1,652
270
217
6
2,451
$
25,127
$
11,565
$
30,967
$
37,668
$
65,189
$
170,516
At December 31, 2003, the Company did not have loan concentrations that exceeded 10% of total loans except as disclosed in the following tables.
At December 31, 2003, commercial loans (not including commercial real estate
loans) included agricultural loans (loans to finance agricultural production
and other loans to farmers) of $4,031 million, or 2% of total loans.
REAL ESTATE 1-4 FAMILY FIRST AND JUNIOR LIEN MORTGAGE LOANS BY STATE
December 31, 2003
Total real
Real estate 1-4
Real estate 1-4
estate 1-4
family first
family junior
family
% of total
(in millions)
mortgage
lien mortgage
mortgage
loans
$
34,535
$
14,752
$
49,287
19
%
4,611
2,300
6,911
3
3,903
1,021
4,924
2
2,818
1,652
4,470
2
2,417
1,422
3,839
2
2,078
1,212
3,290
1
2,493
722
3,215
1
2,370
812
3,182
1
2,039
800
2,839
1
1,721
764
2,485
1
24,550
11,172
35,722
14
$
83,535
$
36,629
$
120,164
47
%
12
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS
(OTHER REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE AND REAL ESTATE CONSTRUCTION)
December 31, 2003
Total
Other real estate
Real estate
commercial
% of total
(in millions)
mortgage
construction
real estate
loans
$
11,236
$
2,123
$
13,359
5
%
2,750
804
3,554
1
1,670
469
2,139
1
1,285
480
1,765
1
1,235
394
1,629
1
1,143
450
1,593
1
8,273
3,489
11,762
4
$
27,592
$
8,209
$
35,801
14
%
$
7,576
$
912
$
8,488
3
%
4,076
1,319
5,395
2
4,821
471
5,292
2
2,311
810
3,121
1
119
2,245
2,364
1
1,304
801
2,105
1
1,808
283
2,091
1
5,577
1,368
6,945
3
$
27,592
$
8,209
$
35,801
14
%
13
ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES
Indicators of the credit quality of our loan portfolio and the method of
determining the allowance for loan losses are discussed below and in greater
detail in the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders. The ratio of the allowance to
net charge-offs was 226% and 228% at December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.
This ratio is indicative of stable or improving loss rates within the various
business lines during 2003 and is directionally consistent with a generally
improved and less volatile economic environment compared with the prior year.
The ratio of the allowance for loan losses to total nonaccrual loans was 267%
and 256% at December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. This ratio may fluctuate
significantly from period to period due to such factors as the mix of loan
types in the portfolio, borrower credit strength and the value and
marketability of collateral.
ALLOCATION OF THE ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES
The table below provides a breakdown of the allowance for loan losses by loan category.
December 31
,
(in millions)
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
$
917
$
865
$
882
$
798
$
655
176
104
76
57
64
444
307
276
220
220
63
53
86
69
58
92
62
43
38
28
443
386
394
394
349
802
597
604
516
400
1,337
1,045
1,041
948
777
40
75
111
29
39
95
86
116
95
62
3,072
2,535
2,588
2,216
1,875
819
1,284
1,129
1,465
1,437
$
3,891
$
3,819
$
3,717
$
3,681
$
3,312
December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
Alloc.
Loan
Alloc.
Loan
Alloc.
Loan
Alloc.
Loan
Alloc.
Loan
allow.
catgry
allow.
catgry
allow.
catgry
allow.
catgry
allow.
catgry
as %
as %
as %
as %
as %
as %
as %
as %
as %
as %
of loan
of total
of loan
of total
of loan
of total
of loan
of total
of loan
of total
catgry
loans
catgry
loans
catgry
loans
catgry
loans
catgry
loans
1.88
%
19
%
1.83
%
24
%
1.86
%
28
%
1.58
%
33
%
1.57
%
33
%
.21
33
.24
23
.26
18
.30
12
.47
11
1.61
11
1.21
13
1.11
15
.92
15
1.05
16
.77
3
.68
4
1.10
5
.89
5
.96
5
.25
15
.22
15
.20
13
.22
11
.22
10
5.30
3
5.18
4
5.88
4
5.96
4
6.01
5
2.42
13
2.27
14
2.57
14
2.15
16
1.94
16
1.71
31
1.69
33
2.00
31
1.98
31
1.98
31
.89
2
1.84
2
2.76
2
.67
3
1.09
3
3.88
%
1
4.50
%
1
7.26
%
1
5.85
%
1
3.88
%
1
1.21
%
100
%
1.32
%
100
%
1.55
%
100
%
1.43
%
100
%
1.48
%
100
%
.33
.66
.67
.94
1.13
1.54
%
1.98
%
2.22
%
2.37
%
2.61
%
(1) | This amount and any unabsorbed portion of the allocated allowance are also available for any of the above listed loan categories. |
14
See Note 5 (Loans and Allowance for Loan Losses) to Financial Statements included in the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders for a description of the process used by the Company to determine the adequacy and the components (allocated and unallocated) of the allowance for loan losses.
At December 31, 2003, the allowance for loan losses was $3,891 million, or 1.54% of total loans, compared with $3,819 million, or 1.98%, at December 31, 2002. During 2003, the net provision for loan losses approximated charge-offs. The components of the allowance, allocated and unallocated, are shown in the table on the previous page. The allocated component increased to $3,072 million at December 31, 2003 from $2,535 million at December 31, 2002, while the unallocated decreased to $819 million at December 31, 2003 from $1,284 million at December 31, 2002. At December 31, 2003, the unallocated portion of the allowance was 21% of the total allowance, compared with 34% at December 31, 2002.
The allocated component of the allowance increased $537 million from 2002 to 2003. Two-thirds of the increase, or $373 million, was attributable to consumer loan growth, primarily other revolving credit and installment loans and, to a lesser extent, growth in residential 1-4 family first and junior lien mortgages. The remaining $164 million increase in allocated allowance also reflected loan growth as well as changes in the loan mix and risk profiles within commercial business lines, including an increase in the total allowance of $72 million from acquisitions. Changes in allocated loan loss allowances reflect managements judgment concerning the effect of trends in borrower performance and recent economic activity on portfolio performance.
The unallocated component of the allowance decreased $465 million from 2002 to 2003, primarily due to the changing mix and portfolio growth previously mentioned. The growth in consumer loans, including home mortgages, resulted in more statistically derived allocated reserves and required less reliance on judgmental assumptions built into the unallocated component of the allowance.
No material changes in estimation methodology for the allowance were made in 2003.
The Company considers the allowance for loan losses of $3,891 million adequate to cover credit losses inherent in the loan portfolio, including unfunded commitments, at December 31, 2003.
The foregoing discussion contains forward-looking statements about the adequacy of the Companys allowance for loan losses. These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. A number of factorsmany beyond our controlcould cause actual losses to be more than estimated losses. For a discussion of some of the other factors that could cause actual losses to be more than estimated losses, see Factors That May Affect Future Results in the Financial Review section of the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders.
15
PROPERTIES
The Company owns its corporate headquarters building in San Francisco, California. The Company also owns administrative facilities in Anchorage, Alaska; Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Minneapolis and Shoreview, Minnesota; Billings, Montana; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition, the Company leases office space for various administrative departments in major locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and Utah.
As of December 31, 2003, the Company provided banking, insurance, investments, mortgage banking and consumer finance through more than 5,900 stores under various types of ownership and leasehold agreements. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage (WFHM) owns its headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa and an operations/servicing center located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition, WFHM leases administrative space in Tempe, Arizona; San Bernardino and Riverside, California; Springfield, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; Frederick, Maryland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Louis, Missouri; Charlotte, North Carolina; Fort Mill, South Carolina and all mortgage production offices nationwide. Wells Fargo Financial owns its headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa and an operations center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and leases all store locations.
The Company is also a joint venture partner in an office building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.
For further information with respect to premises and equipment and commitments under noncancelable leases for premises and equipment, refer to Note 6 (Premises, Equipment, Lease Commitments and Other Assets) to Financial Statements included in the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As required by SEC rules, the Companys management evaluated the effectiveness, as of December 31, 2003, of the Companys disclosure controls and procedures. The Companys chief executive officer and chief financial officer participated in the evaluation. Based on this evaluation, the Companys chief executive officer and the chief financial officer concluded that the Companys disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2003.
Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
No change occurred during the fourth quarter of 2003 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Companys internal control over financial reporting.
16
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
Years with | ||||||||||
Name and | Company or | |||||||||
Company Position | Positions Held During the Past Five Years | Age | Predecessors | |||||||
|
||||||||||
Howard I. Atkins
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (August 2001 to Present); Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of New York Life Insurance Company (April 1996 to July 2001) | 53 | 2 | |||||||
|
||||||||||
Patricia R. Callahan
Executive Vice President (Human Resources) |
Executive Vice President (Human Resources) (November 1998 to Present) | 50 | 26 | |||||||
|
||||||||||
C. Webb Edwards
Executive Vice President (Technology and Operations) |
Executive Vice President (Technology and Operations) (November 1998 to Present); President and Chief Executive Officer of Wells Fargo Services Company (formerly known as Norwest Services, Inc. and Norwest Technical Services, Inc.) (May 1995 to Present) | 56 | 19 | |||||||
|
||||||||||
David A. Hoyt
Group Executive Vice President (Wholesale Banking) |
Group Executive Vice President (Wholesale Banking) (November 1998 to Present) | 48 | 22 | |||||||
|
||||||||||
Richard M.
Kovacevich
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer |
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer (April 2001 to Present); President and Chief Executive Officer (November 1998 to April 2001) | 60 | 18 | |||||||
|
||||||||||
Richard D. Levy
Senior Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer) |
Senior Vice President and Controller (September 2002 to Present); Senior Vice President and Controller of New York Life Insurance Company (September 1997 to August 2002) | 46 | 1 | |||||||
|
||||||||||
David J. Munio
Executive Vice President (Chief Credit Officer) |
Executive Vice President (Chief Credit Officer) (November 2001 to Present); Executive Vice President and Deputy Chief Credit Officer of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (September 1999 to November 2001); Executive Vice President (Loan Supervision) (April 1996 to September 1999) | 59 | 30 |
17
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
(continued)
Years with
Name and
Company or
Company Position
Positions Held During the Past Five Years
Age
Predecessors
Group Executive
Vice President
(Home and Consumer
Finance)
Group Executive Vice President (Home and
Consumer Finance) (September 2002 to
Present); Group Executive Vice President
(Mortgage and Home Equity) (November
1998 to August 2002); Chairman of Wells
Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc. (formerly
known as Norwest Mortgage, Inc.)
(February 1997 to Present); Chief
Executive Officer (August 1989 to
January 2001)
49
24
Executive Vice
President and
General Counsel
(Law and Government
Relations)
Executive Vice President and General
Counsel (January 2004 to Present);
Deputy General Counsel (June 2001 to
December 2003); General Counsel of Wells
Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc. (formerly
known as Norwest Mortgage, Inc.) (March
1998 to June 2001)
52
17
Group Executive
Vice President
(Community Banking)
Group Executive Vice President
(Community Banking) (July 2002 to
Present); Group Executive Vice President
(Western Banking) (May 2000 to June
2002); Group Executive Vice President
(Southwestern Banking) (November 1998 to
May 2000)
50
22
Group Executive
Vice President
(Regional Banking)
Group Executive Vice President (Regional
Banking) (July 2002 to Present); Group
Executive Vice President (California and
Border Banking) (January 2001 to June
2002); Regional President of Wells Fargo
Bank, N.A. (Central California Banking)
(December 1998 to January 2001)
44
14
There is no family relationship between any of the Companys executive officers or directors. All executive officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.
AUDIT COMMITTEE INFORMATION
The Audit and Examination Committee is a standing audit committee of the Board of Directors established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Committee has eight members: J.A. Blanchard III, Enrique Hernandez, Jr., Reatha Clark King, Cynthia H. Milligan, Benjamin F. Montoya, Philip J. Quigley, Judith M. Runstad and Susan G. Swenson. Each member is independent, as independence for audit committee members is defined by New York Stock Exchange rules. The Board of Directors has determined, in its business judgment, that each member of the Committee is financially literate, as required by New York Stock Exchange rules, and that J.A. Blanchard III, Enrique Hernandez, Jr., Cynthia H. Milligan, Philip J. Quigley and Susan G. Swenson each qualifies as an audit committee financial expert as defined by Securities and Exchange Commission regulations.
18
SEC FILINGS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTS
As soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company's annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, are available free at www.wellsfargo.com (select About Wells Fargo, then Investor Relations, then SEC Filings). They are also available free on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
The Company's Code of Ethics and Business Conduct for team members (including executive officers), Director Code of Ethics, the Company's corporate governance guidelines, and the charters for the Audit and Examination, Governance and Nominating, Human Resources, Credit, and Finance Committees are available at www.wellsfargo.com (select About Wells Fargo, then Corporate Governance). This information is also available in print to any stockholder upon written request to the Office of the Secretary, Wells Fargo & Company, MAC N9305-173, Wells Fargo Center, Sixth and Marquette, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55479.
EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K
(a) | Financial Statements, Schedules and Exhibits: |
(1) | The consolidated financial statements and related notes, the independent auditors report thereon and supplementary data that appear on pages 33 through 109 of the 2003 Annual Report to Stockholders are incorporated herein by reference. | |||
(2) | Financial Statement Schedules: | |||
All schedules are omitted, because they are either not applicable or the required information is shown in the consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto. | ||||
(3) | Exhibits: | |||
The Companys SEC file number is 001-2979. On and before November 2, 1998, the Company filed documents with the SEC under the name Norwest Corporation. The former Wells Fargo & Company filed documents under SEC file number 001-6214. First Security Corporation filed documents under SEC file number 001-6906. | ||||
Stockholders may obtain a copy of any of the following exhibits, upon payment of a reasonable fee, by writing to Wells Fargo & Company, Office of the Secretary, Wells Fargo Center, N9305-173, Sixth and Marquette, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55479. |
19
Exhibit | ||
number | Description | |
|
||
3(a)
|
Restated Certificate of Incorporation, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(b) to the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated June 28, 1993. Certificates of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3 to the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated July 3, 1995 (authorizing preference stock), Exhibits 3(b) and 3(c) to the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 1998 (changing the Companys name and increasing authorized common and preferred stock, respectively) and Exhibit 3(b) to the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2001 (increasing authorized common stock) | |
|
||
(b)
|
Certificate of Change of Location of Registered Office and Change of Registered Agent, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(b) to the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 1999 | |
|
||
(c)
|
Certificate of Designations for the Companys 1995 ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4 to the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1995 | |
|
||
(d)
|
Certificate Eliminating the Certificate of Designations for the Companys Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, Series B, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(a) to the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated November 1, 1995 | |
|
||
(e)
|
Certificate Eliminating the Certificate of Designations for the Companys 10.24% Cumulative Preferred Stock, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3 to the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated February 20, 1996 | |
|
||
(f)
|
Certificate of Designations for the Companys 1996 ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3 to the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated February 26, 1996 | |
|
||
(g)
|
Certificate of Designations for the Companys 1997 ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3 to the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 14, 1997 | |
|
||
(h)
|
Certificate of Designations for the Companys 1998 ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3 to the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 20, 1998 |
20
Certificate of Designations for the Companys
Adjustable Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series B,
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(j) to the Companys
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September
30, 1998
Certificate Eliminating the Certificate of
Designations for the Companys Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(a) to
the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 21, 1999
Certificate of Designations for the Companys
1999 ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 3(b) to the Companys Current Report
on Form 8-K dated April 21, 1999
Certificate of Designations for the Companys
2000 ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 3(o) to the Companys Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2000
Certificate of Designations for the Companys 2001
ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 3 to the Companys Current Report on Form
8-K dated April 17, 2001
Certificate of Designations for the Companys
2002 ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 3 to the Companys Current Report on
Form 8-K dated April 16, 2002
Certificate of Designations for the Companys
2003 ESOP Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Companys Current Report on
Form 8-K dated April 15, 2003
Certificate Eliminating the Certificate of
Designations for the Companys Adjustable Rate Cumulative
Preferred Stock, Series B, filed herewith
By-Laws, incorporated by reference to Exhibit
3(m) to the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 1998
See Exhibits 3(a) through 3(q)
The Company agrees to furnish upon request to the
Commission a copy of each instrument defining the rights of
holders of senior and subordinated debt of the Company
21
* | Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement |
22
23
24
25
Computation of Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges,
filed herewith. The ratios of earnings to fixed charges,
including interest on deposits, were 3.63, 3.13, 1.79, 1.81 and
2.06 for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and
1999, respectively. The ratios of earnings to fixed charges,
excluding interest on deposits, were 5.76, 4.96, 2.63, 2.66 and
3.28 for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and
1999, respectively.
Computation of Ratios of Earnings to Fixed
Charges and Preferred Dividends, filed herewith. The ratios of
earnings to fixed charges and preferred dividends, including
interest on deposits, were 3.62, 3.13, 1.79, 1.81 and 2.05 for
the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999,
respectively. The ratios of earnings to fixed charges and
preferred dividends, excluding interest on deposits, were
5.74, 4.95, 2.62, 2.64 and 3.21 for the years ended December
31, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999, respectively.
2003 Annual Report to Stockholders, pages 33 through
109, filed herewith
Subsidiaries of the Company, filed herewith
Consent of Independent Accountants, filed herewith
Powers of Attorney, filed herewith
Certification of principal executive officer
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, filed
herewith
Certification of principal financial officer
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,
filed herewith
Certification of Periodic Financial Report by Chief
Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 and 18 U.S.C. § 1350, furnished herewith
Certification of Periodic Financial Report by
Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and 18 U.S.C. § 1350, furnished
herewith
26
(b) | The Company filed the following reports on Form 8-K during the fourth quarter of 2003: |
(1) | October 21, 2003, under Item 12, containing the Companys financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 | |||
(2) | October 31, 2003, under Item 7, filing as an exhibit the form of note for the Companys Notes Linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average SM due January 30, 2009 | |||
(3) | November 4, 2003, under Item 7, filing as exhibits documents regarding the Companys CoreNotes SM Program | |||
(4) | December 30, 2003, under Item 7, filing as an exhibit the form of note for the Companys Callable Notes Linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average SM due January 8, 2010 |
STATUS OF PRIOR DOCUMENTS
The Wells Fargo & Company Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, at the time of filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, shall modify and supersede all documents filed prior to January 1, 2004 pursuant to Sections 13, 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (other than Exhibit 99(e) to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2003, containing a description of the Companys common stock) for purposes of any offers or sales of any securities after the date of such filing pursuant to any Registration Statement or Prospectus filed pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933 which incorporates by reference such Annual Report on Form 10-K.
27
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on March 12, 2004.
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY | ||||
|
||||
|
By: | /s/ RICHARD M. KOVACEVICH | ||
|
||||
|
Richard M. Kovacevich
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated.
|
By: | /s/ HOWARD I. ATKINS | ||
|
||||
|
Howard I. Atkins
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
|||
|
||||
|
By: | /s/ RICHARD D. LEVY | ||
|
||||
|
Richard D. Levy
Senior Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer) |
The Directors of Wells Fargo & Company listed below have duly executed powers
of attorney empowering Philip J. Quigley to sign this document on their behalf.
Cynthia H. Milligan
Benjamin F. Montoya
Donald B. Rice
Judith M. Runstad
Stephen W. Sanger
Susan G. Swenson
Michael W. Wright
By:
/s/ PHILIP J. QUIGLEY
Philip J. Quigley
Director and Attorney-in-fact
March 12, 2004
28
Exhibit 3(p)
CERTIFICATE ELIMINATING THE CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATIONS
WITH RESPECT TO THE
ADJUSTABLE RATE CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK, SERIES B
OF
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
Pursuant to Section 151 of the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
The undersigned DOES HEREBY CERTIFY that the following resolutions were duly adopted by the Board of Directors of Wells Fargo & Company, a Delaware corporation (the Company), at a meeting duly convened and held on November 25, 2003, at which a quorum was present and acting throughout:
WHEREAS resolutions were adopted by the Board of Directors, which resolutions are set forth in a Certificate of Designations filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on November 2, 1998, providing for and authorizing the issuance of 1,500,000 shares of Adjustable Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series B (Series B Preferred Stock); and
WHEREAS by resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors on September 23, 2003, the Board of Directors authorized the redemption of all the outstanding shares of the Series B Preferred Stock; and
WHEREAS all the outstanding shares of the Series B Preferred Stock were redeemed on November 15, 2003.
RESOLVED that none of the authorized shares of the Series B Preferred Stock are outstanding and none will be issued subject to the Certificate of Designations previously filed on November 2, 1998 with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware with respect to such series.
RESOLVED that the Chairman, the President, any Vice Chairman, any Executive Vice President, any Senior Vice President, the Secretary and any Assistant Secretary are hereby authorized to execute, acknowledge, and file such instruments and documents as they, or any of them, may deem necessary or advisable to eliminate from the Companys Restated Certificate of Incorporation,
as amended, all matters set forth in said Certificate of Designations with respect to the Series B Preferred Stock.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, WELLS FARGO & COMPANY has caused its corporate seal to be hereunto affixed and this Certificate to be signed by Laurel A. Holschuh, its Senior Vice President, and attested by Rachelle M. Graham, its Assistant Secretary, this 10th day of December, 2003.
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY | ||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
By | /s/ Laurel A. Holschuh | ||
|
||||
|
Senior Vice President | |||
|
||||
ATTEST:
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
/s/ Rachelle M.
Graham
|
||||
|
||||
Assistant Secretary
|
[Filed in the Office of the Delaware Secretary of State on December 10, 2003]
-2-
Exhibit 10(a)
Amendment to the Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan
RESOLVED that, effective as of July 1, 2003, the third sentence of Section 4 of the Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan is amended to read as follows:
Any Shares subject to the terms and conditions of an Award under this Plan which are forfeited or not issued because the terms and conditions of the Award are not met or for which payment is not made in Stock may again be used for an Award under the Plan.
Exhibit 10(c)
|
WELLS FARGO BONUS PLAN |
The Plan is effective January1, 2004 and supersedes the Wells Fargo Bonus Plan effective January 1, 2000. Participants, incentive opportunities and performance objectives shall be identified annually.
Page 1 of 8 pages
PURPOSE OF THE PLAN
The purpose of the Wells Fargo Bonus Plan (the Plan) is to motivate a select group of management, supervisory and individual contributors to achieve superior results for Wells Fargo & Company and its subsidiaries (Wells Fargo). The Plan is designed to provide Participants with incentive compensation opportunities that focus on individual and team contributions through the measurement of meaningful performance goals that are consistent with Wells Fargos corporate and business unit objectives.
This document is comprised of three sections :
1. | Plan Eligibility | |
2. | Plan Components | |
3. | Plan Administration |
For questions related to this document, policies or the administration of the Plan, please contact your local Human Resources representative.
PLAN ELIGIBILITY
A select group of Wells Fargo management, supervisors and individual contributors who are in a position to control or influence business results are eligible to participate in the Plan (Participants). Eligibility for participation is determined on a case-by-case basis. Business unit managers are responsible for identifying Participants within their business units prior to the beginning of the Plan Year.
The intent of the Plan is to provide incentive awards to those Participants who are not eligible for a bonus or incentive compensation under any other plan or written agreement with Wells Fargo. Therefore, Plan Participants who participate in any other Wells Fargo-sponsored incentive compensation plan are not eligible to receive an award under this Plan.
A Plan Participant must be employed by Wells Fargo as of the last day of the Plan Year in order to be eligible for an incentive award under the Plan, unless otherwise noted below or in the Plan Administration section. There will be no incentive opportunity for the Plan Year for those Participants who experience a voluntary or involuntary termination before the last day of the Plan Year. Exceptions may be made if the termination is a result of the Participants retirement, death or a qualifying event under the Wells Fargo & Company Salary Continuation Pay Plan as set forth in the leave of absence or death or retirement policies in the Plan Administration section.
Corporate EPS (Earnings Per Share) thresholds must be met for payout to occur under this plan. If the threshold EPS is not met, no bonuses will be earned unless specifically authorized by the Wells Fargo Board of Directors.
For purposes of this Plan, a Disqualifying Factor is an event, the occurrence of which immediately invalidates a Participants opportunity for an incentive award. If a Participants incentive opportunity is subject to a Disqualifying Factor and the event occurs, the Participant shall have no incentive opportunity for that particular Plan Year. Contact your local HR representative to identify any disqualifying events that your plan may be subject to.
Page 2 of 8 pages
PLAN COMPONENTS
Target Bonus
Business unit managers, working with Human Resources, shall establish an incentive opportunity for each Participants
position.
The incentive opportunity should be a range:
Threshold
50% of the target bonus
Paid for satisfactory performance that falls short of target.
Target
100% of the target bonus
Paid for good, commendable on plan performance.
Maximum
150% of target bonus
Paid for performance that exceeds expectations.
Performance
Measures
A Performance Measure defines the action or resultant performance
expected of a Participant in a given Plan Year.
Performance Measures may vary from year to year, from position to
position or from one Participant to another. Typically each Participant
should have three to five measures set by their business unit manager.
The Performance Measures should be indicators of the expected:
1.
Overall financial success at the Participants level or of the
Participants business unit
2.
Tactical, operation achievements which will contribute to the
overall success at the Participants level or business unit
and/or
3.
Major strategic milestones achieve by or on behalf of the
Participant, the Participants business unit or Wells Fargo
The business unit manager is responsible for defining the Performance
Measures within the Plan. The business unit manager is encouraged to
consult with the Participant and Human Resources in identifying the
Performance Measure.
Performance measures should be established for each Participant to be
effective as of the beginning of the Plan Year. All Performance
Measures and Awards are subject to review and modification at higher
levels of the organization.
Page 3 of 8 pages
Performance
Measures
(continued)
Some characteristics of Performance measures:
The Performance Measures should include identifiable
activities and/or results for each level of achievement. Most
MBOs should have at least three defined Performance Levels:
Threshold, Target and Maximum.
At least one Performance Measure should have a financial
objective that is linked to overall corporate objectives.
For Staff Participants, at least one Performance Measure
should be based on EPS.
Where possible Participants should have at least one measure
linked to either EPS, P&L or expense management. These
measures can be set up as distinct MBOs or plan
disqualifiers/hurdles.
More suggestions on writing good MBOs can be obtained from HR or
can be found in the Wells Fargo Bonus Plan calculator.
Measure
Weighting and
Scoring
While Performance Levels are designated as target, threshold and maximum, individual measures can be scored as either an all-or- nothing goal or on a scale.
Performance Measures may be weighted equally or weighted individually to correspond with the
Participants accountability, strategic the and tactical priorities, and/or difficulty of achieving
the goal.
The scores for multiple Performance Measures are aggregated to determine the final award level. The
business unit manager is responsible for identifying the target, threshold and maximum Performance
Levels and the scoring guides that will be used to
calculate the Participants incentive award.
Bonuses may be adjusted, regardless of financial performance, for
unsatisfactory performance on the part of the participant. This could include unsatisfactory audits,
credit problems, code of ethics issues or other unsatisfactory performance.
Award
Calculation
Performance shall be evaluated as soon as practicable following completion of the Plan Year. All
awards under the Plan are subject to
the following guidelines:
Each Performance Measure is evaluated individually following
the end of the Plan Year. The Participants incentive award for
Page 4 of 8 pages
a Plan Year is determined by adding the values determined for
each Performance Measure taking into consideration any
assigned weighting. The incentive award should be consistent
with the overall Target Bonus opportunity identified for the
Participants position.
Award
Calculation
(continued)
A Participants award may be increased or decreased by up to
15% of its value, on a discretionary basis by the manager of
the Participants business unit.
Incentive awards are based on the Participants base salary and
will be paid to the Participant by the end of March following
the end of the Plan Year.
With approval from the Plan Administrator, an incentive award
may be reduced in any amount or denied for unsatisfactory
performance. An incentive award may also be denied if a
Participant is involuntarily terminated before the date that
the Participants incentive award is paid.
PLAN ADMINISTRATION
A. | Plan Administrator | |||
The Plan Administrator is the Executive Vice President and Director of Human Resources. The Plan Administrator has full discretionary authority to administer and interpret the Plan and may, at any time, delegate to personnel of Wells Fargo such responsibilities as he or she considers appropriate to facilitate the day-to-day administration of the Plan. The Plan Administrator also has the full discretionary authority to adjust or amend a Participants incentive opportunity under the Plan at any time. | ||||
Plan commitments or interpretations (oral or written) by anyone other than the Plan Administrator or one of his/her delegates are invalid and will have no force upon the policies and procedures set forth in this Plan. | ||||
B. | Plan Year | |||
Participant performance is measured and financial records are kept on a Plan Year basis. The Plan Year is the 12- month period beginning each January 1 and ending on the following December 31, unless the Plan is modified, suspended or terminated. | ||||
C. | Disputes | |||
If a Participant has a dispute regarding his/her incentive award under the Plan, the Participant should attempt to resolve the dispute with the manager of his/her business unit. If this is not successful, the Participant should prepare a written request for review addressed to the Participants Human Resources representative. The request for review should include any facts supporting the Participants request as well as any issues or comments the Participant deems |
Page 5 of 8 pages
pertinent. The Human Resources representative will send the Participant a written response documenting the outcome of this review in writing no later than 60 days following the date of the Participants written request. (If additional time is necessary, the Participant shall be notified in writing.) The determination of this request shall be final and conclusive upon all persons. | ||||
D. | Amendment or Termination | |||
The Board of Directors of Wells Fargo & Company (the Company), and the Human Resources Committee of the Board of Directors, the Companys President, any Vice Chairman, or the Executive Vice President of Human Resources may amend, suspend or terminate the Plan at any time, for any reason. No amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan shall adversely affect a Participants incentive award earned under the Plan prior to the effective date of the amendment, suspension or termination, unless otherwise agreed to by the Participant. | ||||
E. | Leaves of Absence | |||
Incentive awards payable under the Plan should be pro-rated for Participants who go on a leave of absence provided the Participant has actively worked at least three months during the Plan Year and some or all of the Participants Performance Objective has been met. For Participants who receive notice of a qualifying event under the Wells Fargo & Company Salary Continuation Pay Plan, the Notice Period (as defined by that plan) should be considered in determining whether the Participant satisfies the three- month actively at work requirement. Incentive awards will be determined following the end of the Plan Year. | ||||
F. | Changes in Employment Status |
1. | Employees hired after the beginning of the Plan Year may be eligible to participate in the Plan. Incentive Opportunity Percentages and Performance Objectives should be designed accordingly. Where Performance Objectives are impractical to develop for a partial Plan Year, eligibility should be delayed until the next Plan Year. | |||
2. | If, during the Plan Year, a Participant transfers to another business unit or receives a promotion to a new position within Wells Fargo, the Participants incentive award should be pro-rated provided the Participant met some or the entire Performance Objective prior to the transfer or promotion. Incentive awards will be determined following the end of the Plan Year. |
G. | Death or Retirement | |||
In the event of a Participants death or retirement during the Plan Year, the Participants incentive award should be a pro-rata share of the anticipated final incentive award provided the Participant actively worked for at least three months during the Plan Year and would be otherwise eligible for an award under the terms of the plan. | ||||
H. | Withholding Taxes |
Page 6 of 8 pages
Wells Fargo shall deduct from all payments under the Plan an amount necessary to satisfy federal, state or local tax withholding requirements. | ||||
I. | Not an Employment Contract | |||
The Plan is not an employment contract and participation in the Plan does not alter a Participants at-will employment relationship with Wells Fargo. Both the Participant and Wells Fargo are free to terminate their employment relationship at any time for any reason. No rights in the Plan may be claimed by any person whether or not he/she is selected to participate in the Plan. No person shall acquire any right to an accounting or to examine the books or the affairs of Wells Fargo. | ||||
J. | Assignment | |||
No Participant shall have any right or power to pledge or assign any rights, privileges, or incentive awards provided for under the Plan. | ||||
K. | Unsecured Obligations | |||
Incentive awards under the Plan are unsecured obligations of the Company. | ||||
L. | Code of Conduct | |||
Violation of the terms or the spirit of the Plan and/or Wells Fargos Code of Ethics and Business Conduct by the Participant and/or the Participants supervisor, or other serious misconduct (including, but not limited to, gaming which is more fully discussed below), are grounds for disciplinary action, including disqualification from further participation in the Plan (including awards payable under the terms of the Plan) and/or immediate termination of employment. | ||||
Participants are expected to adhere to ethical and honest business practices. Participant who violates the spirit of the Plan by gaming the system become immediately ineligible to participate in the Plan. Gaming is the manipulation and/or misrepresentation of sales or sales reporting in order to receive or attempt to receive compensation, or to meet or attempt to meet goals. | ||||
M. | Pro-Rated Awards | |||
In the event that an award needs to be pro-rated the following methodology should be used. | ||||
The annual salary should be multiplied by the ratio of months worked during the year by the target bonus percentage. | ||||
Page 7 of 8 pages
The ratio of months worked is equal to the number of full months worked in the qualifying position divided by 12. | ||||
E.g., a participant is transfers to another position on Nov. 1. Their salary was $100,000 per year at the time of transfer, and they had a 10% bonus target. They achieved all their goals at target level. Their bonus would be: | ||||
Page 8 of 8 pages
Exhibit 10(aa)
Amendment to the PartnerShares Stock Option Plan
RESOLVED that, effective as of July 1, 2003, the second sentence of Section 3.2 of the PartnerShares Stock Option Plan is amended to read as follows:
Shares used as a basis for calculating cash amounts that are used to pay any portion of the purchase price of an Award or any portion of a Participants income tax withholding resulting from an Award, will also thereafter be available for Awards or as a basis for calculating Awards under the Plan.
Exhibit 10(y)
Relocation Program Description
The Company offers a relocation program (the "Relocation Program") for eligible employees, including executive officers, who relocate at the Company's request and, in appropriate circumstances, to eligible new employees who relocate in connection with their employment by the Company. The Company believes this program offers a valuable incentive to attract and retain key employees.
Effective July 30, 2002, the Relocation Program was revised in response to Sarbanes-Oxley to eliminate certain loan benefits for executive officers who relocate at the Company's request. The following description of the Relocation Program describes benefits available to eligible executive officers prior to this date, and the revisions made to the program for executive officers in response to Sarbanes-Oxley. The relocation benefits made available prior to July 30, 2002, to eligible executive officers, as described below, continue to be made available to eligible employees who are not executive officers of the Company.
Prior to July 30, 2002, executive officers who relocated were eligible to receive a first mortgage loan (subject to applicable lending guidelines) from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc. (WFHMI) on the same terms as those available to any employee of the Company, which terms include a waiver of the loan origination fee. In addition, prior to July 30, 2002, executive officers who relocated to a designated high cost area (or in certain limited circumstances to a location not designated as a high cost area) may have received from the Company a mortgage interest subsidy on the first mortgage loan of up to 25% of the executive's annual base salary, payable over a period not less than the first three years of the first mortgage loan, and a 30-year, interest-free second mortgage down payment loan in an amount up to 100% of his or her annual base salary to purchase a new primary residence. The second mortgage loan must be repaid in full if the executive terminates employment with the Company or retires, or if the executive sells the residence. A relocating executive officer may have also received a transfer bonus of up to 30% of the executive's base salary.
On and after July 30, 2002, executive officers are still eligible (subject to applicable lending criteria) to receive a first mortgage loan from WFHMI, except that the loan must be on the same terms as those available to any residential home mortgage customer. However, executive officers are no longer eligible for a mortgage interest subsidy from the Company relating to the first mortgage loan on, or an interest-free second mortgage down payment loan for the purchase of a new primary residence. Under the revised Relocation Program, the Company may pay a relocating executive officer a transfer bonus in an amount determined by senior management on the earlier of the date he or she commences employment or purchases a new home, and annually thereafter. Any executive officer who had received the mortgage interest subsidiary and interest-free down payment loan benefit prior to July 30, 2002, pursuant to the Relocation Program may continue to receive such benefits, but may not amend the terms of the loan to which these benefits relate.
For many relocations made at the Company's request, the Company pays all related home purchase closing costs and household goods moving expenses for the relocating executive officer. The Relocation Program also assists eligible relocating executives in defraying costs associated with selling their current residences. Available benefits may include payment of selling costs customarily incurred by a seller of residential real estate (such as real estate commissions, title and appraisal fees, and other routine closing costs), purchase of the relocating executive's home at its appraised market value by a third party relocation company using Company funds, and certain cash incentives to executives who locate buyers for their homes directly.
With the exception of expenses paid to or on behalf of the executive officer to move household goods and sell his or her home, the benefits described above (other than the mortgage loans) are treated as taxable income to the executive. The Relocation Program also includes, as a potential additional benefit, reimbursement of the amount of taxes paid on the taxable portion of amounts received by the executive under the Relocation Program.
EXHIBIT 12(a)
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMPUTATION OF RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
(1) | As defined in Item 503(d) of Regulation S-K. |
(2) | These computations are included herein in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. However, management believes that fixed charge ratios are not meaningful measures for the business of the Company because of two factors. First, even if there were no change in net income, the ratios would decline with an increase in the proportion of income which is tax-exempt or, conversely, they would increase with a decrease in the proportion of income which is tax-exempt. Second, even if there were no change in net income, the ratios would decline if interest income and interest expense increase by the same amount due to an increase in the level of interest rates or, conversely, they would increase if interest income and interest expense decrease by the same amount due to a decrease in the level of interest rates. |
EXHIBIT 12(b)
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
COMPUTATION OF RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
AND PREFERRED DIVIDENDS
(1) | As defined in Item 503(d) of Regulation S-K. | |||
(2) | The preferred dividends were increased to amounts representing the pretax earnings that would be required to cover such dividend requirements. |
(3) | These computations are included herein in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. However, management believes that fixed charge ratios are not meaningful measures for the business of the Company because of two factors. First, even if there was no change in net income, the ratios would decline with an increase in the proportion of income which is tax-exempt or, conversely, they would increase with a decrease in the proportion of income which is tax-exempt. Second, even if there was no change in net income, the ratios would decline if interest income and interest expense increase by the same amount due to an increase in the level of interest rates or, conversely, they would increase if interest income and interest expense decrease by the same amount due to a decrease in the level of interest rates. |
Exhibit 13
|
Financial Review | |
|
||
34
|
Overview | |
|
||
36
|
Critical Accounting Policies | |
|
||
39
|
Earnings Performance | |
39
|
Net Interest Income | |
42
|
Noninterest Income | |
43
|
Noninterest Expense | |
43
|
Income Taxes | |
43
|
Operating Segment Results | |
|
||
44
|
Balance Sheet Analysis | |
44
|
Securities Available for Sale (table on page 68) | |
44
|
Loan Portfolio (table on page 70) | |
44
|
Deposits | |
|
||
45
|
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Aggregate Contractual Obligations | |
45
|
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements, Variable Interest Entities, Guarantees and Other Commitments | |
46
|
Contractual Obligations | |
46
|
Transactions with Related Parties | |
|
||
46
|
Risk Management | |
46
|
Credit Risk Management Process | |
47
|
Nonaccrual Loans and Other Assets | |
48
|
Loans 90 Days or More Past Due and Still Accruing | |
48
|
Allowance for Loan Losses (table on page 71) | |
48
|
Asset/Liability and Market Risk Management | |
49
|
Interest Rate Risk | |
49
|
Mortgage Banking Interest Rate Risk | |
50
|
Market Risk Trading Activities | |
50
|
Market Risk Equity Markets | |
50
|
Liquidity and Funding | |
|
||
52
|
Capital Management | |
|
||
52
|
Comparison of 2002 with 2001 | |
|
||
53
|
Factors That May Affect Future Results | |
|
||
57
|
Additional Information | |
|
||
|
Financial Statements | |
|
||
58
|
Consolidated Statement of Income | |
|
||
59
|
Consolidated Balance Sheet | |
|
||
60
|
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders Equity and Comprehensive Income | |
|
||
61
|
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows | |
|
||
62
|
Notes to Financial Statements | |
|
||
108
|
Independent Auditors Report | |
|
||
109
|
Quarterly Financial Data |
33
This Annual Report, including the Financial Review and the Financial Statements and related Notes, has forward-looking statements, which include forecasts of our financial results and condition, expectations for our operations and business, and our assumptions for those forecasts and expectations. Do not rely unduly on forward-looking statements. Actual results might differ significantly from our forecasts and expectations. Please refer to Factors that May Affect Future Results for a discussion of some factors that may cause results to differ.
Overview
Wells Fargo & Company is a $388 billion diversified financial services company providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage banking and consumer finance through banking stores, the internet and other distribution channels to consumers, businesses and institutions in all 50 states of the U.S. and in other countries. We ranked fifth in assets and third in market value of our common stock among U.S. bank holding companies at December 31, 2003. In this Annual Report, Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries (consolidated) are called the Company; we refer to Wells Fargo & Company alone as the Parent.
Our core products grew this year as follows:
| Average loans grew by 22%; | ||
| Average core deposits grew by 12%; | ||
| Mortgage loan originations increased 41% to $470 billion, an industry record; | ||
| Assets managed and administered were up 13%; and | ||
| We processed more than one billion electronic deposit transactions, up 18%. |
We believe it is important to maintain a well controlled environment as we continue to grow our businesses. We have prudent credit policies: nonperforming loans and net charge-offs as a percentage of loans outstanding declined from the prior year. We manage the interest rate and market risks
inherent in our asset and liability balances within prudent ranges, while ensuring adequate liquidity and funding. We are the only bank in the U.S. to be Aaa rated by Moodys Investors Service, their highest rating. Our stockholder value has continued to increase due to customer satisfaction, strong financial results and the prudent way we attempt to manage our business risk.
Our financial results included the following:
Net income in 2003 was $6.2 billion, or $3.65 per share, compared with $5.7 billion, or $3.32 per share, before the effect of the accounting change related to Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 (FAS 142), Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets , for 2002. On the same basis, return on average assets (ROA) was 1.64% and return on average common equity (ROE) was 19.36% in 2003, compared with 1.77% and 19.63%, respectively, for 2002.
34
The ratio of common stockholders equity to total assets was 8.89% at December 31, 2003, compared with 8.67% at December 31, 2002. Our total risk-based capital (RBC) ratio at December 31, 2003 was 12.21% and our Tier 1 RBC ratio was 8.42%, exceeding the minimum regulatory guidelines of 8% and 4%, respectively, for bank holding companies. Our RBC ratios at December 31, 2002 were 11.44% and 7.70%, respectively. Our Tier 1 leverage ratios were 6.93% and 6.57% at December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, exceeding the minimum regulatory guideline of 3% for bank holding companies.
(1) |
Change in accounting principle is
for a transitional goodwill impairment
charge recorded in first quarter 2002
for the adoption of FAS 142.
|
|
(2) |
The efficiency ratio is noninterest
expense divided by total revenue (net
interest income and noninterest
income).
|
|
(3) |
See Note 26 (Regulatory and Agency
Capital Requirements) to Financial
Statements for additional information.
|
|
(4) |
Dividends declared per common share
as a percentage of earnings per common
share.
|
|
(5) |
Based on daily prices reported on the
New York Stock Exchange Composite
Transaction Reporting System.
|
Recent Accounting Standards
In January 2003, the Financial Accounting
Standards Board (FASB) issued
Interpretation No. 46 (FIN 46),
Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities
and, in December 2003, issued Revised
Interpretation No. 46 (FIN 46R),
Consolidation of Variable Interest
Entities
, which replaced FIN 46. We adopted
the disclosure provisions of FIN 46
effective December 31, 2002. On February 1,
2003, we adopted the recognition and
measurement provisions of FIN 46 for
variable interest entities (VIEs) formed
after January 31, 2003, and, on December
31, 2003, we adopted FIN 46R for all
existing VIEs and consolidated five
variable interest entities with total
assets of $281 million. The adoption of FIN
46 and FIN 46R did not have a material
effect on our financial statements.
35
not reflect the effects of the Act on the plan. On January 12, 2004, the FASB issued Staff Position 106-1, Accounting and Disclosure Requirements Related to the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 , which includes a provision that allows a plan sponsor a one-time election to defer accounting for the Act that must be made before net periodic postretirement benefit costs for the period that includes the Acts enactment date are first included in
reported financial information. If deferral is elected, that election may not be changed and the deferral continues to apply until authoritative guidance on the accounting for the federal subsidy is issued. We will make our decision regarding deferral in the first quarter of 2004. Specific authoritative guidance on the accounting for the federal subsidy is pending and that guidance, when issued, could require a plan sponsor to change previously reported information.
(1) |
At December 31, 2003, upon adoption of FIN 46R, these balances were reflected in long-term debt. See Note 12 (Guaranteed Preferred Beneficial Interests in Companys
Subordinated Debentures) to Financial Statements for more information.
|
Critical Accounting Policies
Our significant accounting policies (described in Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements) are fundamental to understanding our results of operations and financial condition, because some accounting policies require that we use estimates and assumptions that may affect the value of our assets or liabilities and financial results. Three of these policies are critical because they require management to make difficult, subjective and complex judgments
about matters that are inherently uncertain and because it is likely that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions. These policies govern the allowance for loan losses, the valuation of mortgage servicing rights and pension accounting. Management has reviewed and approved these critical accounting policies and has discussed these policies with the Audit and Examination Committee.
36
Allowance for Loan Losses
The allowance for loan losses is
managements estimate of credit losses
inherent in the loan portfolio, including
unfunded commitments, at the balance sheet
date. We have an established process, using
several analytical tools and benchmarks, to
calculate a range of possible outcomes and
determine the adequacy of the allowance. No
single statistic or measurement determines
the adequacy of the allowance. Loan
recoveries and the provision for loan losses
increase the allowance, while loan
charge-offs decrease the allowance.
PROCESS TO DETERMINE THE ADEQUACY OF
THE ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES
For analytical purposes only, we allocate a
portion of the allowance to specific loan
categories (the allocated allowance). The
entire allowance (both allocated and
unallocated), however, is used to absorb
credit losses inherent in the total loan
portfolio.
Assumptions for deterioration in loan credit quality were:
| For retail loans, a 20 basis point increase in estimated loss rates from historical loss levels; and | ||
| For wholesale loans, which are dissimilar in nature, a migration of certain loans to lower risk grades, resulting in a 30% increase in the balance of nonperforming loans and related impairment. |
Assumptions for improvement in loan credit quality were:
| For retail loans, a 10 basis point decrease in estimated loss rates from historical loss levels; and | ||
| For wholesale loans, a negligible change in nonperforming loans and related impairment. |
Under the assumptions for deterioration in loan credit quality, another $425 million in expected losses could occur and under the assumptions for improvement, a $200 million reduction in expected losses could occur.
Valuation of Mortgage Servicing Rights
We recognize the rights to service mortgage
loans for others, or mortgage servicing
rights (MSRs), as assets, whether we
purchase the servicing rights, or keep them
after the sale or securitization of loans
we originated. Generally, purchased MSRs
are capitalized at cost. Originated MSRs
are recorded based on the relative fair
value of the servicing right and the
mortgage loan on the date the mortgage loan
is sold. Both purchased and originated MSRs
are carried at the lower of (1) the
capitalized amount, net of accumulated
amortization and hedge accounting
adjustments, or (2) fair value. If MSRs are
designated as a hedged item in a fair value
hedge, the MSRs carrying value is adjusted
for changes in fair value resulting from
the application of hedge accounting. The
adjustment becomes part of the carrying
value. The carrying value of these MSRs is
still subject to a fair value test under
FAS 140,
Accounting for Transfers and
Servicing of Financial Assets and
Extinguishments of Liabilities
.
37
MSRs are amortized in proportion to and over the period of estimated net servicing income. We analyze the amortization of MSRs monthly and adjust amortization to reflect changes in prepayment speeds and discount rates.
We use a dynamic and sophisticated model to estimate the value of our MSRs. Mortgage loan prepayment speeda key assumption in the modelis the annual rate at which borrowers are forecasted to repay their mortgage loan principal. The discount rateanother key assumption in the modelis equal to what we believe the required rate of return would be for an asset with similar risk. To determine the discount rate, we consider the risk premium for uncertainties from servicing operations (e.g., possible changes in future servicing costs, ancillary income and earnings on escrow accounts). Both assumptions can and generally will change in quarterly and annual valuations as market conditions and interest rates change. Senior management reviews all assumptions quarterly.
Pension Accounting
We use four key variables to calculate our
annual pension cost;
(1) size of the employee population, (2)
actuarial assumptions, (3) expected
long-term rate of return on plan assets,
and (4) discount rate. We describe below
the effect of each of these variables on
our pension expense.
SIZE OF THE EMPLOYEE POPULATION
Pension expense is directly related to the
number of employees covered by the plans.
The number of our employees eligible for
pension benefits has steadily increased
over the last few years, causing a
proportional growth in pension expense.
ACTUARIAL ASSUMPTIONS
To estimate the projected benefit
obligation, actuarial assumptions are
required about factors such as mortality
rate, turnover rate, retirement rate,
disability rate and the rate of
compensation increases. These factors
dont tend to change over time, so the
range of assumptions, and their impact on
pension expense, is generally narrow.
EXPECTED LONG-TERM RATE OF RETURN ON PLAN ASSETS
We calculate the expected return on plan
assets each year based on the balance in the
pension asset portfolio at the beginning of
the plan year and the expected long-term
rate of return on that portfolio. The
expected long-term rate of return is
designed to approximate the actual long-term
rate of return on the plan assets over time.
The expected long-term rate of return is
generally held constant so the pattern of
income/expense recognition more closely
matches the stable pattern of services
provided by our employees over the life of
the pension obligation.
38
To determine if the expected rate of return is reasonable, we consider such factors as (1) the actual return earned on plan assets, (2) historical rates of return on the various asset classes in the plan portfolio, (3) projections of returns on various asset classes, and (4) current/prospective capital market conditions and economic forecasts. We have used an expected rate of return of 9% on plan assets for the past seven years. Over the last two decades, the plan assets have actually earned a rate of return higher than 9%. Differences in each year, if any, between expected and actual returns in excess of a 5% corridor (as defined in FAS 87, Employers Accounting for Pensions ) are amortized in net periodic pension calculations over the next five years. See Note 15 (Employee Benefits and Other Expenses) to Financial Statements for details on changes in the pension benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets.
DISCOUNT RATE
Earnings Performance
Net Interest Income
Net interest income is the interest earned
on debt securities, loans (including
yield-related loan fees) and other
interest-earning assets minus the interest
paid for deposits and long-and short-term
debt. The net interest margin is the
average yield on earning assets minus the
average interest rate paid for deposits
and debt. Net interest income and the net
interest margin are presented on a
taxable-equivalent basis to consistently
reflect income from taxable and tax-exempt
loans and securities based on a 35%
marginal tax rate.
Average earning assets increased $53.3 billion in 2003 from 2002 due to increases in average loans and mortgages held for sale. Loans averaged $213.1 billion in 2003, compared with $174.5 billion in 2002. The increase was largely due to growth in mortgage and home equity products. Average mortgages held for sale increased to $58.7 billion in 2003 from $39.9 billion in 2002, due to increased originations, largely from refinancing activity. Debt securities available for sale averaged $27.3 billion in 2003, compared with $36.0 billion in 2002.
39
(1) |
Our average prime rate was 4.12%, 4.68%, 6.91%, 9.24% and 8.00% for 2003,
2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999, respectively. The average three-month London
Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) was 1.22%, 1.80%, 3.78%, 6.52% and 5.42% for the
same years, respectively.
|
|
(2) |
Interest rates and amounts include the effects of hedge and risk management
activities associated with the respective asset and liability categories.
|
|
(3) |
Yields are based on amortized cost balances computed on a settlement
date basis.
|
40
(4) |
Includes certain preferred securities.
|
|
(5) |
Nonaccrual loans and related income are included in their respective loan
categories.
|
|
(6) |
Includes taxable-equivalent adjustments primarily related to tax-exempt
income on certain loans and securities. The federal statutory tax rate was 35%
for all years presented.
|
41
Noninterest Income
Table 4: Noninterest Income | ||||||||||||||||||||
(in millions) | Year ended December 31 | , | % Change | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2003 | / | 2002 | / | ||||||||||||||
2002 | 2001 | |||||||||||||||||||
Service charges on
deposit accounts
|
$ | 2,361 | $ | 2,179 | $ | 1,876 | 8 | % | 16 | % | ||||||||||
Trust and investment fees:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Trust, investment and IRA fees
|
1,345 | 1,343 | 1,534 | | (12 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Commissions and all other fees
|
592 | 532 | 257 | 11 | 107 | |||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total trust and
investment fees
|
1,937 | 1,875 | 1,791 | 3 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
Credit card fees
|
1,003 | 920 | 796 | 9 | 16 | |||||||||||||||
Other fees:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash network fees
|
179 | 183 | 202 | (2 | ) | (9 | ) | |||||||||||||
Charges and fees on loans
|
756 | 616 | 445 | 23 | 38 | |||||||||||||||
All other
|
637 | 585 | 597 | 9 | (2 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total other fees
|
1,572 | 1,384 | 1,244 | 14 | 11 | |||||||||||||||
Mortgage banking:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Origination and other
closing fees
|
1,218 | 1,048 | 737 | 16 | 42 | |||||||||||||||
Servicing fees, net of amortization
and provision for impairment
|
(954 | ) | (737 | ) | (260 | ) | 29 | 183 | ||||||||||||
Net gains on securities
available for sale
|
| | 134 | | (100 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net gains on mortgage loan
origination/sales activities
|
1,801 | 1,038 | 705 | 74 | 47 | |||||||||||||||
All other
|
447 | 364 | 355 | 23 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total mortgage banking
|
2,512 | 1,713 | 1,671 | 47 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
Operating leases
|
937 | 1,115 | 1,315 | (16 | ) | (15 | ) | |||||||||||||
Insurance
|
1,071 | 997 | 745 | 7 | 34 | |||||||||||||||
Net gains on debt
securities available for sale
|
4 | 293 | 316 | (99 | ) | (7 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net gains (losses) from
equity investments
|
55 | (327 | ) | (1,538 | ) | | (79 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net gains on sales of loans
|
28 | 19 | 35 | 47 | (46 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net gains on dispositions
of operations
|
29 | 10 | 122 | 190 | (92 | ) | ||||||||||||||
All other
|
873 | 589 | 632 | 48 | (7 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 12,382 | $ | 10,767 | $ | 9,005 | 15 | % | 20 | % | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Service charges on deposit accounts increased 8% due to continued growth in primary checking accounts and increased activity.
higher number of brokerage transactions, stronger equity markets and increased sales of commission driven products.
42
We routinely review our investment portfolios and recognize impairment write-downs based primarily on issuer-specific factors and results. We also consider general economic and market conditions, including industries in which venture capital investments are made, and adverse changes affecting the availability of venture capital. We determine impairment based on all of the information available at the time of the assessment, but new information or economic developments in the future could result in recognition of additional impairment.
Noninterest Expense
Table 5: Noninterest Expense | ||||||||||||||||||||
(in millions) | Year ended December 31 | , | % Change | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2003 | / | 2002 | / | ||||||||||||||
2002 | 2001 | |||||||||||||||||||
Salaries
|
$ | 4,832 | $ | 4,383 | $ | 4,027 | 10 | % | 9 | % | ||||||||||
Incentive compensation
|
2,054 | 1,706 | 1,195 | 20 | 43 | |||||||||||||||
Employee benefits
|
1,560 | 1,283 | 960 | 22 | 34 | |||||||||||||||
Equipment
|
1,246 | 1,014 | 909 | 23 | 12 | |||||||||||||||
Net occupancy
|
1,177 | 1,102 | 975 | 7 | 13 | |||||||||||||||
Operating leases
|
702 | 802 | 903 | (12 | ) | (11 | ) | |||||||||||||
Contract services
|
866 | 546 | 538 | 59 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Outside professional services
|
509 | 445 | 441 | 14 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Outside data processing
|
404 | 350 | 319 | 15 | 10 | |||||||||||||||
Advertising and promotion
|
392 | 327 | 276 | 20 | 18 | |||||||||||||||
Travel and entertainment
|
389 | 337 | 286 | 15 | 18 | |||||||||||||||
Telecommunications
|
343 | 347 | 355 | (1 | ) | (2 | ) | |||||||||||||
Postage
|
336 | 256 | 242 | 31 | 6 | |||||||||||||||
Stationery and supplies
|
241 | 226 | 242 | 7 | (7 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Charitable donations
|
237 | 39 | 54 | 508 | (28 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Insurance
|
197 | 169 | 167 | 17 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Operating losses
|
193 | 163 | 234 | 18 | (30 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Security
|
163 | 159 | 156 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
Core deposit intangibles
|
142 | 155 | 165 | (8 | ) | (6 | ) | |||||||||||||
Goodwill
|
| | 610 | | (100 | ) | ||||||||||||||
All other
|
1,207 | 902 | 740 | 34 | 22 | |||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 17,190 | $ | 14,711 | $ | 13,794 | 17 | % | 7 | % | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
The increase in noninterest expense, including increases in salaries, employee benefits, incentive compensation, contract services, advertising and promotion and postage, was largely due to the growth in the mortgage banking business, which accounted for approximately 48% of the increase from 2002. The increase was also due to charitable donations, predominantly donations of appreciated public equity securities to the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Income Taxes
The effective tax rate for 2003 was 34.6%, compared with 35.5%
for 2002. This reduction was primarily due to the tax benefit
derived from our donations of appreciated public equity
securities to the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Operating Segment Results
Our lines of business for management reporting consist of
Community Banking, Wholesale Banking and Wells Fargo Financial.
COMMUNITY BANKINGS net income increased 7% to $4.4 billion in 2003 from $4.1 billion in 2002. Revenue increased 12% from 2002. Net interest income increased to $11.5 billion in 2003 from $10.4 billion in 2002, or 11%, due primarily to growth in average consumer loans, mortgages held for sale and deposits. Average loans grew 30% and average core deposits grew 11% from 2002. The provision for loan losses increased $27 million, or 3%, for 2003. Noninterest income for 2003 increased by $1.1 billion, or 14%, over 2002 primarily due to increased mortgage banking income, consumer loan fees, deposit service charges and gains from equity investments. Noninterest expense increased by $2.0 billion, or 18%, in 2003 over 2002 due primarily to increased mortgage origination activity and certain actions taken in 2003.
WHOLESALE BANKINGS net income increased 17% to $1.4 billion in 2003 from $1.2 billion in 2002, before the effect of change in accounting principle. Net interest income was $2.2 billion in 2003 and $2.3 billion in 2002. Noninterest income increased $450 million to $2.8 billion in 2003 compared with 2002. The increase was primarily due to higher income in asset-based lending, insurance brokerage, commercial mortgage originations, derivatives and real estate brokerage. Noninterest expense increased to $2.6 billion in 2003, compared with $2.4 billion for the prior year. The increase was largely due to higher personnel expense, due to an increase in benefit costs and team members, and higher minority interest expense in partnership earnings within asset-based lending.
WELLS FARGO FINANCIALS net income increased 25% to $451 million in 2003 from $360 million, before the effect of change in accounting principle, in 2002, due to lower funding costs combined with growth in real estate secured and auto loans. The provision for loan losses increased by $82 million in 2003 due to growth in loans. Noninterest income increased $24 million, or 7%, from 2002 to 2003, predominantly due to increased loan and credit card fee income of $15 million and a decrease in losses on sales of investment securities of $6 million. Noninterest expense increased $244 million, or 22%, in 2003 from 2002, primarily due to increases in employee compensation and benefits and other costs relating to business expansion and acquisition.
43
Balance Sheet Analysis
A comparison between the year-end 2003 and 2002 balance sheets is presented below.
Securities Available for Sale
Our securities available for sale portfolio includes both debt
and marketable equity securities. We hold debt securities
available for sale primarily for liquidity, interest rate risk
management and yield enhancement purposes. Accordingly, this
portfolio primarily includes very liquid, high quality federal
agency debt securities. At December 31, 2003, we held $32.4
billion of debt securities available for sale, compared with
$27.4 billion at December 31, 2002.
See Note 4 (Securities Available for Sale) to Financial Statements for securities available for sale by security type.
Loan Portfolio
A comparative schedule of average loan balances is included in
Table 3; year-end balances are in Note 5 (Loans and Allowance
for Loan Losses) to Financial Statements.
Deposits
Year-end deposit balances are in Table 7. Comparative detail of
average deposit balances is included in Table 3. Average core
deposits funded 54.8% and 57.2% of average total assets in 2003
and 2002, respectively. Total average interest-bearing deposits
rose from $133.8 billion in 2002 to $161.7 billion in 2003.
Total average noninterest-bearing deposits rose from $63.6
billion in 2002 to $76.8 billion in 2003. Savings certificates
declined on average from $24.3 billion in 2002 to $20.9 billion
in 2003.
Table 7: Deposits | ||||||||||||
(in millions) | December 31 | , | % | |||||||||
2003 | 2002 | Change | ||||||||||
Noninterest-bearing
|
$ | 74,387 | $ | 74,094 | | % | ||||||
Interest-bearing checking
|
2,735 | 2,625 | 4 | |||||||||
Market rate and
other savings
|
114,362 | 99,183 | 15 | |||||||||
Savings certificates
|
19,787 | 22,332 | (11 | ) | ||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Core deposits
|
211,271 | 198,234 | 7 | |||||||||
Other time deposits
|
27,488 | 9,228 | 198 | |||||||||
Deposits in foreign offices
|
8,768 | 9,454 | (7 | ) | ||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Total deposits
|
$ | 247,527 | $ | 216,916 | 14 | % | ||||||
|
||||||||||||
The increase in other time deposits was predominantly due to an increase in certificates of deposit greater than $100,000 sold to institutional customers.
44
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Aggregate Contractual Obligations
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements, Variable Interest Entities, Guarantees and Other Commitments
We consolidate our majority-owned subsidiaries and subsidiaries
in which we are the primary beneficiary. If we own at least 20%
of an affiliate, we generally use the equity method of
accounting. If we own less than 20% of an affiliate, we
generally carry the investment at cost. See Note 1 (Summary of
Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements for our
consolidation policy.
45
In our venture capital and capital markets businesses, we commit to fund equity investments directly to investment funds and to specific private companies. The timing of future cash requirements to fund these commitments generally depends on the venture capital investment cycle, the period over which privately-held companies are funded by venture capital investors and ultimately taken public through an initial offering. This cycle can vary based on market conditions and the industry in which the companies operate. We expect that many of these investments will become public, or otherwise become liquid, before the balance of unfunded equity commitments is used. At December 31, 2003, these commitments were approximately $1.1 billion. Our other investment commitments, principally affordable housing, civic and other community development initiatives, were approximately $230 million at December 31, 2003.
Contractual Obligations
We enter into contractual obligations in the ordinary course of
business, including debt issuances for the funding of
operations and leases for premises and equipment.
Transactions with Related Parties
FAS 57,
Related Party Disclosures
, requires disclosure of
material related party transactions, other than compensation
arrangements, expense allowances and other similar items in the
ordinary course of business. The Company had no related party
transactions required to be reported under FAS 57 for the years
ended December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001.
Table 8: Contractual Obligations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in millions) | Note(s) | Less than | 1-3 | 3-5 | More than | Indeterminate | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||
1 year | years | years | 5 years | maturity | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contractual payments by period:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deposits
|
9 | $ | 49,010 | $ | 5,032 | $ | 1,628 | $ | 419 | $ | 191,438 | $ | 247,527 | |||||||||||||||
Long-term debt
(2)
|
6,11 | 12,294 | 21,065 | 12,090 | 18,193 | | 63,642 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Operating leases
|
6 | 505 | 747 | 505 | 867 | | 2,624 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Purchase obligations
(3)
|
146 | 192 | 19 | | | 357 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total contractual obligations
|
$ | 61,955 | $ | 27,036 | $ | 14,242 | $ | 19,479 | $ | 191,438 | $ | 314,150 | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) |
Represents interest- and noninterest-bearing checking, market rate and other savings accounts.
|
|
(2) |
Includes capital leases of $25 million.
|
|
(3) |
Represents agreements to purchase goods or services.
|
Risk Management
Credit Risk Management Process
Our credit risk management process provides for decentralized
management and accountability by our lines of business. Our
overall credit process includes comprehensive credit policies,
frequent and detailed risk measurement and modeling, and a
continual loan audit review process. In addition, the external
auditor and regulatory examiners review and perform detail tests
of our credit underwriting, loan administration and allowance
processes.
management. We use detailed tracking and analysis to measure credit performance and exception rates and we routinely review and modify credit policies as appropriate. We strive to identify problem loans early and have dedicated, specialized collection and work-out units.
46
Our business units and the office of the Chief Credit Officer periodically review all credit risk portfolios to ensure that the risk identification processes are functioning properly and that credit standards are followed. Our loan examiners and/or internal auditors also independently review portfolios with credit risk.
Each business unit completes quarterly asset quality forecasts to quantify its intermediate-term outlook for loan losses and recoveries, nonperforming loans and market trends. To make sure our overall allowance for loan losses is adequate we conduct periodic stress tests. This includes a portfolio loss simulation model that simulates a range of possible losses for various sub-portfolios assuming various trends in loan quality. We assess loan portfolios for geographic, industry, or other concentrations and develop mitigation strategies, which may include loan sales, syndications or third party insurance, to minimize these concentrations as we deem necessary.
(1) |
Includes impaired loans of $629 million, $612 million, $823 million, $504
million and $258 million at December 31, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999,
respectively. (See Notes 1 (Significant Accounting Policies) and 5 (Loans and Allowance
for Loan Losses) to Financial Statements for further discussion of impaired
loans.)
|
|
(2) |
Real estate investments (contingent interest loans accounted for as
investments) that would be classified as nonaccrual if these assets were
recorded as loans.
|
|
Real estate investments totaled $9 million, $9 million, $24 million, $56
million and $89 million at December 31, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999,
respectively.
|
NONACCRUAL LOANS AND OTHER ASSETS
Table 9 (above) shows the five-year trend for nonaccrual loans
and other assets. We generally place loans on nonaccrual status
(1) when they are 90 days (120 days with respect to real estate
1-4 family first and junior lien mortgages) past due for
interest or principal (unless both well-secured and in the
process of collection), (2) when the full and timely collection
of interest or principal becomes uncertain or (3) when part of
the principal balance has been charged off. Note 1 (Summary of
Significant Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements
describes our accounting policy for nonaccrual loans.
charge-offs. The performance of any loan can be affected by external factors, such as economic conditions, or factors particular to a borrower, such as actions of a borrowers management. In addition, from time to time, we purchase loans from other financial institutions that we classify as nonaccrual based on our policies.
47
LOANS 90 DAYS OR MORE PAST DUE AND STILL ACCRUING
Loans included in this category are 90 days or more past due as
to interest or principal and still accruing, because they are
(1) well-secured and in the process of collection or (2) real
estate 1-4 family first mortgage loans or consumer loans exempt
under regulatory rules from being classified as nonaccrual.
Table 10: |
Loans 90 Days or More Past Due and Still Accruing
(Excluding Insured/Guaranteed GNMA Advances) |
(in millions) | December 31 | , | ||||||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | ||||||||||||||||
Commercial
|
$ | 87 | $ | 92 | $ | 60 | $ | 90 | $ | 27 | ||||||||||
Real estate
|
||||||||||||||||||||
1-4 family first mortgage
|
117 | 104 | 145 | 74 | 45 | |||||||||||||||
Other real estate
mortgage
|
9 | 7 | 22 | 24 | 18 | |||||||||||||||
Real estate construction
|
6 | 11 | 47 | 12 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
Consumer:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Real estate
|
||||||||||||||||||||
1-4 family junior
lien mortgage
|
31 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 36 | |||||||||||||||
Credit card
|
135 | 131 | 117 | 96 | 105 | |||||||||||||||
Other revolving
credit and
installment
|
311 | 308 | 289 | 263 | 198 | |||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total consumer
|
477 | 458 | 424 | 378 | 339 | |||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 696 | $ | 672 | $ | 698 | $ | 578 | $ | 433 | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES
The allowance for loan losses is managements estimate of credit
losses inherent in the loan portfolio, including unfunded
commitments, at the balance sheet date. We assume that the
allowance for loan losses as a percentage of charge-offs and
nonperforming loans will change at different points in time
based on credit performance, loan mix and collateral values. The
analysis of the changes in the allowance for loan losses,
including charge-offs and recoveries by loan category, is
presented in Note 5 (Loans and Allowance for Loan Losses) to
Financial Statements.
At December 31, 2003, the allowance for loan losses was $3.89 billion, or 1.54% of total loans, compared with $3.82 billion, or 1.98%, at December 31, 2002 and $3.72 billion, or 2.22%, at December 31, 2001. The primary driver of the decrease in the allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans in 2003 and 2002 was the change in loan mix with residential real estate secured consumer loans representing a higher percentage of the overall loan portfolio. We have historically experienced lower losses on our residential real estate secured consumer loan portfolio. The provision for loan losses totaled $1.72 billion in 2003, $1.68 billion in 2002 and $1.73 billion in 2001. Net charge-offs in 2003 were $1.72 billion, or .81% of average total loans, compared with $1.68 billion, or .96%, in 2002 and $1.73 billion, or 1.10%, in 2001. Loan loss recoveries were $495 million in 2003, compared with $481 million in 2002 and $396 million in 2001. Any loan with past due principal or interest that is not both well-secured and in the process of collection generally is charged off (to the extent that it exceeds the fair value of any related collateral) based on loan category after a predetermined period of time. Also, loans are charged off when classified as a loss by either internal loan examiners or regulatory examiners.
Asset/Liability and Market Risk Management
Asset/liability management involves the evaluation, monitoring
and management of interest rate risk, market risk, liquidity and
funding. The Corporate Asset/Liability Management Committee
(Corporate ALCO)which oversees these risks and reports
periodically to the Finance Committee of the Board of
Directorsconsists of senior financial and business executives.
Each of our principal business groupsCommunity Banking
(including Mortgage Banking), Wholesale Banking and Wells Fargo
Financialhave individual asset/liability management committees
and processes linked to the Corporate ALCO process.
48
INTEREST RATE RISK
Interest rate risk, which potentially can have a significant
earnings impact, is an integral part of being a financial
intermediary. We are subject to interest rate risk because:
| assets and liabilities may mature or re-price at different times (for example, if assets re-price faster than liabilities and interest rates are generally falling, earnings will initially decline); | ||
| assets and liabilities may re-price at the same time but by different amounts (for example, when the general level of interest rates is falling, we may reduce rates paid on checking and savings deposit accounts by an amount that is less than the general decline in market interest rates); | ||
| short-term and long-term market interest rates may change by different amounts (i.e., the shape of the yield curve may affect new loan yields and funding costs differently); or | ||
| the remaining maturity of various assets or liabilities may shorten or lengthen as interest rates change (for example, if long-term mortgage interest rates decline sharply, mortgage-backed securities held in the securities available for sale portfolio may prepay significantly earlier than anticipated which could reduce portfolio income). In addition, interest rates may have an indirect impact on loan demand, credit losses, mortgage origination volume, the value of mortgage servicing rights, the value of the pension liability and other sources of earnings. |
We assess interest rate risk by comparing our most likely earnings plan over a twelve-month period with various earnings models using many interest rate scenarios that differ in the direction of interest rate changes, the degree of change over time, the speed of change and the projected shape of the yield curve. For example, if we assume a gradual increase of 375 basis points in the federal funds rate, estimated earnings would be less than 1% below our most likely earnings plan for 2004. Simulation estimates depend on, and will change with, the size and mix of our actual and projected balance sheet at the time of each simulation.
| to convert most of the long-term fixed-rate debt to floating-rate payments by entering into receive-fixed swaps at issuance, | ||
| to convert the cash flows from selected asset and/or liability instruments/portfolios from fixed to floating payments or vice versa, and | ||
| to hedge the mortgage origination pipeline, funded mortgage loans and mortgage servicing rights using swaptions, futures, forwards and options. |
MORTGAGE BANKING INTEREST RATE RISK
We originate, fund and service mortgage loans, which subjects us
to a number of risks, including credit, liquidity and interest
rate risks. We manage credit and liquidity risk by selling or
securitizing most of the mortgage loans we originate. Changes in
interest rates, however, may have a significant effect on
mortgage banking income in any quarter and over time. Interest
rates impact both the value of the mortgage servicing rights
(MSRs), which is adjusted to the lower of cost or fair value,
and the future earnings of the mortgage business, which are
driven by origination volume and the duration of our servicing.
We manage both risks by hedging the impact of interest rates on
the value of the MSRs using derivatives, combined with the
natural hedge provided by the origination and servicing
components of the mortgage business; however, we do not hedge
100% of these two risks.
49
Our MSRs totaled $6.9 billion, net of a valuation allowance of $1.9 billion at December 31, 2003, and $4.5 billion, net of a valuation allowance of $2.2 billion, at December 31, 2002. The increase in MSRs was primarily due to the growth in the servicing portfolio resulting from originations and purchases. The note rate on the servicing portfolio was 5.90% at December 31, 2003 and 6.67% at December 31, 2002. Our MSRs were 1.15% of mortgage loans serviced for others at December 31, 2003, compared with .92% at December 31, 2002.
MARKET RISK TRADING ACTIVITIES
Our net income is exposed to interest rate risk, foreign
exchange risk, equity price risk, commodity price risk and
credit risk in several trading businesses managed under limits
set by Corporate ALCO. The primary purpose of these businesses
is to accommodate customers in the management of their market
price risks. Also, we take positions based on market
expectations or to benefit from price differences between
financial instruments and markets, subject to risk limits
established and monitored by Corporate ALCO. All securities,
loans, foreign exchange transactions, commodity transactions and
derivativestransacted with customers or used to hedge capital
market transactions with customersare carried at fair value.
The Institutional Risk Committee establishes and monitors
counterparty risk limits. The notional or contractual amount,
credit risk amount and estimated net fair value of all customer
accommodation derivatives at December 31, 2003 and 2002 are
included in Note 27 (Derivatives) to Financial Statements. Open,
at risk positions for all trading business are monitored by
Corporate ALCO. During 2003 the maximum daily value at risk,
the worst expected loss over a given time interval within a
given confidence range (99%), for all trading positions covered
by value at risk measures did not exceed $25 million.
MARKET RISK EQUITY MARKETS
We are directly and indirectly affected by changes in the equity
markets. We make and manage direct equity investments in
start-up businesses, emerging growth companies, management
buy-outs, acquisitions and corporate recapitalizations. We also
invest in non-affiliated funds that make similar private equity
investments. These private equity investments are made within
capital allocations approved by management and the Board of
Directors. The Board reviews business developments, key risks
and historical returns for the private equity investments at
least annually. Management reviews these investments at least
quarterly and assesses them for possible other-than-temporary
impairment. For nonmarketable investments, the analysis is based
on facts and circumstances of each individual investment and the
expectations for that investments cash flows and capital needs,
the viability of its business model and our exit strategy. At
December 31, 2003, private equity investments totaled $1,714
million, compared with $1,657 million at December 31, 2002.
We also have marketable equity securities in the available for sale investment portfolio, including shares distributed from our venture capital activities. We manage these investments within capital risk limits approved by management and the Board and monitored by Corporate ALCO. Gains and losses on these securities are recognized in net income when realized and, in addition, other-than-temporary impairment may be periodically recorded. The initial indicator of impairment for marketable equity securities is a sustained decline in market price below the amount recorded for that investment. We consider a variety of factors, such as the length of time and the extent to which the market value has been less than cost; the issuers financial condition, capital strength, and near-term prospects; any recent events specific to that issuer and economic conditions of its industry; and, to a lesser degree, our investment horizon in relationship to an anticipated near-term recovery in the stock price, if any. At December 31, 2003, the fair value of marketable equity securities was $582 million and cost was $394 million, compared with $556 million and $598 million, respectively, at December 31, 2002.
LIQUIDITY AND FUNDING
The objective of effective liquidity management is to ensure
that we can meet customer loan requests, customer deposit
maturities/withdrawals and other cash commitments efficiently
under both normal operating conditions and under unpredictable
circumstances of industry or market stress. To achieve this
objective, Corporate ALCO establishes and monitors liquidity
guidelines that require sufficient asset-based liquidity to
cover potential funding requirements and to avoid
over-dependence on volatile, less reliable funding markets. We
set liquidity management guidelines for both the consolidated
balance sheet as well as for the Parent specifically to ensure
that the Parent is a source of strength for its regulated,
deposit-taking banking subsidiaries.
50
In 2003, we sold mortgage loans of approximately $400 billion, including securitized home mortgage loans and commercial mortgage loans of approximately $320 billion. The amount of mortgage loans, as well as home equity loans and other consumer loans, available to be sold or securitized totaled approximately $105 billion at December 31, 2003.
PARENT. In March 2003, the Parent registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for issuance an additional $15.3 billion in senior and subordinated notes and preferred and common securities. During 2003, the
Parent issued a total of $13.4 billion of senior and subordinated notes and trust preferred securities. At December 31, 2003, the Parents remaining issuance capacity under effective registration statements was $9.0 billion. We used the proceeds from securities issued in 2003 for general corporate purposes and expect that the proceeds in the future will also be used for general corporate purposes. The Parent also issues commercial paper and has a $1 billion back-up credit facility.
BANK NOTE PROGRAM. In March 2003, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. established a $50 billion bank note program under which it may issue up to $20 billion in short-term senior notes outstanding at any time and up to a total of $30 billion in long-term senior and subordinated notes. This program updates and supercedes the bank note program established in February 2001. Securities are issued under this program as private placements in accordance with Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) regulations. During 2003, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. issued $9.4 billion in senior long-term notes. At December 31, 2003, the remaining issuance authority under the long-term portion was $14.9 billion.
WELLS FARGO FINANCIAL. In November 2003, Wells Fargo Financial Canada Corporation (WFFCC), a wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary of Wells Fargo Financial, Inc., qualified for distribution with the provincial securities exchanges in Canada $1.5 billion (Canadian). The remaining issuance capacity under previous registered securities of $550 million (Canadian) expired on November 1, 2003. During 2003, WFFCC issued $400 million (Canadian) in senior notes. At December 31, 2003, the remaining issuance capacity for WFFCC was $1.5 billion (Canadian). During 2003, Wells Fargo Financial, Inc. issued $500 million (US) and $400 million (Canadian) in senior notes as private placements.
51
Capital Management
We have an active program for managing stockholder capital. Our objective is to produce above market long-term returns by opportunistically using capital when returns are perceived to be high and issuing/accumulating capital when such costs are perceived to be low.
Our potential sources of capital include retained earnings, and issuances of common and preferred stock and subordinated debt. In 2003, retained earnings increased $3.5 billion, predominantly as a result of net income of $6.2 billion less dividends of $2.5 billion. In 2003, we issued $1.3 billion of common stock under various employee benefit and director plans and under our dividend reinvestment program. We issued $1.0 billion in subordinated debt and completed two placements of trust preferred securities in the amount of $700 million in 2003. On October 13, 2003, we called all shares of our Adjustable-Rate Cumulative, Series B preferred stock. The shares were redeemed on November 15, 2003 at the stated liquidation price plus accrued dividends.
Comparison of 2002 with 2001
Net income in 2002 was $5.4 billion, compared with $3.4 billion in 2001. Diluted earnings per common share were $3.16, compared with $1.97 in 2001.
Revenue, the sum of net interest income and noninterest income, increased from $21.0 billion in 2001 to $25.2 billion in 2002, or 20%.
52
Factors That May Affect Future Results
We make forward-looking statements in this report and in other reports and proxy statements we file with the SEC. In addition, our senior management might make forward-looking statements orally to analysts, investors, the media and others.
Forward-looking statements include:
| projections of our revenues, income, earnings per share, capital expenditures, dividends, capital structure or other financial items; | ||
| descriptions of plans or objectives of our management for future operations, products or services, including pending acquisitions; | ||
| forecasts of our future economic performance; and | ||
| descriptions of assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing. |
In this report, for example, we make forward-looking statements discussing our expectations about:
| future credit losses and nonperforming assets; | ||
| the future value of mortgage servicing rights; | ||
| the future value of equity securities, including those in our venture capital portfolios; | ||
| the impact of new accounting standards; | ||
| future short-term and long-term interest rate levels and their impact on our net interest margin, net income, liquidity and capital; and | ||
| the impact of the VISA USA Inc. settlement on our earnings. |
Forward-looking statements discuss matters that are not historical facts. Because they discuss future events or conditions, forward-looking statements often include words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intend, plan, project, target, can, could, may, should, will, would or similar expressions. Do not unduly rely on forward-looking statements. They give our expectations about the future and are not guarantees. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we might not update them to reflect changes that occur after the date they are made.
There are several factorsmany beyond our controlthat could cause results to differ significantly from our expectations. Some of these factors are described below. Other factors, such as credit, market, operational, liquidity, interest rate and other risks, are described elsewhere in this report (see, for example, Balance Sheet Analysis). Factors relating to the regulation and supervision are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003. Any factor described in this report or in our 2003 Form 10-K could by itself, or together with one or more other factors, adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. There are also other factors that we have not described in this report or in our 2003 Form 10-K that could cause results to differ from our expectations.
Industry Factors
AS A FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY, OUR EARNINGS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY
AFFECTED BY GENERAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.
Our business and earnings are affected by general business and
economic conditions in the United States and abroad. These
conditions include short-term and long-term interest rates,
inflation, monetary supply, fluctuations in both debt and
equity capital markets, and the strength of the U.S. economy
and the local economies in which we operate. For example, an
economic downturn, an increase in unemployment, or other events
that effect household and/or corporate incomes could decrease
the demand for loan and non-loan products and services and
increase the number of customers who fail to pay interest or
principal on their loans.
53
OUR EARNINGS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY THE FISCAL AND
MONETARY POLICIES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND ITS AGENCIES.
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System regulates
the supply of money and credit in the United States. Its
policies determine in large part our cost of funds for lending
and investing and the return we earn on those loans and
investments, both of which affect our net interest margin. They
also can materially affect the value of financial instruments we
hold, such as debt securities and mortgage servicing rights. Its
policies also can affect our borrowers, potentially increasing
the risk that they may fail to repay their loans. Changes in
Federal Reserve Board policies are beyond our control and hard
to predict.
THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE.
We operate in a highly competitive industry that could become
even more competitive as a result of legislative, regulatory and
technological changes and continued consolidation. Banks,
securities firms and insurance companies now can merge by
creating a financial holding company, which can offer
virtually any type of financial service, including banking,
securities underwriting, insurance (both agency and
underwriting) and merchant banking. Recently, a number of
foreign banks have acquired financial services companies in the
United States, further increasing competition in the U.S.
market. Also, technology has lowered barriers to entry and made
it possible for nonbanks to offer products and services
traditionally provided by banks, such as automatic transfer and
automatic payment systems. Many of our competitors have fewer
regulatory constraints and some have lower cost structures.
WE ARE HEAVILY REGULATED BY FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES.
The holding company, its subsidiary banks and many of its
nonbank subsidiaries are heavily regulated at the federal and
state levels. This regulation is to protect depositors, federal
deposit insurance funds and the banking system as a whole, not
security holders. Congress and state legislatures and federal
and state regulatory agencies continually review banking laws,
regulations and policies for possible changes. Changes to
statutes, regulations or regulatory policies, including
interpretation or implementation of statutes, regulations or
policies, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways
including limiting the types of financial services and products
we may offer and/or increasing the ability of nonbanks to offer
competing financial services and products. Also, if we do not
comply with laws, regulations or policies, we could receive
regulatory sanctions and damage to our reputation. For more
information, refer to the Regulation and Supervision
section of our 2003 Form 10-K and to Notes 3 (Cash, Loan and Dividend Restrictions) and 26 (Regulatory and Agency Capital Requirements) to Financial Statements included in this report.
FUTURE LEGISLATION COULD CHANGE OUR COMPETITIVE POSITION.
Legislation is from time to time introduced in the Congress,
including proposals to substantially change the financial
institution regulatory system and to expand or contract the
powers of banking institutions and bank holding companies. This
legislation may change banking statutes and our operating
environment in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted,
such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing
business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the
competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit
unions, and other financial institutions. We cannot predict
whether any of this potential legislation will be enacted, and
if enacted, the effect that it, or any regulations, would have
on our financial condition or results of operations.
WE DEPEND ON THE ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF INFORMATION ABOUT
CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES.
In deciding whether to extend credit or enter into other
transactions with customers and counterparties, we may rely on
information furnished to us by or on behalf of customers and
counterparties, including financial statements and other
financial information. We also may rely on representations of
customers and counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness
of that information and, with respect to financial statements,
on reports of independent auditors. For example, in deciding
whether to extend credit, we may assume that a customers
audited financial statements conform with GAAP and present
fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition,
results of operations and cash flows of the customer. We also
may rely on the audit report covering those financial
statements. Our financial condition and results of operations
could be negatively affected by relying on financial statements
that do not comply with GAAP or that are materially misleading.
CONSUMERS MAY DECIDE NOT TO USE BANKS TO COMPLETE THEIR
FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS.
Technology and other changes now allow parties to complete
financial transactions without banks. For example, consumers can
pay bills and transfer funds directly without banks. The process
of eliminating banks as intermediaries, known as
disintermediation, could result in the loss of fee income, as
well as the loss of customer deposits and income generated from
those deposits.
54
Company Factors
MAINTAINING OR INCREASING OUR MARKET SHARE DEPENDS ON MARKET
ACCEPTANCE AND REGULATORY APPROVAL OF NEW PRODUCTS AND
SERVICES.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to adapt our
products and services to evolving industry standards. There is
increasing pressure to provide products and services at lower
prices. This can reduce our net interest margin and revenues
from our fee-based products and services. In addition, the
widespread adoption of new technologies, including internet
services, could require us to make substantial expenditures to
modify or adapt our existing products and services. We might not
be successful in introducing new products and services,
achieving market acceptance of our products and services, or
developing and maintaining loyal customers.
NEGATIVE PUBLIC OPINION COULD DAMAGE OUR REPUTATION AND
ADVERSELY IMPACT OUR EARNINGS.
Reputation risk, or the risk to our earnings and capital from
negative public opinion, is inherent in our business. Negative
public opinion can result from our actual or alleged conduct in
any number of activities, including lending practices, corporate
governance and acquisitions, and from actions taken by
government regulators and community organizations in response to
those activities. Negative public opinion can adversely affect
our ability to keep and attract customers and can expose us to
litigation and regulatory action. Because virtually all our
businesses operate under the Wells Fargo brand, actual or
alleged conduct by one business can result in negative public
opinion about other Wells Fargo businesses. Although we take
steps to minimize reputation risk in dealing with our customers
and communities, as a large diversified financial services
company with a relatively high industry profile, the risk will
always be present in our organization.
THE HOLDING COMPANY RELIES ON DIVIDENDS FROM ITS SUBSIDIARIES
FOR MOST OF ITS REVENUE.
The holding company is a separate and distinct legal entity
from its subsidiaries. It receives substantially all of its
revenue from dividends from its subsidiaries. These dividends
are the principal source of funds to pay dividends on the
holding companys common and preferred stock and interest and
principal on its debt. Various federal and/or state laws and
regulations limit the amount of dividends that our bank and
certain of our nonbank subsidiaries may pay to the
holding company. Also, the holding companys right to participate in a distribution of assets upon a subsidiarys liquidation or reorganization is subject to the prior claims of the subsidiarys creditors. For more information, refer to Regulation and SupervisionDividend Restrictions and Holding Company Structure in our 2003 Form 10-K.
OUR ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND METHODS ARE KEY TO HOW WE REPORT
OUR FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS. THEY MAY
REQUIRE MANAGEMENT TO MAKE ESTIMATES ABOUT MATTERS THAT ARE
UNCERTAIN.
Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we
record and report our financial condition and results of
operations. Our management must exercise judgment in selecting
and applying many of these accounting policies and methods so
they comply with generally accepted accounting principles and
reflect managements judgment of the most appropriate manner to
report our financial condition and results. In some cases,
management must select the accounting policy or method to apply
from two or more alternatives, any of which might be reasonable
under the circumstances yet might result in our reporting
materially different amounts than would have been reported under
a different alternative. Note 1 (Summary of Significant
Accounting Policies) to Financial Statements describes our
significant accounting policies.
| significantly increase our allowance for loan losses and/or sustain loan losses that are significantly higher than the reserve provided; | ||
| recognize significant provision for impairment of our mortgage servicing rights; or | ||
| significantly increase our pension liability. |
For more information, refer in this report to Critical Accounting Policies, Balance Sheet Analysis and Risk Management.
55
WE HAVE BUSINESSES OTHER THAN BANKING.
We are a diversified financial services company. In addition to
banking, we provide insurance, investments, mortgages and
consumer finance. Although we believe our diversity helps
lessen the effect when downturns affect any one segment of our
industry, it also means our earnings could be subject to
different risks and uncertainties. We discuss some examples
below.
MERCHANT BANKING. Our merchant banking business, which includes venture capital investments, has a much greater risk of capital losses than our traditional banking business. Also, it is difficult to predict the timing of any gains from this business. Realization of gains from our venture capital investments depends on a number of factorsmany beyond our controlincluding general economic conditions, the prospects of the companies in which we invest, when these companies go public, the size of our position relative to the public float, and whether we are subject to any resale restrictions. Factors, such as a slowdown in consumer demand or a decline in capital spending, could result in declines in the values of our publicly-traded and private equity securities. If we determine that the declines are other-than-temporary, additional impairment charges would be recognized. Also, we will realize losses to the extent we sell securities at less than book value. For more information, see in this report Balance Sheet Analysis Securities Available for Sale.
MORTGAGE BANKING. The effect of interest rates on our mortgage business can be large and complex. Changes in interest rates can affect loan origination fees and loan servicing fees, which account for a significant portion of mortgage-related revenues. A decline in mortgage rates generally increases the demand for mortgage loans as borrowers refinance, but also generally leads to accelerated payoffs in our mortgage servicing portfolio. Conversely, in a constant or increasing rate environment, we would expect fewer loans to be refinanced and a decline in payoffs in our servicing portfolio. We use dynamic, sophisticated models to assess the effect of interest rates on mortgage fees, amortization of mortgage servicing rights, and the value of mortgage servicing rights. The estimates of net income and fair value produced by these models, however, depend on assumptions of future loan demand, prepayment speeds and other factors that may overstate or understate actual experience. We use derivatives to hedge the value of our servicing portfolio but they do not cover the full value of the portfolio. We cannot assure that the hedges will offset significant decreases in the value of the portfolio. For more information, see in this report Critical Accounting Policies Valuation of Mortgage Servicing Rights and Asset /Liability and Market Risk Management.
WE RELY ON OTHER COMPANIES TO PROVIDE KEY COMPONENTS OF OUR
BUSINESS INFRASTRUCTURE.
Third parties provide key components of our business
infrastructure such as internet connections and network access.
Any disruption in internet, network access or other voice or
data communication services provided by these third parties or
any failure of these third parties to handle current or higher
volumes of use could adversely affect our ability to deliver
products and services to our customers and otherwise to conduct
our business. Technological or financial difficulties of a
third party service provider could adversely affect our business
to the extent those difficulties result in the interruption or
discontinuation of services provided by that party.
WE HAVE AN ACTIVE ACQUISITION PROGRAM.
We regularly explore opportunities to acquire financial
institutions and other financial services providers. We cannot
predict the number, size or timing of acquisitions. We typically
do not comment publicly on a possible acquisition or business
combination until we have signed a definitive agreement.
LEGISLATIVE RISK
Our business model depends on sharing information among the
family of companies owned by Wells Fargo to better satisfy our
customers needs. Laws that restrict the ability of our
companies to share information about customers could negatively
affect our revenue and profit.
OUR BUSINESS COULD SUFFER IF WE FAIL TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN
SKILLED PEOPLE.
Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to attract
and retain key people. Competition for the best people in most
activities we engage in can be intense. We may not be able to
hire the best people or to keep them.
56
OUR STOCK PRICE CAN BE VOLATILE.
Our stock price can fluctuate widely in response to a variety
of factors including:
| actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results; | ||
| recommendations by securities analysts; | ||
| new technology used, or services offered, by our competitors; | ||
| significant acquisitions or business combinations, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by or involving us or our competitors; | ||
| failure to integrate our acquisitions or realize anticipated benefits from our acquisitions; |
| operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to us; | ||
| news reports relating to trends, concerns and other issues in the financial services industry; | ||
| changes in government regulations; and | ||
| geopolitical conditions such as acts or threats of terrorism or military conflicts. |
General market fluctuations, industry factors and general economic and political conditions and events, such as terrorist attacks, economic slowdowns or recessions, interest rate changes, credit loss trends or currency fluctuations, also could cause our stock price to decrease regardless of our operating results.
Additional Information
Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Chicago Stock Exchange. The common stock prices in the graphs below were reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Transaction Reporting System. The number of holders of record of our common stock was 96,634 at January 31, 2004.
Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, are available free of charge on or through our website (www.wellsfargo.com), as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Those reports and amendments are also available free of charge on the SECs website (www.sec.gov).
57
Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Income
(in millions, except per share amounts)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
1,816
$
2,424
$
2,544
3,136
2,450
1,595
251
252
317
13,937
13,045
13,977
278
288
284
19,418
18,459
18,717
1,613
1,919
3,553
322
536
1,273
1,355
1,404
1,826
121
118
89
3,411
3,977
6,741
16,007
14,482
11,976
1,722
1,684
1,727
14,285
12,798
10,249
2,361
2,179
1,876
1,937
1,875
1,791
1,003
920
796
1,572
1,384
1,244
2,512
1,713
1,671
937
1,115
1,315
1,071
997
745
4
293
316
55
(327
)
(1,538
)
930
618
789
12,382
10,767
9,005
4,832
4,383
4,027
2,054
1,706
1,195
1,560
1,283
960
1,246
1,014
909
1,177
1,102
975
702
802
903
5,619
4,421
4,825
17,190
14,711
13,794
9,477
8,854
5,460
3,275
3,144
2,049
6,202
5,710
3,411
(276
)
$
6,202
$
5,434
$
3,411
$
6,199
$
5,430
$
3,397
$
3.69
$
3.35
$
1.99
$
3.65
$
3.32
$
1.97
$
3.69
$
3.19
$
1.99
$
3.65
$
3.16
$
1.97
$
1.50
$
1.10
$
1.00
1,681.1
1,701.1
1,709.5
1,697.5
1,718.0
1,726.9
58
Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheet
(in millions, except shares)
December 31
,
2003
2002
$
15,547
$
17,820
2,745
3,174
32,953
27,947
29,027
51,154
7,497
6,665
253,073
192,478
3,891
3,819
249,182
188,659
6,906
4,489
3,534
3,688
10,371
9,753
30,036
35,848
$
387,798
$
349,197
$
74,387
$
74,094
173,140
142,822
247,527
216,916
24,659
33,446
17,501
18,311
63,642
47,320
2,885
353,329
318,878
214
251
2,894
2,894
9,643
9,498
22,842
19,355
938
976
(1,833
)
(2,465
)
(229
)
(190
)
34,469
30,319
$
387,798
$
349,197
59
Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders Equity and Comprehensive Income
(in millions, except shares)
Number
Preferred
Common
Additional
Retained
Cumulative
Treasury
Unearned
Total
of common
stock
stock
paid-in
earnings
other
stock
ESOP
stock-
shares
capital
comprehensive
shares
holders
income
equity
1,714,645,843
$
385
$
2,894
$
9,337
$
14,514
$
524
$
(1,075
)
$
(118
)
$
26,461
3,411
3,411
(3
)
(3
)
(42
)
(42
)
10
10
71
71
192
192
3,639
16,472,042
92
(236
)
738
594
428,343
1
1
20
22
(39,474,053
)
(1,760
)
(1,760
)
192
15
(207
)
(12
)
171
159
3,422,822
(159
)
3
156
(200
)
(200
)
(14
)
(14
)
(1,710
)
(1,710
)
(16
)
(16
)
(19,150,846
)
(167
)
99
1,452
228
(862
)
(36
)
714
1,695,494,997
218
2,894
9,436
15,966
752
(1,937
)
(154
)
27,175
5,434
5,434
1
1
42
42
484
484
(303
)
(303
)
5,658
17,345,078
43
(168
)
777
652
12,017,193
4
531
535
(43,170,943
)
(2,033
)
(2,033
)
239
17
(256
)
(14
)
220
206
4,220,182
(206
)
12
194
(4
)
(4
)
(1,873
)
(1,873
)
3
3
(9,588,490
)
33
62
3,389
224
(528
)
(36
)
3,144
1,685,906,507
251
2,894
9,498
19,355
976
(2,465
)
(190
)
30,319
6,202
6,202
26
26
(117
)
(117
)
53
53
6,164
26,063,731
63
(190
)
1,221
1,094
12,399,597
66
585
651
(30,779,500
)
(1,482
)
(1,482
)
260
19
(279
)
(16
)
240
224
4,519,039
(224
)
13
211
(73
)
(73
)
(3
)
(3
)
(2,527
)
(2,527
)
97
97
5
5
12,202,867
(37
)
145
3,487
(38
)
632
(39
)
4,150
1,698,109,374
$
214
$
2,894
$
9,643
$
22,842
$
938
$
(1,833
)
$
(229
)
$
34,469
60
Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
6,202
$
5,434
$
3,411
1,722
1,684
1,727
1,092
2,135
1,124
4,305
4,297
3,864
(62
)
(198
)
726
(1,801
)
(1,038
)
(705
)
(28
)
(19
)
(35
)
46
52
(21
)
(29
)
(10
)
(122
)
224
206
159
1,248
(3,859
)
(1,219
)
1,698
305
(596
)
(148
)
145
232
(63
)
(53
)
(269
)
(383,553
)
(286,100
)
(179,475
)
404,207
263,126
156,267
3,136
2,063
1,731
(832
)
(1,091
)
(206
)
(5,099
)
(4,466
)
(1,780
)
(1,070
)
1,929
5,075
31,195
(15,458
)
(10,112
)
7,357
11,863
19,586
13,152
9,684
6,730
(25,131
)
(7,261
)
(29,053
)
(822
)
(588
)
(459
)
(36,235
)
(18,992
)
(11,866
)
1,590
948
2,305
(15,087
)
(2,818
)
(1,104
)
17,638
11,396
9,964
(21,792
)
(14,621
)
(11,651
)
(3,682
)
34
94
1,191
264
473
279
483
(475
)
(932
)
(3,875
)
(1,492
)
(2,912
)
3,127
314
(825
)
(62,979
)
(11,475
)
(18,747
)
28,643
25,050
17,707
(8,901
)
(5,224
)
8,793
29,490
21,711
14,658
(17,931
)
(10,902
)
(10,625
)
700
450
1,500
944
578
484
(73
)
(200
)
(1,482
)
(2,033
)
(1,760
)
(2,530
)
(1,877
)
(1,724
)
651
32
16
29,511
27,785
28,849
(2,273
)
852
(10
)
17,820
16,968
16,978
$
15,547
$
17,820
$
16,968
$
3,348
$
3,924
$
6,472
2,713
2,789
2,552
368
439
1,230
829
411
491
325
61
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 1:
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial
services company. We provide banking, insurance,
investments, mortgage banking and consumer finance
through stores, the internet and other distribution
channels to consumers, businesses and institutions in
all 50 states of the U.S. and in other countries. In
this Annual Report, Wells Fargo & Company and
Subsidiaries (consolidated) are called the Company.
Wells Fargo & Company (the Parent) is a financial
holding company and a bank holding company.
Consolidation
and effective for all existing VIEs on December 31,
2003, we consolidate a VIE if we are the primary
beneficiary because we will absorb a majority of the
entitys expected losses, receive a majority of the
entitys expected residual returns, or both.
Securities
For marketable equity securities, we also consider:
For debt securities we also consider:
We manage these investments within capital risk
limits approved by management and the Board and
monitored by the Corporate Asset/Liability Management
Committee. We recognize realized gains and losses on
the sale of these securities in noninterest income
using the specific identification method. For certain
debt securities (for example, Government National
Mortgage Association securities), we anticipate
prepayments of principal in calculating the effective
yield used to accrete discounts or amortize premiums to
interest income.
62
TRADING SECURITIES
Securities that we acquire for
short-term appreciation or other trading purposes are
recorded in a trading portfolio. They are carried at
fair value, with unrealized gains and losses recorded
in noninterest income. We include trading securities
in other assets in the balance sheet.
NONMARKETABLE EQUITY SECURITIES
Nonmarketable equity
securities include venture capital equity securities
that are not publicly traded and securities acquired
for various purposes, such as to meet regulatory
requirements (for example, Federal Reserve Bank stock).
We review these assets at least quarterly for possible
other-than-temporary impairment. Our review typically
includes an analysis of the facts and circumstances of
each investment, the expectations for the investments
cash flows and capital needs, the viability of its
business model and our exit strategy. These securities
generally are accounted for at cost and are included in
other assets. We reduce the asset value when we
consider declines in value to be other-than-temporary.
We recognize the estimated loss as a loss from equity
investments in noninterest income.
Mortgages Held for Sale
Loans Held for Sale
Loans
NONACCRUAL LOANS
We generally place loans on nonaccrual
status (1) when they are 90 days (120 days with respect
to real estate 1-4 family first and junior lien
mortgages) past due for interest or principal (unless
both well-secured and in the process of collection),
(2) when the full and timely collection of interest or
principal becomes uncertain or (3) when part of the
principal balance has been charged off. Generally,
consumer loans not secured by real estate are placed on
nonaccrual status only when part of the principal has
been charged off. These loans are entirely charged off
when deemed uncollectible or when they reach a
predetermined number of days past due based on loan
product, industry practice, country, terms and other
factors.
When we place a loan on nonaccrual status, we
reverse the accrued and unpaid interest receivable and
account for the loan on the cash or cost recovery
method, until it qualifies for return to accrual
status. Generally, we return a loan to accrual status
(a) when all delinquent interest and principal becomes
current under the terms of the loan agreement or (b)
when the loan is both well-secured and in the process
of collection and collectibility is no longer doubtful.
IMPAIRED LOANS
We assess, account for and disclose as
impaired certain nonaccrual commercial loans and
commercial real estate mortgage and construction loans
that are over $1 million. We consider a loan to be
impaired when, based on current information and events,
we will probably not be able to collect all amounts due
according to the loan contract, including scheduled
interest payments.
ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES
The allowance for loan
losses is managements estimate of credit losses
inherent in the loan portfolio, including unfunded
commitments, at the balance sheet date. Our
determination of the allowance, and the resulting
provision, is based on judgments and assumptions,
including (1) general economic conditions, (2) loan
portfolio composition, (3) loan loss experience, (4)
managements evaluation of credit risk relating to
pools of loans and individual borrowers, (5)
sensitivity analysis and expected loss models and (6)
observations from our internal auditors, internal loan
review staff or our banking regulators.
Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets
63
We recognize the rights to service mortgage loans
for others, or mortgage servicing rights (MSRs), as
assets whether we purchase the servicing rights or
securitize loans we originate and retain servicing
rights. MSRs are amortized in proportion to, and over
the period of, estimated net servicing income. The
amortization of MSRs is analyzed monthly and is
adjusted to reflect changes in prepayment speeds.
Premises and Equipment
Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets
Operating Lease Assets
64
Pension Accounting
Long-Term Debt
Income Taxes
Stock-Based Compensation
65
Earnings Per Common Share
Derivatives and Hedging Activities
We discontinue hedge accounting prospectively when
(1) a derivative is no longer highly effective in
offsetting changes in the fair value or cash flows of a
hedged item, (2) a derivative expires or is sold,
terminated, or exercised, (3) a derivative is
dedesignated as a hedge, because it is unlikely that a
forecasted transaction will occur, or (4) we determine
that designation of a derivative as a hedge is no
longer appropriate.
66
Note 2:
Business Combinations
We regularly explore opportunities to acquire financial
services companies and businesses. Generally, we do not
make a public announcement about an acquisition
opportunity until a definitive agreement has been
signed.
For information on contingent consideration
related to acquisitions, which are considered
guarantees, see Note 25.
Note 3:
Cash, Loan and Dividend Restrictions
Federal Reserve Board regulations require that each of
our subsidiary banks maintain reserve balances on
deposits with the Federal Reserve Banks. The average
required reserve balance was $1.0 billion and $1.8
billion in 2003 and 2002, respectively.
Dividends paid by our subsidiary banks are subject
to various federal and state regulatory limitations.
Dividends that may be paid by a national bank without
the express approval of the Office of the Comptroller
of the Currency (OCC) are limited to that banks
retained net profits for the preceding two calendar
years plus retained net profits up to the date of any
dividend
declaration in the current calendar year. Retained
net profits, as defined by the OCC, consist of net
income less dividends declared during the period. We
also have state-chartered subsidiary banks that are
subject to state regulations that limit dividends.
Under those provisions, our national and
state-chartered subsidiary banks could have declared
additional dividends of $844 million and $1,585 million
at December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively, without
obtaining prior regulatory approval. In addition, our
nonbank subsidiaries could have declared additional
dividends of $1,682 million and $1,252 million at
December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.
67
Note 4:
Securities Available for Sale
The following table provides the cost and fair value
for the major categories of securities available for
sale carried at fair
value. There were no securities classified as held to
maturity at the end of 2003 or 2002.
The following table shows the unrealized gross
losses and fair value of securities in the securities
available for sale portfolio at December 31, 2003, by
length of time that individual securities in each
category have been in a continuous loss position.
which consisted of asset-backed securities, bonds and
notes. Because the declines in fair value were due to
changes in market interest rates, not in estimated cash flows, no
other-than-temporary impairment was recorded at
December 31, 2003.
68
Securities pledged where the secured party has
the right to sell or repledge totaled $3.2 billion at
December 31, 2003 and $3.6 billion at December 31,
2002. Securities pledged where the secured party does
not have the right to sell or repledge totaled $18.6
billion at December 31, 2003 and $17.9 billion at
December 31, 2002, primarily to secure trust and
public deposits and for other purposes as required or
permitted by law. We have accepted collateral in the
form of securities that we have the right to sell or
repledge of $2.1 billion at December 31, 2003 and $3.1
billion at December 31, 2002, of which we sold or
repledged $1.8 billion and $1.7 billion at December
31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.
The following table shows the realized net gains
(losses) on the sales of securities from the
securities available for sale portfolio, including
marketable equity securities.
The table below shows the remaining contractual
principal maturities and yields (on a
taxable-equivalent basis) of debt securities available
for sale. The remaining contractual principal
maturities for mortgage-backed securities were
allocated assuming no prepayments. Remaining
maturities will differ from contractual maturities
because borrowers may have the right to prepay
obligations before the underlying mortgages mature.
69
Note 5:
Loans and Allowance for Loan Losses
A summary of the major categories of loans outstanding
is shown in the table below. Outstanding loan balances at
December 31, 2003 and 2002 are net of unearned income,
including net deferred loan fees, of $3,430 million and
$3,699 million, respectively.
concentrations
greater than 10% of total loans included in
any of the following loan categories: commercial loans by
industry; real estate 1-4 family first and junior lien mortgages by state, except for California, which represented 19%
of total loans; or other revolving credit and installment loans
by product type.
To ensure that the pricing of a loan will adequately
compensate us for assuming the credit risk presented by a
customer, we may require a certain amount of collateral.
We hold various types of collateral, including accounts
receivable, inventory, land, buildings, equipment, income-producing
commercial properties and residential real estate.
We have the same collateral requirements for loans whether
we fund immediately or later (commitment).
by individual customer and in total, by monitoring the size
and maturity structure of these portfolios and by applying
the same credit standards for all of our credit activities. We
include a portion of unfunded commitments in determining
the allowance for loan losses.
The total of our unfunded commitments, net of all funds
lent and all standby and commercial letters of credit issued
under the terms of these commitments, is summarized by
loan categories in the table below.
70
Changes in the allowance for loan losses were:
We have an established process to determine the adequacy
of the allowance for loan losses which assesses the risks
and losses inherent in our portfolio. This process supports
an allowance consisting of two components, allocated and
unallocated. For the allocated component, we combine
estimates of the allowances needed for loans analyzed on
a pooled basis and loans analyzed individually (including
impaired loans).
Approximately two-thirds of the allocated allowance
is determined at a pooled level for retail loan portfolios
(consumer loans and leases, home mortgage loans, and some
segments of small business loans). We use forecasting models
to measure inherent loss in these portfolios. We frequently
validate and update these models to capture recent behavioral
characteristics of the portfolios, as well as any changes in
our loss mitigation or marketing strategies.
71
We use a standardized loan grading process for wholesale
loan portfolios (commercial, commercial real estate, real
estate construction and leases) and review larger higher-risk
transactions individually. Based on this process, we assign a
loss factor to each pool of graded loans. For graded loans
with evidence of credit weakness at the balance sheet date,
the loss factors are derived from migration models that track
actual portfolio movements between loan grades over a
specified period of time. For graded loans without evidence
of credit weakness at the balance sheet date, we use a combination of our long-term average loss experience and external
loss data. In addition, we individually review nonperforming
loans over $1 million for impairment based on cash flows or
collateral. We include the impairment on nonperforming
loans in the allocated allowance unless it has already been
recognized as a loss.
We consider the allowance for loan losses of $3.89 billion
adequate to cover credit losses inherent in the loan portfolio,
including unfunded commitments, at December 31, 2003.
The average recorded investment in impaired loans during
2003, 2002 and 2001 was $668 million, $705 million and
$707 million, respectively. Predominantly all payments
received on impaired loans were recorded using the cost
recovery method. Under the cost recovery method, all
payments received are applied to principal. This method is
used when the ultimate collectibility of the total principal is
in doubt. For payments received on impaired loans recorded
using the cash basis method, total interest income recognized
for 2003, 2002 and 2001 was $12 million, $17 million and
$13 million, respectively. Under the cash method, contractual
interest is credited to interest income when received. This
method is used when the ultimate collectibility of the total
principal is not in doubt.
72
Note 6:
Premises, Equipment, Lease Commitments and Other Assets
Depreciation and amortization expense was $666 million,
$599 million and $561 million in 2003, 2002 and 2001,
respectively.
Operating lease rental expense (predominantly for premises),
net of rental income, was $574 million, $535 million and
$473 million in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.
The components of other assets at December 31, 2003
and 2002 were:
Trading assets are primarily securities, including corporate debt, U.S. government agency obligations and the fair
value of derivatives held for customer accommodation purposes. Interest income from trading assets was $156 million,
$169 million and $114 million in 2003, 2002 and 2001,
respectively. Noninterest income from trading assets, included
in the other category, was $502 million, $321 million and
$400 million in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.
73
Note 7:
Intangible Assets
The gross carrying amount of intangible assets and accumulated amortization at December 31, 2003 and 2002 was:
As of December 31, 2003, the current year and estimated
future amortization expense for amortized intangible assets
was:
We based the projections of amortization expense for
mortgage servicing rights shown above on existing asset
balances and the existing interest rate environment as of
December 31, 2003. Future amortization expense may be
significantly different depending upon changes in the mortgage servicing portfolio, mortgage interest rates and market
conditions. We based the projections of amortization expense
for core deposit intangibles shown above on existing asset
balances at December 31, 2003. Future amortization expense
may vary based on additional core deposit intangibles
acquired through business combinations.
74
Note 8:
Goodwill
The following table summarizes the changes in the carrying
amount of goodwill as allocated to our operating segments
for goodwill impairment analysis.
combination. We used the discounted estimated future net
cash flows to evaluate goodwill reported at all reporting units.
For our goodwill impairment analysis, we allocate all
of the goodwill to the individual operating segments. For
management reporting we do not allocate all of the goodwill
to the individual operating segments: some is allocated at the
enterprise level. See Note 20 for further information on
management reporting. The balances of goodwill for
management reporting are:
75
Note 9:
Deposits
The total of time certificates of deposit and other time
deposits issued by domestic offices was $47,322 million and
$31,637 million at December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.
Substantially all of those deposits were interest bearing. The
contractual maturities of those deposits were:
Of the total above, the amount of time deposits with a
denomination of $100,000 or more was $33,258 million and
$15,403 million at December 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.
The increase from 2002 was predominantly due to certificates
of deposit sold to institutional customers. The contractual
maturities of these deposits were:
Time certificates of deposit and other time deposits issued
by foreign offices with a denomination of $100,000 or more
represent substantially all of our foreign deposit liabilities of
$8,768 million and $9,454 million at December 31, 2003
and 2002, respectively.
Note 10:
Short-Term Borrowings
The table below shows selected information for short-term
borrowings, which generally mature in less than 30 days.
lines of credit. These financing arrangements require the
maintenance of compensating balances or payment of fees,
which were not material.
76
Note 11:
Long-Term Debt
The
following is a summary of long-term debt, based on
(continued on following page)
77
At December 31, 2003, the principal payments, including
sinking fund payments, on long-term debt are due as noted:
The interest rates on floating-rate notes are determined
periodically by formulas based on certain money market
rates, subject, on certain notes, to minimum or maximum
interest rates.
Note 12:
Guaranteed Preferred Beneficial Interests In Companys Subordinated Debentures
At December 31, 2003, we had 13 wholly-owned trusts
(the Trusts) that were formed to issue trust preferred
securities and related common securities of the Trusts. At
December 31, 2003, as a result of the adoption of FIN 46R,
we deconsolidated the Trusts. The $3.8 billion of junior
subordinated debentures issued by the Company to the
Trusts were reflected as long-term debt in the consolidated
balance sheet at December 31, 2003. (See Note 11.)
The common stock issued by the Trusts was recorded
in other assets in the consolidated balance sheet at
December 31, 2003.
Prior to December 31, 2003, the Trusts were
consolidated subsidiaries and were included in liabilities
in the consolidated balance sheet, as Guaranteed
preferred beneficial interests in Companys subordinated
debentures. The common securities and debentures,
along with the related income effects were eliminated in
the consolidated financial statements.
78
Note 13:
Preferred Stock
We are authorized to issue 20 million shares of preferred
stock and 4 million shares of preference stock, both without
par value. Preferred shares outstanding rank senior to
common shares both as to dividends and liquidation
preference but have no general voting rights. We have not
issued any preference shares under this authorization.
ESOP CUMULATIVE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK
the stated value of the ESOP Preferred Stock and the then
current market price of our common stock. The ESOP
Preferred Stock is also convertible at the option of the
holder at any time, unless previously redeemed. We have
the option to redeem the ESOP Preferred Stock at any
time, in whole or in part, at a redemption price per share
equal to the higher of (a) $1,000 per share plus accrued
and unpaid dividends or (b) the fair market value, as
defined in the Certificates of Designation of the ESOP
Preferred Stock.
79
Note 14:
Common Stock and Stock Plans
Common Stock
Dividend Reinvestment and Common Stock Purchase Plans
Director Plans
Employee Stock Plans
Options also may include the right to acquire a reload stock option. If
an option contains the reload feature and if a participant pays all or part of
the exercise price of the option with shares of stock purchased in the market
or held by the participant for at least six months, upon exercise of the
option, the participant is granted a new option to purchase, at the fair market
value of the stock as of the date of the reload, the number of shares of stock
equal to the sum of the number of shares used in payment of the exercise price
and a number of shares with respect to related statutory minimum withholding
taxes.
80
BROAD-BASED PLANS
In 1996, we adopted the
PartnerShares
®
Stock Option Plan, a
broad-based employee stock option plan. It covers full- and part-time employees
who were not included in the long-term incentive plans described above. The
total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the plan
since inception through December 31, 2003 was 74,000,000, including 18,303,486
shares available for grant. The exercise date of options granted under the
PartnerShares
Plan is the earlier of
(1) five years after the date of grant or (2) when the quoted market price of
the stock reaches a predetermined price. Those options generally expire ten
years after the date of grant. Because the exercise price of each
PartnerShares
grant has been equal to or higher than the quoted market price of our common
stock at the date of grant, we do not recognize any compensation expense.
The following table presents the weighted-average per share fair value of
options granted estimated using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model and the
weighted-average assumptions used.
81
This table is a summary of our stock option plans described on the
preceding page.
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN
Under the Wells Fargo & Company 401(k) Plan (the
401(k) Plan), a defined contribution employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), the
401(k) Plan may borrow money to purchase our common or preferred stock.
Beginning in 1994, we have loaned money to the 401(k) Plan to purchase shares
of our ESOP Preferred Stock. As we release and convert ESOP Preferred Stock
into common shares, we record compensation expense equal to the
current market
price of the common shares. Dividends on the common shares allocated as a
result of the release and conversion of the ESOP Preferred Stock reduce
retained earnings and the shares are considered outstanding for computing
earnings per share. Dividends on the unallocated ESOP Preferred Stock do not
reduce retained earnings, and the shares are not considered to be common stock
equivalents for computing earnings per share. Loan principal and interest
payments are made from our contributions to the 401(k) Plan, along with
dividends paid on the ESOP Preferred Stock. With each principal and interest
payment, a portion of the ESOP Preferred Stock is released and, after
conversion of the ESOP Preferred Stock into common shares, allocated to the
401(k) Plan participants.
The ESOP shares as of December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001 were:
Deferred Compensation Plan for Independent Sales Agents
82
Note 15:
Employee Benefits and Other Expenses
Employee Benefits
Cash Balance Plan. For the unfunded nonqualified pension plans and
postretirement benefit plans, we will contribute the minimum required amount in
2004, which is equal to the benefits paid under the plans. In 2003 we paid $65
million in benefits for the postretirement plans and $18 million for the
unfunded pension plans.
The weighted-average assumptions used to determine the projected benefit
obligation were:
The accumulated benefit obligation for the defined benefit pension plans
was $3,366 million and $3,021 million at December 31, 2003 and 2002,
respectively.
83
This table shows the changes in the fair value of plan assets during 2003 and
2002.
We seek to achieve the expected long-term rate of return with a prudent
level of risk given the benefit obligations of the pension plans and their
funded status. We target the Cash Balance Plans asset allocation for a target
mix range of 4367% equities, 2751% fixed income, and approximately 6% in real
estate and venture capital. The target ranges employ a Tactical Asset
Allocation overlay, which is designed to overweight stocks or bonds when a
compelling opportunity exists. The Cash Balance Plan does not currently
invest
in any hedge fund strategies or other alternative investments. The Employee
Benefit Review Committee (EBRC), which includes several members of senior
management, formally reviews the investment risk and performance of the Cash
Balance Plan on a quarterly basis. Annual Plan liability analysis and periodic
asset/liability evaluations are also conducted.
This table reconciles the funded status of the plans to the amounts
included in the Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2003 and 2002.
Our consolidated financial statements include the
accounts of the Parent and our majority-owned
subsidiaries and variable interest entities (VIEs)
(defined below) in which we are the primary
beneficiary, which we consolidate line by line.
Significant intercompany accounts and transactions are
eliminated in consolidation. If we own at least 20% of
an affiliate, we generally account for the investment
using the equity method. If we own less than 20% of an
affiliate, we generally carry the investment at cost,
except marketable equity securities, which we carry at
fair value with changes in fair value included in
other comprehensive income. Assets accounted for under
the equity or cost method are included in other
assets.
SECURITIES AVAILABLE FOR SALE
Debt securities that we
might not hold until maturity and marketable equity
securities are classi-fied as securities available for
sale and reported at estimated fair value. Unrealized
gains and losses, after applicable taxes, are reported
in cumulative other comprehensive income. We use
current quotations, where available, to estimate the
fair value of these securities. Where current
quotations are not available, we estimate fair value
based on the present value of future cash flows,
adjusted for the quality rating of the securities,
prepayment assumptions and other factors.
the issuers financial condition, capital strength, and near-term prospects; and
to a lesser degree, our investment horizon in relationship to an anticipated near-term recovery in the stock price, if any.
The cause of the price decline-general level of interest rates and broad industry factors or issuer-specific;
The issuers financial condition and current ability to make future payments in a timely manner;
Our investment horizon;
The issuers past ability to service debt; and
Any change in agencies ratings at evaluation date from acquisition date and any likely imminent action.
Mortgages held for sale are stated at the lower of
total cost or market value. Gains and losses on loan
sales (sales proceeds minus carrying value) are
recorded in noninterest income.
Loans held for sale are carried at the lower of cost or
market value. Gains and losses on loan sales (sales
proceeds minus carrying value) are recorded in
noninterest income.
Loans are reported at the principal amount
outstanding, net of unearned income, except for
purchased loans, which are recorded at fair value on
the purchase date. Unearned income includes deferred
fees net of deferred direct incremental loan
origination costs. We amortize unearned income to
interest income, generally over the contractual life
of the loan, using the interest method.
We account for a transfer of financial assets as a sale
when we surrender control of the transferred assets.
Servicing rights and other retained interests in the
sold assets are recorded by allocating the previously
recorded investment between the assets sold and the
interest retained based on their relative fair values
at the date of transfer. We determine the fair values
of servicing rights and other retained interests at the
date of transfer using the present value of estimated
future cash flows, using assumptions that market
participants would use in their estimates of values.
Premises and equipment are carried at cost less
accumulated depreciation and amortization. Capital
leases are included in premises and equipment at the
capitalized amount less accumulated amortization.
Goodwill is recorded when the purchase price is higher
than the fair value of net assets acquired in business
combinations under the purchase method of accounting.
On July 1, 2001, we adopted FAS 142,
Goodwill and Other
Intangible Assets.
FAS 142 eliminates amortization of goodwill from
business combinations completed after June 30, 2001.
During the transition period from July 1, 2001 through
December 31, 2001, we continued to amortize goodwill
from business combinations completed prior to July 1,
2001. Effective January 1, 2002, all goodwill
amortization was discontinued.
Operating lease rental income for leased assets,
generally automobiles, is recognized on a straight-line
basis. Related depreciation expense is recorded on a
straight-line basis over the life of the lease taking
into account the estimated residual value of the leased
asset. On a periodic basis, leased assets are reviewed
for impairment. Impairment loss is recognized if the
carrying amount of leased assets exceeds fair value and
is not recoverable. The carrying amount of leased
assets is not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the
undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the
lease payments and the estimated residual value upon
the eventual disposition of the equipment. Auto lease
receivables are written off when 120 days past due.
We account for our defined benefit pension plans using
an actuarial model required by FAS 87,
Employers
Accounting for Pensions
. This model allocates pension
costs over the service period of employees in the plan.
The underlying principle is that employees render
service ratably over this period and, therefore, the
income statement effects of pensions should follow a
similar pattern.
Based upon current and anticipated levels of interest
rates, we may extinguish long-term debt obligations to
reduce our long-term funding costs and improve our
liquidity. The early termination of these borrowings
constitutes a normal part of our asset/liability
management. Gains and losses on debt extinguishments
and prepayment fees that are considered to be part of
our normal business operations are reported in
noninterest income.
We file a consolidated federal income tax return
and, in certain states, combined state tax returns.
We have several stock-based employee compensation
plans, which are described more fully in Note 14. As
permitted by FAS 123,
Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation
, we have elected to continue applying the
intrinsic value method of Accounting Principles Board
Opinion 25,
Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees
,
in accounting for stock-based employee compensation
plans. Pro forma net income and earnings per common
share information is provided below, as if we
accounted for employee stock option plans under the
fair value method of FAS 123.
(in millions, except per
share amounts)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
Net income, as reported
$
6,202
$
5,434
$
3,411
Add:
Stock-based employee
compensation expense
included in reported net
income, net of tax
3
3
4
Less:
Total stock-based
employee compensation
expense under the fair value
method for all awards,
net of tax
(198
)
(190
)
(150
)
Net income, pro forma
$
6,007
$
5,247
$
3,265
Earnings per common share
As reported
$
3.69
$
3.19
$
1.99
Pro forma
3.57
3.08
1.91
As reported
$
3.65
$
3.16
$
1.97
Pro forma
3.53
3.05
1.89
We present earnings per common share and diluted
earnings per common share. We compute earnings per
common share by dividing net income (after deducting
dividends on preferred stock) by the average number of
common shares outstanding during the year. We compute
diluted earnings per common share by dividing net
income (after deducting dividends on preferred stock)
by the average number of common shares outstanding
during the year, plus the effect of common stock
equivalents (for example, stock options, restricted
share rights and convertible debentures) that are
dilutive.
We recognize all derivatives on the balance sheet at
fair value. On the date we enter into a derivative
contract, we designate the derivative as (1) a hedge
of the fair value of a recognized asset or liability
(fair value hedge), (2) a hedge of a forecasted
transaction or of the variability of cash flows to be
received or paid related to a recognized asset or
liability (cash flow hedge) or (3) held for trading,
customer accommodation or a contract not qualifying
for hedge accounting (free-standing derivative). For
a fair value hedge, we record changes in the fair
value of the derivative and, to the extent that it is
effective, changes in the fair value of the hedged
asset or liability, attributable to the hedged risk,
in current period net income in the same financial
statement category as the hedged item. For a cash flow
hedge, we record changes in the fair value of the
derivative to the extent that it is effective in other
comprehensive income. We subsequently reclassify these
changes in fair value to net income in the same
period(s) that the hedged transaction affects net
income in the same financial statement category as the
hedged item. For free-standing derivatives, we report
changes in the fair values in current period
noninterest income.
(in millions)
Date
Assets
February 28
$
660
October 31
3,245
October 31
74
Various
136
$
4,115
February 1
$
2,957
February 1
3,086
March 28
281
April 26
374
Various
94
$
6,792
January 31
$
860
May 1
866
July 2
182
Various
42
$
1,950
(1)
(2)
(3)
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
Cost
Unrealized
Unrealized
Fair
Cost
Unrealized
Unrealized
Fair
gross
gross
value
gross
gross
value
gains
losses
gains
losses
$
1,252
$
35
$
(1
)
$
1,286
$
1,315
$
66
$
$
1,381
3,175
176
(5
)
3,346
2,232
155
(5
)
2,382
20,353
799
(22
)
21,130
17,766
1,325
(1
)
19,090
3,056
106
(8
)
3,154
1,775
108
(3
)
1,880
23,409
905
(30
)
24,284
19,541
1,433
(4
)
20,970
3,285
198
(28
)
3,455
2,608
125
(75
)
2,658
31,121
1,314
(64
)
32,371
25,696
1,779
(84
)
27,391
394
188
582
598
72
(114
)
556
$
31,515
$
1,502
$
(64
)
$
32,953
$
26,294
$
1,851
$
(198
)
$
27,947
(1)
(2)
(in millions)
December 31, 2003
Less than 12 months
12 months or more
Total
Unrealized
Fair
Unrealized
Fair
Unrealized
Fair
gross
value
gross
value
gross
value
losses
losses
losses
$
(1
)
$
188
$
$
$
(1
)
$
188
(4
)
127
(1
)
25
(5
)
152
(22
)
1,907
(22
)
1,907
(8
)
520
(8
)
520
(30
)
2,427
(30
)
2,427
(16
)
544
(12
)
82
(28
)
626
$
(51
)
$
3,286
$
(13
)
$
107
$
(64
)
$
3,393
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
178
$
617
$
789
(116
)
(419
)
(1,515
)
$
62
$
198
$
(726
)
(1)
(in millions)
December 31, 2003
Total
Weighted-
amount
average
Remaining contractual principal maturity
yield
After one year
After five years
Within one year
through five years
through ten years
After ten years
Amount
Yield
Amount
Yield
Amount
Yield
Amount
Yield
$
1,286
4.44
%
$
323
4.41
%
$
856
4.34
%
$
41
4.85
%
$
66
5.71
%
3,346
8.29
241
7.93
1,184
8.35
819
8.04
1,102
8.50
21,130
6.09
1
6.93
90
7.18
142
5.30
20,897
6.09
3,154
5.12
2,631
5.20
61
5.77
230
3.46
232
5.62
24,284
5.96
2,632
5.20
151
6.61
372
4.16
21,129
6.08
3,455
8.54
342
8.09
1,324
8.60
1,718
8.63
71
7.60
$
32,371
6.42
%
$
3,538
5.59
%
$
3,515
7.39
%
$
2,950
7.85
%
$
22,368
6.21
%
$
31,121
$
3,824
$
3,311
$
2,866
$
21,120
(1)
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
$
48,729
$
47,292
$
47,547
$
50,518
$
41,671
83,535
44,119
29,317
19,321
13,586
27,592
25,312
24,808
23,972
20,899
8,209
7,804
7,806
7,715
6,067
36,629
28,147
21,801
17,361
12,869
8,351
7,455
6,700
6,616
5,805
33,100
26,353
23,502
23,974
20,617
78,080
61,955
52,003
47,951
39,291
4,477
4,085
4,017
4,350
3,586
2,451
1,911
1,598
1,624
1,600
$
253,073
$
192,478
$
167,096
$
155,451
$
126,700
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
$
52,211
$
47,700
6,428
6,849
1,961
2,111
5,644
3,581
23,436
19,907
24,831
21,380
11,219
11,451
59,486
52,738
238
175
$
125,968
$
113,154
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
Balance, beginning of year
$
3,819
$
3,717
$
3,681
$
3,312
$
3,274
69
93
41
265
48
1,722
1,684
1,727
1,284
1,079
Loan charge-offs:
(597
)
(716
)
(692
)
(429
)
(395
)
(47
)
(39
)
(40
)
(16
)
(14
)
(33
)
(24
)
(32
)
(32
)
(28
)
(11
)
(40
)
(37
)
(8
)
(2
)
(77
)
(55
)
(36
)
(34
)
(33
)
(476
)
(407
)
(421
)
(367
)
(403
)
(827
)
(770
)
(770
)
(623
)
(585
)
(1,380
)
(1,232
)
(1,227
)
(1,024
)
(1,021
)
(41
)
(21
)
(22
)
(105
)
(84
)
(78
)
(86
)
(90
)
(2,214
)
(2,156
)
(2,128
)
(1,595
)
(1,550
)
Loan recoveries:
177
162
96
98
90
10
8
6
4
6
11
16
22
13
38
11
19
3
4
5
13
10
8
14
15
50
47
40
39
49
196
205
203
213
243
259
262
251
266
307
8
19
14
18
30
15
495
481
396
415
461
(1,719
)
(1,675
)
(1,732
)
(1,180
)
(1,089
)
$
3,891
$
3,819
$
3,717
$
3,681
$
3,312
.81
%
.96
%
1.10
%
.84
%
.92
%
1.54
%
1.98
%
2.22
%
2.37
%
2.61
%
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
$
386
$
309
243
303
$
629
$
612
(1)
Includes $59 million and $201 million of impaired loans with a related
allowance of $8 million and $52 million at December 31, 2003 and 2002,
respectively.
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
Land
$
521
$
486
2,699
2,758
3,013
2,991
957
911
57
45
7,247
7,191
3,713
3,503
$
3,534
$
3,688
(in millions)
Operating leases
Capital leases
$
505
$
8
411
7
336
4
277
2
228
2
867
16
$
2,624
39
(3
)
(11
)
$
25
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
Trading assets
$
8,919
$
10,167
2,456
5,219
1,714
1,657
1,765
1,591
1,542
1,473
5,021
4,721
3,448
4,104
1,287
1,139
737
868
988
352
198
195
137
110
6,845
8,973
$
30,036
$
35,848
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
Gross
Accumulated
Gross
Accumulated
carrying
amortization
carrying
amortization
amount
amount
$
16,459
$
7,611
$
11,528
$
4,851
2,426
1,689
2,415
1,547
392
273
374
254
$
19,277
$
9,573
$
14,317
$
6,652
$
14
$
14
(1)
The valuation allowance was $1,942 million at December 31, 2003 and
$2,188 million at December 31, 2002. The carrying value of mortgage
servicing rights was $6,906 million at December 31, 2003 and
$4,489 million at December 31, 2002.
(in millions)
Mortgage
Core
Other
Total
servicing
deposit
rights
intangibles
$
2,760
$
142
$
29
$
2,931
$
1,471
$
134
$
24
$
1,629
1,158
123
18
1,299
989
110
15
1,114
843
100
14
957
707
92
13
812
(in millions)
Community
Wholesale
Wells Fargo
Consolidated
Banking
Banking
Financial
Company
Balance December 31, 2001
$
6,139
$
2,781
$
607
$
9,527
637
19
7
663
(133
)
(271
)
(404
)
(33
)
(33
)
Balance December 31, 2002
6,743
2,667
343
9,753
545
68
613
7
7
(2
)
(2
)
Balance December 31, 2003
$
7,286
$
2,735
$
350
$
10,371
(in millions)
Community
Wholesale
Wells Fargo
Consolidated
Banking
Banking
Financial
Enterprise
Company
December 31, 2002
$
2,896
$
717
$
343
$
5,797
$
9,753
December 31, 2003
$
3,439
$
785
$
350
$
5,797
$
10,371
(in millions)
December 31, 2003
2004
$
40,260
3,370
1,662
981
647
402
$
47,322
(in millions)
December 31, 2003
Three months or less
$
28,671
1,201
1,102
2,284
$
33,258
(in millions)
2003
2002
2001
Amount
Rate
Amount
Rate
Amount
Rate
As of December 31,
$
6,709
1.26
%
$
11,109
1.57
%
$
13,965
2.01
%
17,950
.84
22,337
1.08
23,817
1.53
$
24,659
.95
$
33,446
1.24
$
37,782
1.71
Year ended December 31,
$
11,506
1.22
%
$
13,048
1.84
%
$
13,561
4.12
%
18,392
.99
20,230
1.47
20,324
3.51
$
29,898
1.08
$
33,278
1.61
$
33,885
3.76
$
14,462
N/A
$
17,323
N/A
$
19,818
N/A
24,132
N/A
33,647
N/A
26,346
N/A
(1)
(2)
original maturity, (reflecting unamortized debt discounts
and premiums, where applicable) owed by the Parent
and its subsidiaries.
(in millions)
December 31
,
Maturity
Interest
date(s)
rate(s)
2003
2002
2004-2027
2.45-7.65%
$
9,497
$
9,939
2004-2007
Varies
12,905
4,150
2005-2008
Varies
2,999
2,998
2008-2010
Zero Coupon
297
79
2033
Varies
3,000
28,698
17,166
2003-2023
4.95-6.65%
3,280
2,482
2012
4.00% through 2006,varies
299
299
3,579
2,781
2031-2033
5.625-7.00%
2,732
2,732
35,009
19,947
2004-2011
1.50-7.49%
210
2004-2011
Varies
7,087
5,304
2004-2008
3.13-13.5%
79
2006-2011
Varies
11
7
7
7,394
5,311
2011-2013
7.73-9.39%
16
2010
7.8% through 2004, varies
998
997
2010-2011
6.45-7.55%
2,867
2,497
2011-2013
Varies
43
3,924
3,494
11,318
8,805
2004-2012
4.35-9.05%
6,969
7,634
2004-2033
Varies
1,292
1,100
$
8,261
$
8,734
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(in millions)
Parent
Company
2004
$
4,000
$
12,294
8,147
10,613
7,382
10,452
2,717
5,076
2,935
7,014
9,828
18,193
$
35,009
$
63,642
Shares issued
Carrying amount
Dividends declared
and outstanding
(in millions)
Adjustable
(in millions)
December 31
,
December 31
,
dividend rate
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2003
2002
Minimum
Maximum
2003
2002
2001
1,460,000
$
$
73
5.50
%
10.50
%
$
3
$
4
$
4
7.00
13.00
10
68,238
68
8.50
9.50
53,641
64,049
54
64
10.50
11.50
40,206
46,126
40
46
10.50
11.50
29,492
34,742
30
35
11.50
12.50
11,032
13,222
11
13
10.30
11.30
4,075
5,095
4
5
10.75
11.75
4,081
5,876
4
6
9.50
10.50
2,927
5,407
3
6
8.50
9.50
408
3,043
3
10.00
10.00
214,100
1,637,560
$
214
$
251
$
3
$
4
$
14
$
(229
)
$
(190
)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
In accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
(AICPA) Statement of Position 93-6,
Employers Accounting for Employee Stock
Ownership
Plans
, we recorded a corresponding charge to unearned ESOP shares in
connection with the issuance of the ESOP Preferred Stock. The unearned ESOP
shares are
reduced as shares of the ESOP Preferred Stock are committed to be
released. For information on dividends paid, see Note 14.
This table summarizes our reserved, issued and authorized common stock at
December 31, 2003.
Number of shares
1,010,756
914,656
246,593,327
248,518,739
1,736,381,025
4,015,100,236
6,000,000,000
(1)
401(k), profit sharing and compensation deferral plans.
Participants in our dividend reinvestment and common stock direct purchase
plans may purchase shares of our common stock at fair market value by
reinvesting dividends and/or making optional cash payments, under the plans
terms.
We provide a stock award to non-employee directors as part of their annual
retainer under our director plans. We also provide annual grants of options to
purchase common stock to each non-employee director elected or re-elected at
the annual meeting of stockholders. The options can be exercised after six
months and through the tenth anniversary of the grant date.
LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLANS
Our stock incentive plans provide for awards of
incentive and nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted
shares, restricted share rights, performance awards and stock awards without
restrictions. We can grant employee stock options with exercise prices at or
above the fair market value (as defined in the plan) of the stock at the date
of grant and with terms of up to ten years. The options generally become fully
exercisable over three years from the date of grant. Except as otherwise
permitted under the plan, if employment is ended for reasons other than
retirement, permanent disability or death, the option period is reduced or the
options are canceled.
We did not record any compensation expense for the options granted under
the plans during 2003, 2002 and 2001, as the exercise price was equal to the
quoted market price of the stock at the date of grant. The total number of
shares of common stock available for grant under the plans at December 31, 2003
was 59,214,303.
In 2003, 2002 and 2001, 61,740,
81,380 and 107,000 restricted shares and restricted share rights were granted,
respectively, with a weighted-average grant-date per share fair value of
$56.05, $45.47 and $46.73, respectively. At December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001,
there were 577,722, 656,124 and 888,234 restricted shares and restricted share
rights outstanding, respectively. The compensation expense for the
restricted shares and restricted share rights equals the quoted market
price of the related stock at the date of grant and is accrued over the vesting
period. We recognized total compensation expense for the restricted shares and
restricted share rights of $4 million in 2003, $5 million in 2002 and $6
million in 2001.
Director Plans
Long-Term Incentive Plans
Broad-Based Plans
Number
Weighted-average
Number
Weighted-average
Number
Weighted-average
exercise price
exercise price
exercise price
432,678
$
27.23
74,784,628
$
32.39
50,460,305
$
39.41
49,635
47.55
19,930,772
(1)
49.52
353,600
41.84
(1,797,865
)
43.21
(5,212,550
)
41.81
(169,397
)
19.42
(10,988,267
)
25.61
(191,440
)
21.43
312,916
34.69
81,929,268
37.23
45,409,915
39.23
44,786
50.22
23,790,286
(1)
46.99
18,015,150
50.46
(1,539,244
)
45.36
(10,092,056
)
42.15
(8,594
)
30.56
(10,873,465
)
30.62
(3,249,213
)
30.54
72,892
31.33
349,108
36.78
93,379,737
40.35
50,083,796
43.25
62,346
47.22
23,052,384
(1)
46.04
(1,529,868
)
46.76
(4,293,930
)
46.85
(59,707
)
26.90
(13,884,561
)
31.96
(6,408,797
)
34.09
4,769
31.42
889,842
25.89
356,516
$
40.19
101,907,534
$
42.56
39,381,069
$
44.35
312,916
$
34.69
46,937,295
$
33.44
1,264,015
$
20.29
349,108
36.78
54,429,329
36.94
9,174,196
31.35
353,131
40.08
63,257,541
40.33
12,063,244
35.21
(1)
2003
2002
2001
$
9.59
$
13.45
$
13.87
9.48
12.34
14.16
15.62
12.42
4.3
5.0
4.8
29.2
%
31.6
%
32.9
%
2.5
4.6
4.8
2.9
2.4
2.4
December 31, 2003
Weighted-
Number
Weighted-
average
average
remaining
exercise
contractual
price
life (in yrs.)
1.01
2,390
$
.10
2.01
3,210
10.80
1.29
18,410
15.21
1.83
49,967
21.68
3.81
48,606
32.99
7.62
211,733
46.53
5.13
22,200
66.41
4.34
18,815
69.01
6.11
51,412
4.22
22.02
4,366
5.84
2.03
103,988
10.39
1.21
1,364,797
14.04
1.10
1,264,797
13.84
2.19
764,541
20.87
2.19
761,053
20.87
4.86
30,541,526
33.99
4.86
30,313,343
33.99
7.56
69,076,904
47.22
6.32
30,758,582
48.32
2.56
580,251
16.56
4.41
10,651,863
35.25
6.86
14,917,350
46.46
6.85
586,700
46.49
8.22
13,231,605
50.50
8.22
244,430
50.50
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
36
$
21
$
15
26
24
19
10
10
11
$
72
$
55
$
45
December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
25,966,488
21,447,490
17,233,798
214,100
177,560
145,287
5,961,494
7,974,031
9,809,875
3,042
$
214
$
178
$
145
WF Deferred Compensation Holdings, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Parent formed solely to sponsor a deferred compensation plan for independent
sales agents who provide investment, financial and other qualifying services
for or with respect to participating affiliates. The plan, which became
effective January 1, 2002, allows participants to defer all or part of their
eligible compensation payable to them by a participating affiliate. The Parent
has fully and unconditionally guaranteed WF Deferred Compensation Holdings,
Inc.s deferred compensation obligations under the plan.
We sponsor noncontributory qualified defined benefit retirement plans including
the Cash Balance Plan. The Cash Balance Plan is an active plan, which covers
eligible employees (except employees of certain subsidiaries).
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
Pension benefits
Pension benefits
Non-
Other
Non-
Other
Qualified
qualified
benefits
Qualified
qualified
benefits
$
3,055
$
215
$
619
$
2,781
$
181
$
546
164
22
15
154
20
14
209
14
42
202
14
40
20
13
17
4
150
(31
)
66
109
18
66
(213
)
(18
)
(65
)
(195
)
(18
)
(60
)
5
1
$
3,387
$
202
$
698
$
3,055
$
215
$
619
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
Pension
Other
Pension
Other
benefits
(1)
benefits
benefits
(1)
benefits
6.5
%
6.5
%
7.0
%
7.0
%
4.0
4.0
(1)
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
Pension benefits
Pension benefits
Non-
Other
Non-
Other
Qualified
qualified
benefits
Qualified
qualified
benefits
$
3,090
$
$
213
$
2,761
$
$
226
445
26
(117
)
(10
)
365
18
79
641
18
44
19
13
(213
)
(18
)
(65
)
(195
)
(18
)
(60
)
3
$
3,690
$
$
272
$
3,090
$
$
213
Percentage of plan assets at December 31
,
2003
2002
Pension
Other
Pension
Other
plan
benefit
plan
benefit
assets
plan assets
assets
plan assets
66
%
49
%
63
%
45
%
31
46
33
50
2
1
3
1
1
4
1
4
100
%
100
%
100
%
100
%
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
Pension benefits
Pension benefits
Non-
Other
Non-
Other
Qualified
qualified
benefits
Qualified
qualified
benefits
$
303
$
(202
)
$
(426
)
$
35
$
(215
)
$
(406
)
2
7
7
523
1
128
660
40
66
(1
)
4
(1
)
4
(13
)
(8
)
(9
)
(15
)
(8
)
(11
)
$
812
$
(207
)
$
(296
)
$
679
$
(183
)
$
(340
)
$
812
$
$
$
679
$
$
(2
)
(209
)
(296
)
(2
)
(183
)
(340
)
1
2
1
2
$
812
$
(207
)
$
(296
)
$
679
$
(183
)
$
(340
)
(1) |
Fair value of plan assets at year end less benefit obligation at year end.
|
84
The table to the right provides information for pension plans with benefit obligations in excess of plan assets, which are substantially due to our nonqualified pension plans:
(in millions) | December 31 | , | |||||||
2003 | 2002 | ||||||||
Projected benefit obligation
|
$ | 240 | $ | 245 | |||||
Accumulated benefit obligation
|
207 | 204 | |||||||
Fair value of plan assets
|
28 | 22 | |||||||
The net periodic benefit cost (income) for 2003, 2002 and 2001 was:
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
Pension benefits
Pension benefits
Pension benefits
Non-
Other
Non-
Other
Non-
Other
Qualified
qualified
benefits
Qualified
qualified
benefits
Qualified
qualified
benefits
$
164
$
22
$
15
$
154
$
20
$
14
$
146
$
15
$
16
209
14
42
202
14
40
181
10
42
(275
)
(18
)
(244
)
(19
)
(287
)
(20
)
85
7
(3
)
2
7
(7
)
(120
)
8
(2
)
16
(1
)
(1
)
(1
)
(1
)
(1
)
1
(1
)
(1
)
(1
)
$
199
$
43
$
36
$
112
$
40
$
27
$
(82
)
$
33
$
35
(1) |
Net actuarial loss (gain) is generally amortized over five years.
|
The weighted-average assumptions used to determine the net periodic
benefit cost (income) were:
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
Pension
Other
Pension
Other
Pension
Other
benefits
(1)
benefits
benefits
(1)
benefits
benefits
(1)
benefits
7.0
%
7.0
%
7.5
%
7.5
%
7.5
%
7.5
%
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
4.0
4.0
5.0
(1) |
Includes both qualified and nonqualified pension benefits.
|
The plans have a long-term rate of return assumption of 9%. The rate was derived based on a combination of factors including (1) long-term historical return experience for major asset class categories (i.e., large cap and small cap domestic equities, international equities and domestic fixed income), and (2) forward-looking return expectations for these major asset classes.
utilization changes, new technology, regulatory requirements and Medicare cost shifting. We assumed average annual increases of 9.5% for HMOs and for all other types of coverage in the per capita cost of covered health care benefits for 2004. By 2008 and thereafter, we assumed rates of 5.5% for HMOs and for all other types of coverage. Increasing the assumed health care trend by one percentage point in each year would increase the benefit obligation as of December 31, 2003 by $57 million and the total of the interest cost and service cost components of the net periodic benefit cost for 2003 by $5 million. Decreasing the assumed health care trend by one percentage point in each year would decrease the benefit obligation as of December 31, 2003 by $51 million and the total of the interest cost and service cost components of the net periodic benefit cost for 2003 by $4 million.
85
Other Expenses
Expenses which exceeded 1% of total interest income and noninterest income and
which are not otherwise shown separately in the financial statements or Notes
to Financial Statements were:
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
866
$
546
$
538
509
445
441
404
350
319
392
327
276
389
337
286
343
347
355
336
256
242
610
Note 16:
Income Taxes
The components of income tax expense were:
The tax benefit related to the exercise of employee stock options recorded
in stockholders equity was $148 million, $73 million and $88 million for 2003,
2002 and 2001, respectively.
The deferred tax liability related to 2003, 2002 or 2001 unrealized gains
and losses on securities available for sale and 2003 derivatives and hedging
activities had no effect on income tax expense as these gains and losses, net
of taxes, were recorded in cumulative other comprehensive income.
86
The table below reconciles the statutory federal income tax expense and rate to
the effective income tax expense and rate.
87
Note 17:
Earnings Per Common Share
The table below shows earnings per common share and diluted earnings per common
share and reconciles the
numerator and denominator of both earnings per common
share calculations.
In 2003, 2002 and 2001, options to purchase 4.4 million, 35.9 million and 39.9
million shares, respectively, were outstanding but not included in the
calculation of earnings
per share because the exercise price was higher than
the market price, and therefore they were antidilutive.
Note 18:
Adjusted Earnings FAS 142 Transitional Disclosure
Under FAS 142,
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
, effective January 1, 2002
amortization of goodwill was discontinued. For comparability, the table below
reconciles
the Companys 2001 reported earnings to adjusted earnings, which
exclude goodwill amortization.
88
Note 19:
Other Comprehensive Income
The components of other comprehensive income and the related tax effects were:
Cumulative other comprehensive income balances were:
89
Note 20:
Operating Segments
We have three lines of business for management reporting:
Community Banking, Wholesale Banking and Wells Fargo
Financial. The results for these lines of business are based
on our management accounting process, which assigns balance
sheet and income statement items to each responsible
operating segment. This process is dynamic and, unlike
financial accounting, there is no comprehensive,
authoritative guidance for management accounting equivalent
to generally accepted accounting principles. The management
accounting process measures the performance of the operating
segments based on our management structure and is not
necessarily comparable with similar information for other
financial services companies. We define our operating
segments by product type and customer segments. If the
management structure and/or the allocation process changes,
allocations, transfers and assignments may change. In that
case, results for prior periods would be (and have been)
restated for comparability. Results for 2001 have been
restated to eliminate goodwill amortization from the
operating segments and to reflect changes in transfer pricing
methodology applied in first quarter 2002.
The Community Banking Group
offers a complete line of
diversified financial products and services to consumers and
small businesses with annual sales generally up to $10
million in which the owner generally is the financial
decision maker. Community Banking also offers investment
management and other services to retail customers and high
net worth individuals, insurance, securities brokerage and
insurance through affiliates and venture capital financing.
These products and services include
Wells Fargo Funds
®
, a
family of mutual funds, as well as personal trust, employee
benefit trust and agency assets. Loan products include lines
of credit, equity lines and loans, equipment and
transportation (auto, recreational vehicle and marine) loans,
education loans, origination and purchase of residential
mortgage loans and servicing of mortgage loans and credit
cards. Other credit products and financial services available
to small businesses and their owners include receivables and
inventory financing, equipment leases, real estate financing,
Small Business Administration financing, venture capital
financing, cash management, payroll services, retirement
plans, medical savings accounts and credit and debit card
processing. Consumer and business deposit products include
checking accounts, savings deposits, market rate accounts,
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), time deposits and
debit cards.
Community Banking serves customers through a wide range
of channels, which include traditional banking stores,
in-store banking centers, business centers and ATMs. Also,
PhoneBank
SM
centers and the National Business Banking Center
provide 24-hour telephone service. Online banking services
include single sign-on to online banking, bill pay and
brokerage, as well as online banking for small business.
The Wholesale Banking Group
serves businesses across
the United States with annual sales generally in excess of
$10 million. Wholesale Banking provides a complete line of
commercial, corporate and real estate banking products and
services. These include traditional commercial loans and
lines of credit, letters of credit, asset-based lending,
equipment leasing, mezzanine financing, high-yield debt,
international trade facilities, foreign exchange services,
treasury management, investment management, institutional
fixed income and equity sales, online/electronic products,
insurance brokerage services and investment banking
services. Wholesale Banking includes the majority ownership
interest in the Wells Fargo HSBC Trade Bank, which provides
trade financing, letters of credit and collection services
and is sometimes supported by the Export-Import Bank of the
United States (a public agency of the United States offering
export finance support for American-made products).
Wholesale Banking also supports the commercial real estate
market with products and services such as construction loans
for commercial and residential development, land acquisition
and development loans, secured and unsecured lines of
credit, interim financing arrangements for completed
structures, rehabilitation loans, affordable housing loans
and letters of credit, permanent loans for securitization,
commercial real estate loan servicing and real estate and
mortgage brokerage services.
Wells Fargo Financial
includes consumer finance and
auto finance operations. Consumer finance operations make
direct consumer and real estate loans to individuals and
purchase sales finance contracts from retail merchants from
offices throughout the United States, Canada and in the
Caribbean. Automobile finance operations specialize in
purchasing sales finance contracts directly from automobile
dealers and making loans secured by automobiles in the
United States and Puerto Rico. Wells Fargo Financial also
provides credit cards and lease and other commercial
financing.
The Other Column
consists of Corporate level investment
activities and balances and unallocated goodwill balances
held at the enterprise level. This column also includes
separately identified transactions recorded at the
enterprise level for management reporting.
90
91
Note 21:
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities
We routinely originate, securitize and sell into the
secondary market home mortgage loans and, from time to time,
other financial assets, including student loans, commercial
mortgage loans, home equity loans, auto receivables and
securities. We typically retain the servicing rights and may
retain other beneficial interests from these sales. These
securitizations are usually structured without recourse to
us and with no restrictions on the retained interests. We do
not have significant credit risks from the retained
interests.
In the normal course of creating securities to sell to
investors, we may sponsor special-purpose entities which
hold, for the benefit of the investors, financial instruments
that are the source of payment to the investors.
Special-purpose entities are consolidated unless they meet
the criteria for a qualifying special-purpose entity in
accordance with FAS 140 or are not required to be
consolidated under existing accounting guidance.
92
This table presents information about the principal balances of managed and
securitized loans.
We are a variable interest holder in certain
special-purpose entities that are consolidated because we
will absorb a majority of each entitys expected losses,
receive a majority of each entitys expected returns or
both. We do not hold a majority voting interest in these
entities. These entities were formed to invest in securities
and to securitize real estate investment trust securities
and had approximately $5 billion in total assets at December
31, 2003. The primary activities of these entities consist
of acquiring and disposing of, and investing and reinvesting
in securities and issuing
beneficial interests secured by
those securities to investors. Creditors of these
consolidated entities have no recourse against our general
credit.
93
Note 22:
Mortgage Banking Activities
Mortgage banking activities, included in the Community
Banking and Wholesale Banking operating segments, consist of
residential and commercial mortgage originations and
servicing.
Net of valuation allowance, mortgage servicing rights
(MSRs) totaled $6.9 billion (1.15% of the total mortgage
servicing portfolio) at December 31, 2003, compared with
$4.5 billion (.92%) at December 31, 2002.
Each quarter, we evaluate MSRs for possible impairment
based on the difference between the carrying amount and
current fair value of the MSRs, in accordance with FAS 140.
If a temporary impairment exists, we establish a valuation
allowance for any excess of amortized cost, as adjusted for
hedge accounting, over the current fair value through a
charge to income. We have a policy of reviewing MSRs for
other-than-temporary impairment each quarter and recognize a
direct write-down when the recoverability of a recorded
valuation allowance is determined to be remote. Unlike a
valuation allowance, a direct write-down permanently reduces
the carrying value of the MSRs and the valuation allowance,
precluding subsequent reversals. (See Note 1 -Transfer and
Servicing of Financial Assets for additional discussion of
our policy for valuation of MSRs.) In 2003 and 2002, we
determined that a portion of the asset was not recoverable
and reduced both the asset and the previously designated
valuation allowance by a $1,338 million and $1,071 million
write-down, respectively.
94
Note 23:
Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements
Following are the condensed consolidating financial
statements of the Parent and Wells Fargo Financial Inc. and
its wholly-owned subsidiaries (WFFI). The Wells Fargo
Financial business segment for management reporting
(see
Note 20) consists of WFFI and other affiliated consumer
finance entities managed by WFFI but not included in WFFI
reported below.
95
96
97
98
99
100
Note 24:
Legal Actions
In the normal course of business, we are
subject to pending and threatened legal
actions, some for which the relief or
damages sought are substantial. After
reviewing pending and threatened actions
with counsel, and any specific reserves
established for such matters, management
believes that the outcome of such actions
will not have a material adverse
effect on the results of operations or
stockholders equity. We are not able to
predict whether the outcome of such actions
may or may not have a material adverse
effect on results of operations in a
particular future period as the timing and
amount of any resolution of such actions
and its relationship to the future results
of operations are not known.
Note 25:
Guarantees
Significant guarantees that we provide
to third parties include standby letters
of credit, various indemnification
agreements, guarantees accounted for as
derivatives, contingent consideration
related to business combinations and
contingent performance guarantees.
We write options, floors and caps.
Options are exercisable based on favorable
market conditions. Periodic settlements
occur on floors and caps based on market
conditions. At December 31, 2003, the fair
value of the written options liability in
our balance sheet was $382 million and the
written floors and caps liability was $213
million. Our ultimate obligation under
written options, floors and caps is based
on future market conditions and is only
quantifiable at settlement. We offset
substantially all options written to
customers with purchased options; we enter
into other written options to mitigate
balance sheet risk.
101
Note 26:
Regulatory and Agency Capital Requirements
The Company and each of its subsidiary
banks are subject to various regulatory
capital adequacy requirements administered
by the Federal Reserve Board and the OCC,
respectively. The Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation Improvement Act of 1991
(FDICIA) required that the federal
regulatory agencies adopt regulations
defining five capital tiers for banks: well
capitalized, adequately capitalized,
undercapitalized, significantly
undercapitalized and critically
undercapitalized. Failure to meet minimum
capital requirements can initiate certain
mandatory and possibly additional
discretionary actions by regulators that,
if undertaken, could have a direct material
effect on our financial statements.
Under the guidelines, capital is
compared with the relative risk related to
the balance sheet. To derive the risk
included in the balance sheet, a risk
weighting is applied to each balance sheet
and off-balance sheet asset, primarily
based on the relative credit risk of the
counterparty. For example, claims
guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of
its agencies are risk-weighted at 0% and
certain real estate related loans
risk-weighted at 50%. Off-balance sheet
items, such as loan commitments and
derivatives, are also applied a risk weight
after calculating balance sheet equivalent
amounts. A credit conversion factor is
assigned to loan commitments based on the
likelihood of the off-balance sheet item
becoming an asset. For example, certain
loan commitments are converted at 50% and
then risk-weighted at 100%. Derivatives are
converted to balance sheet equivalents
based on notional values, replacement costs
and remaining contractual terms. (See Notes
5 and 27 for further discussion of
off-balance sheet items.) Effective January
1, 2002, federal banking agencies amended
the regulatory capital guidelines regarding
the treatment of certain recourse
obligations, direct credit substitutes,
residual interests in asset securitization,
and other securitized transactions that
expose institutions primarily to credit
risk. The amendment creates greater
differentiation in the capital treatment of
residual interests. The capital amounts and
classification under the guidelines are
also subject to qualitative judgments by
the regulators about components, risk
weightings and other factors.
102
As an approved seller/servicer, one
of our mortgage banking subsidiaries is
required to maintain minimum levels of
shareholders equity, as specified by
various agencies, including the United
States Department of Housing and Urban
Development, Government National Mortgage
Association, Federal Home Loan Mortgage
Corporation and Federal National Mortgage
Association. At December 31, 2003, this
mortgage banking subsidiarys equity was
above the required levels.
Note 27:
Derivatives
Our approach to managing interest rate risk
includes the use of derivatives. This helps
minimize significant unplanned fluctuations
in earnings, fair values of assets and
liabilities, and cash flows caused by
interest rate volatility. This approach
involves modifying the repricing
characteristics of certain assets and
liabilities so that changes in interest
rates do not have a significant adverse
effect on the net interest margin and cash
flows. As a result of interest rate
fluctuations, hedged assets and liabilities
will gain or lose market value. In a fair
value hedging strategy, the effect of this
unrealized gain or loss will generally be
offset by income or loss on the derivatives
linked to the hedged assets and
liabilities. In a cash flow hedging
strategy, we manage the variability of cash
payments due to interest rate fluctuations
by the effective use of derivatives linked
to hedged assets and liabilities.
contracts are treated as free-standing
derivatives. Free-standing derivatives
also include derivatives we enter into for
risk management that do not otherwise
qualify for hedge accounting. To a lesser
extent, we take positions based on market
expectations or to benefit from price
differentials between financial
instruments and markets.
103
Our derivative activities are
monitored by the Corporate Asset/Liability
Management Committee. Our Treasury
function, which includes asset/liability
management, is responsible for various
hedging strategies developed through
analysis of data from financial models and
other internal and industry sources. We
incorporate the resulting hedging
strategies into our overall interest rate
risk management and trading strategies.
Fair Value Hedges
Cash Flow Hedges
Free-Standing Derivatives
104
The total notional or contractual amounts, credit risk amount and
estimated net fair value for derivatives at December 31, 2003 and 2002 were:
105
Note 28:
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
FAS 107,
Disclosures about Fair Value of
Financial Instruments
, requires that we
disclose estimated fair values for our
financial instruments. This disclosure
should be read with the financial
statements and Notes to Financial
Statements in this Annual Report. The
carrying amounts in the table on page 107
are recorded in the Consolidated Balance
Sheet under the indicated captions.
Financial Assets
SECURITIES AVAILABLE FOR SALE
MORTGAGES HELD FOR SALE
LOANS HELD FOR SALE
LOANS
TRADING ASSETS
NONMARKETABLE EQUITY INVESTMENTS
106
fair value. We use all facts and
circumstances available to estimate the
fair value of our cost method investments.
We typically consider our access to and
need for capital (including recent or
projected financing activity), qualitative
assessments of the viability of the
investee, and prospects for its future.
Financial Liabilities
SHORT-TERM FINANCIAL LIABILITIES
LONG-TERM DEBT AND GUARANTEED PREFERRED BENEFICIAL
INTERESTS IN COMPANYS SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES
preferred securities. Contractual cash
flows are discounted using rates
currently offered for new notes with
similar remaining maturities.
Derivatives
Limitations
107
Independent Auditors Report
The Board of Directors and Stockholders of Wells Fargo & Company:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Wells Fargo
& Company and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the related
consolidated statements of income, changes in stockholders equity and
comprehensive income, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2003. These consolidated financial statements are the
responsibility of the Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally
accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in
the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as
evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Wells Fargo
& Company and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the results of
their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2003, in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America.
As discussed in Notes 1, 8 and 18 to the consolidated financial
statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for goodwill in 2002.
/s/ KPMG LLP
San Francisco, California
108
Quarterly Financial Data
109
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
1,298
$
2,529
$
2,329
165
273
282
114
37
34
1,577
2,839
2,645
1,492
268
(524
)
206
37
(72
)
1,698
305
(596
)
$
3,275
$
3,144
$
2,049
(in millions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
$
1,479
$
1,451
567
677
102
242
2,148
2,370
251
298
2,225
2,145
1,026
296
2,206
1,612
559
611
8
(17
)
390
308
6,665
5,253
$
4,517
$
2,883
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
Amount
Rate
Amount
Rate
Amount
Rate
$
3,317
35.0
%
$
3,100
35.0
%
$
1,911
35.0
%
241
2.5
201
2.3
137
2.5
196
3.6
(161
)
(1.7
)
(122
)
(1.4
)
(131
)
(2.4
)
(90
)
(.9
)
(28
)
(.5
)
(32
)
(.3
)
(35
)
(.4
)
(36
)
(.7
)
$
3,275
34.6
%
$
3,144
35.5
%
$
2,049
37.5
%
(in millions, except per share amounts)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
6,202
$
5,710
$
3,411
3
4
14
6,199
5,706
3,397
(276
)
$
6,199
$
5,430
$
3,397
1,681.1
1,701.1
1,709.5
$
3.69
$
3.35
$
1.99
(.16
)
$
3.69
$
3.19
$
1.99
1,681.1
1,701.1
1,709.5
16.0
16.6
16.8
.4
.3
.6
1,697.5
1,718.0
1,726.9
$
3.65
$
3.32
$
1.97
(.16
)
$
3.65
$
3.16
$
1.97
(in millions, except per
Year ended December 31, 2001
share amounts)
$
3,411
571
$
3,982
$
1.99
.34
$
2.33
$
1.97
.33
$
2.30
(in millions)
Before
Tax
Net of
tax
effect
tax
$
(5
)
$
(2
)
$
(3
)
(68
)
(26
)
(42
)
(574
)
(211
)
(363
)
601
228
373
27
17
10
109
38
71
196
80
116
120
44
76
316
124
192
$
379
$
151
$
228
$
1
$
$
1
68
26
42
414
159
255
369
140
229
783
299
484
(800
)
(297
)
(503
)
318
118
200
(482
)
(179
)
(303
)
$
370
$
146
$
224
$
42
$
16
$
26
(117
)
(42
)
(75
)
(68
)
(26
)
(42
)
(185
)
(68
)
(117
)
(1,629
)
(603
)
(1,026
)
1,707
628
1,079
78
25
53
$
(65
)
$
(27
)
$
(38
)
(in millions)
Translation
Minimum
Net
Net
Cumulative
adjustments
pension
unrealized
unrealized
other
liability
gains
gains
comprehensive
adjustment
(losses) on
(losses) on
income
securities
derivatives
and other
and other
retained
hedging
interests
activities
$
(12
)
$
$
536
$
$
524
(3
)
(42
)
10
263
228
(15
)
(42
)
546
263
752
1
42
484
(303
)
224
(14
)
1,030
(40
)
976
26
(117
)
53
(38
)
$
12
$
$
913
$
13
$
938
(income/expense in millions,
average balances in billions)
Community
Wholesale
Wells Fargo
Other
(3)
Consolidated
Banking
Banking
Financial
Company
$
11,495
$
2,228
$
2,311
$
(27
)
$
16,007
892
177
623
30
1,722
9,218
2,766
378
20
12,382
13,214
2,579
1,343
54
17,190
6,607
2,238
723
(91
)
9,477
2,243
792
272
(32
)
3,275
$
4,364
$
1,446
$
451
$
(59
)
$
6,202
$
10,372
$
2,257
$
1,866
$
(13
)
$
14,482
865
278
541
1,684
8,085
2,316
354
12
10,767
11,241
2,367
1,099
4
14,711
6,351
1,928
580
(5
)
8,854
2,235
692
220
(3
)
3,144
4,116
1,236
360
(2
)
5,710
(98
)
(178
)
(276
)
$
4,116
$
1,138
$
182
$
(2
)
$
5,434
$
8,212
$
2,164
$
1,679
$
(79
)
$
11,976
962
278
487
1,727
6,503
2,117
371
14
9,005
9,840
2,300
1,028
626
13,794
3,913
1,703
535
(691
)
5,460
1,325
610
201
(87
)
2,049
$
2,588
$
1,093
$
334
$
(604
)
$
3,411
$
143.2
$
49.5
$
20.4
$
$
213.1
273.5
75.8
22.2
6.1
377.6
184.6
22.3
.1
207.0
$
109.9
$
49.4
$
15.2
$
$
174.5
227.7
70.8
17.0
6.2
321.7
165.6
18.4
.1
184.1
(1)
Net interest income is the difference between interest earned on assets and
the cost of liabilities to fund those assets. Interest earned includes actual
interest earned on segment assets and, if the segment has excess liabilities,
interest credits for providing funding to other segments. The cost of
liabilities includes interest expense on segment liabilities and, if the
segment does not have enough liabilities to fund its assets, a funding charge
based on the cost of excess liabilities from another segment.
In general, Community Banking has excess liabilities and receives
interest credits for the funding it provides the other segments.
(2)
Generally, the provision for loan losses represents actual net
charge-offs for each operating segment.
(3)
For 2003, the reconciling items for revenue (net interest income plus
noninterest income) and net income principally relate to Corporate level equity
investment activities and other separately identified transactions recorded at
the enterprise level for management reporting, including a $30 million
non-recurring loss on sale of a sub-prime credit card portfolio and $51 million
of other charges related to employee benefits and software. For 2002, the
reconciling items for revenue and net income are Corporate level equity
investment activities. For 2001, revenue includes Corporate level equity
investment activities of $28 million and unallocated items of $(93) million and
net income includes Corporate level equity investment activities of $15 million
and unallocated items of $(619) million. The primary reconciling item in 2001
for
noninterest expense is amortization of goodwill. Results for 2001 have been
restated to reclassify goodwill amortization from the three operating segments
to the other column for comparability. The primary reconciling item for average
assets for all periods presented is unallocated goodwill.
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
Mortgage
Other
Mortgage
Other
loans
financial
loans
financial
assets
assets
$
23,870
$
132
$
15,718
$
102
60
8
78
16
137
9
146
26
Mortgage
Other retained
servicing rights
interests
2003
2002
2003
2002
15.1
%
12.7
%
18.0
%
16.0
%
5.6
6.8
4.3
6.0
8.1
%
8.9
%
11.6
%
14.6
%
(1)
(2)
Represents weighted averages for all retained interests resulting from securitizations completed in 2003 and 2002.
($ in millions)
Mortgage
Other retained
servicing rights
interests
$
6,916
$
212
4.3
2.4
17.5
%
20.7
%
$
339
$
9
773
20
9.6
%
11.1
%
$
236
$
5
455
11
(in millions)
December 31
,
Year ended December 31
,
Total loans
(1)
Delinquent loans
(2)
Net charge-offs
2003
2002
2003
2002
2003
2002
$
48,729
$
47,292
$
679
$
888
$
420
$
554
136,137
155,733
671
412
37
31
50,963
31,478
480
214
30
14
8,209
7,804
62
104
21
36,629
28,147
118
68
64
45
8,351
7,455
135
131
426
360
41,249
34,330
414
377
641
590
86,229
69,932
667
576
1,131
995
4,477
4,085
73
79
33
27
2,728
2,075
8
5
88
70
$
337,472
$
318,399
$
2,640
$
2,278
$
1,739
$
1,712
47,875
68,102
29,027
51,154
7,497
6,665
$
253,073
$
192,478
(1)
Represents loans on the balance sheet or that have been securitized, but
excludes securitized loans that we continue to service but as to which we have
no other continuing involvement.
(2)
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
1,218
$
1,048
$
737
(954
)
(737
)
(260
)
134
1,801
1,038
705
447
364
355
$
2,512
$
1,713
$
1,671
(1)
Includes impairment write-downs on other retained
interests of $79 million, $567 million and $27 million for
2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.
(in millions)
Year ended December 31
,
2003
2002
2001
$
6,677
$
7,365
$
5,609
3,546
2,408
1,883
2,140
1,474
962
(2,760
)
(1,942
)
(914
)
(1,338
)
(1,071
)
583
(1,557
)
(175
)
$
8,848
$
6,677
$
7,365
$
2,188
$
1,124
$
1,092
2,135
1,124
(1,338
)
(1,071
)
$
1,942
$
2,188
$
1,124
$
6,906
$
4,489
$
6,241
(1)
Based on December 31, 2003 assumptions, the
weighted-average amortization period for mortgage servicing
rights added during the year was 5.6 years.
(in billions)
December 31
,
2003
2002
$
598
$
487
112
94
710
581
21
36
$
731
$
617
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows
(in millions)
Parent
WFFI
Other
Consolidated
consolidating
Company
subsidiaries/
eliminations
$
6,352
$
1,271
$
23,572
$
31,195
146
347
6,864
7,357
150
223
12,779
13,152
(655
)
(732
)
(23,744
)
(25,131
)
(55
)
(600
)
(167
)
(822
)
(36,235
)
(36,235
)
1,590
1,590
(15,087
)
(15,087
)
3,683
13,335
620
17,638
(21,035
)
(757
)
(21,792
)
(3,682
)
(3,682
)
(2,570
)
2,570
(14,614
)
14,614
6,160
(6,160
)
122
(122
)
107
(74
)
33
(11,315
)
(8,355
)
(43,309
)
(62,979
)
22
28,621
28,643
(1,182
)
(676
)
(7,043
)
(8,901
)
15,656
10,355
3,479
29,490
(3,425
)
(2,151
)
(12,355
)
(17,931
)
700
700
944
944
(73
)
(73
)
(1,482
)
(1,482
)
(2,530
)
(600
)
600
(2,530
)
651
651
8,608
6,950
13,953
29,511
3,645
(134
)
(5,784
)
(2,273
)
3,160
295
14,365
17,820
$
6,805
$
161
$
8,581
$
15,547
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows
(in millions)
Parent
WFFI
Other
Consolidated
consolidating
Company
subsidiaries/
eliminations
$
4,366
$
956
$
(20,780
)
$
(15,458
)
531
769
10,563
11,863
150
143
9,391
9,684
(201
)
(1,030
)
(6,030
)
(7,261
)
(589
)
(281
)
282
(588
)
(18,992
)
(18,992
)
948
948
(2,818
)
(2,818
)
10,984
412
11,396
(13,996
)
(625
)
(14,621
)
(2,728
)
2,728
(2,262
)
2,262
457
(457
)
507
(507
)
(179
)
(907
)
(1,086
)
(4,135
)
(3,590
)
(3,750
)
(11,475
)
9
25,041
25,050
(2,444
)
329
(3,109
)
(5,224
)
8,495
4,126
9,090
21,711
(3,150
)
(1,745
)
(6,007
)
(10,902
)
450
450
578
578
(2,033
)
(2,033
)
(1,877
)
(45
)
45
(1,877
)
32
32
19
2,674
25,092
27,785
250
40
562
852
2,910
255
13,803
16,968
$
3,160
$
295
$
14,365
$
17,820
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows
(in millions)
Parent
WFFI
Other
Consolidated
consolidating
Company
subsidiaries/
eliminations
$
1,932
$
903
$
(12,947
)
$
(10,112
)
626
445
18,515
19,586
85
150
6,495
6,730
(462
)
(732
)
(27,859
)
(29,053
)
(370
)
(325
)
236
(459
)
(11,866
)
(11,866
)
2,305
2,305
(1,104
)
(1,104
)
9,677
287
9,964
(11,395
)
(256
)
(11,651
)
(722
)
722
(159
)
159
1,304
(1,304
)
(609
)
609
(267
)
(2,932
)
(3,199
)
(307
)
(2,447
)
(15,993
)
(18,747
)
6
17,701
17,707
(331
)
445
8,679
8,793
4,573
2,904
7,181
14,658
(3,066
)
(1,736
)
(5,823
)
(10,625
)
1,500
1,500
484
484
(200
)
(200
)
(1,760
)
(1,760
)
(1,724
)
(125
)
125
(1,724
)
130
(114
)
16
(524
)
1,624
27,749
28,849
1,101
80
(1,191
)
(10
)
1,809
175
14,994
16,978
$
2,910
$
255
$
13,803
$
16,968
(in billions)
To be well
capitalized under
the FDICIA
For capital
prompt corrective
Actual
adequacy purposes
action provisions
Amount
Ratio
Amount
Ratio
Amount
Ratio
$
37.3
12.21
%
³
$
24.4
³
8.00
%
22.6
11.17
³
16.2
³
8.00
³
$
20.2
³
10.00
%
3.8
14.22
³
2.1
³
8.00
³
2.6
³
10.00
$
25.7
8.42
%
³
$
12.2
³
4.00
%
15.2
7.53
³
8.1
³
4.00
³
$
12.1
³
6.00
%
3.5
13.14
³
1.1
³
4.00
³
1.6
³
6.00
$
25.7
6.93
%
³
$
14.8
³
4.00
%(1)
15.2
6.22
³
9.8
³
4.00
(1)
³
$
12.2
³
5.00
%
3.5
7.00
³
2.0
³
4.00
(1)
³
2.5
³
5.00
(1)
(in millions)
December 31,
2003
2002
Notional or
Credit
Estimated
Notional or
Credit
Estimated
contractual
risk
net fair
contractual
risk
net fair
amount
amount
(1)
value
amount
amount
(1)
value
$
22,570
$
1,116
$
1,035
$
24,533
$
2,238
$
2,180
5,027
16,867
500
11
11
115,810
440
440
90,959
520
520
42,106
(47
)
74,589
(236
)
93,977
291
118
116,164
669
156
65,181
2,005
102
68,164
2,606
1
49,397
83,351
28,591
153
153
29,381
299
299
26,411
(173
)
30,400
(274
)
5,523
66
66
5,484
108
108
24,894
40
(55
)
58,846
328
280
54,725
12
(90
)
51,088
2
(383
)
897
61
(1
)
206
11
1
4
319
39
40
168
17
17
322
(40
)
166
(14
)
1
14
14
1
(14
)
1,109
136
136
382
29
29
1,121
(143
)
389
(49
)
292
17
17
148
1,930
84
84
749
20
20
1,904
(84
)
735
(20
)
22,444
479
42
14,596
251
30
5,416
37
(16
)
4,735
52
(11
)
(1)
Credit risk amounts reflect the replacement cost for those contracts in a gain position in the event of nonperformance by all
counterparties.
(in millions)
December 31,
2003
2002
Carrying
Estimated
Carrying
Estimated
amount
fair value
amount
fair value
$
29,027
$
29,277
$
51,154
$
51,319
7,497
7,649
6,665
6,851
249,182
249,134
188,659
190,615
5,021
5,312
4,721
4,872
247,527
247,628
216,916
217,122
63,617
64,672
47,299
49,771
2,885
3,657
(1)
February 25, 2004
EXHIBIT 21
SUBSIDIARIES OF THE PARENT
The following is a list of the direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Parent as of December 31, 2003:
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Delaware
Delaware
Bermuda
Delaware
Bermuda
Colorado
West Virginia
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
New York
Washington
Alaska
California
Illinois
Indiana
Indiana
Kentucky
Michigan
Minnesota
Nevada
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Arizona
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
Ohio
New Jersey
Ohio
Delaware
Florida
Mississippi
Alabama
North Carolina
Delaware
Mexico
Virginia
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Nevada
South Dakota
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Maryland
California
New York
California
Missouri
Nevada
United Kingdom
Delaware
Delaware
Utah
California
California
California
California
California
Georgia
Nevada
Delaware
Vermont
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Iowa
Delaware
Vermont
Delaware
Delaware
Iowa
Iowa
Nevada
Tennessee
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Iowa
Nevada
Iowa
Missouri
Barbados
Delaware
New York
Nevada
Delaware
Delaware
Texas
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Mexico
California
California
California
Delaware
Delaware
Cayman Islands
Nevada
Nevada
New York
Delaware
Iowa
Luxembourg
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Alabama
Hawaii
Nevada
Ohio
Texas
Virginia
Delaware
Delaware
Panama
Nevada
California
Oklahoma
Wyoming
New York
Arizona
Nebraska
California
Delaware
Delaware
New Mexico
Utah
Utah
Utah
Utah
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Vermont
California
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
New Mexico
Minnesota
Cayman Islands, B.W.I.
Vermont
Delaware
Vermont
Delaware
Delaware
Texas
Nevada
Pennsylvania
New Mexico
Colorado
North Dakota
Texas
Alabama
Montana
Louisiana
New York
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Virginia
Texas
Texas
Texas
Netherlands
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Vermont
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Illinois
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Aruba
Netherland Antilles
Netherland Antilles
Netherland Antilles
New York
Cayman Islands, B.W.I.
New York
Delaware
Cayman Islands, B.W.I.
Trinidad & Tobago
Vermont
Delaware
Delaware
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Colorado
Delaware
Minnesota
Ohio
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Pennsylvania
Delaware
Delaware
Michigan
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Alaska
Delaware
Delaware
Vermont
Cayman Islands, B.W.I.
Alaska
Delaware
Minnesota
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Brazil
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
Nevada
Nevada
Nevada
Massachusetts
Texas
Delaware
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota
Delaware
Minnesota
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
Illinois
Delaware
Washington
Washington
Washington
Connecticut
Hawaii
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Iowa
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
California
Delaware
Kentucky
West Virginia
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Minnesota
Nevada
Nevada
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
West Virginia
Maryland
Minnesota
Minnesota
California
Delaware
Delaware
Maryland
Arizona
Delaware
West Virginia
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
California
Texas
California
Texas
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Vermont
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Caymand Islands
Delaware
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Delaware
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
Nevada
Maryland
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Delaware
Delaware
Colorado
Arizona
California
Delaware
Delaware
Iowa
Delaware
Delaware
California
Alaska
Delaware
Hong Kong, S.A.R., China
Iowa
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
California
United States
Delaware
Delaware
Minnesota
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Iowa
Nevada
California
New York
Nevada
Delaware
Delaware
Minnesota
Delaware
Texas
Canada
Minnesota
California
Iowa
Alabama
Pennsylvania
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Delaware
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Florida
Virginia
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Minnesota
Alabama
Alaska
Pennsylvania
Arizona
South Dakota
Colorado
Nova Scotia
Delaware
Colorado
Connecticut
Nova Scotia
New York
Delaware
Florida
Netherlands
Iowa
Colorado
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Delaware
Hawaii
Idaho
Iowa
Indiana
Iowa
Nevada
Iowa
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Kentucky
Florida
Iowa
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
Missouri
Montana
United States
Nebraska
Nevada
Nevada
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Dakota
New Hampshire
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Iowa
Delaware
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Rhode Island
Delaware
Iowa
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Delaware
Virginia
Delaware
South Carolina
South Dakota
Florida
Minnesota
Virginia
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Iowa
California
California
Delaware
Minnesota
Minnesota
Ireland
Delaware
California
California
United States
Delaware
Delaware
Nevada
Wyoming
Minnesota
Hong Kong
Cayman Islands, B.W.I.
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
California
Arizona
Delaware
Delaware
Minnesota
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Minnesota
Delaware
United Kingdom
Minnesota
Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Subsidiary
or Organization
Florida
California
Delaware
Cayman Islands, B.W.I.
Delaware
Colorado
Hawaii
California
Delaware
Delaware
United States
Delaware
Delaware
Montana
Washington
Wyoming
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Texas
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Exhibit 23
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
The Board of Directors
We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statements
noted below on Forms S-3, S-4 and S-8 of Wells Fargo & Company (the Company),
of our report dated February 25, 2004, with respect to the consolidated balance
sheet of Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2003 and
2002, and the related consolidated statements of income, changes in
stockholders equity and comprehensive income, and cash flows for each of the
years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2003, which
report is incorporated by reference in
the Companys December 31, 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our report refers
to a change in the method of accounting for goodwill in 2002.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Wells Fargo & Company:
Registration
Statement Number
Form
Description
S-3
Wells Fargo Direct Purchase and Dividend Reinvestment Plan
S-3
Universal Shelf 2000
S-3
Deferred Compensation Plan for Independent Contractors
S-3
Universal Shelf 2003
S-3
Convertible Debentures
S-4
Acquisition Registration Statement
S-4/S-8
Tejas Bancshares, Inc.
S-4/S-8
Financial Concepts Bancorp, Inc.
S-4/S-8
Benson Financial Corporation
S-4/S-8
Former Wells Fargo & Company
S-4/S-8
Ragen MacKenzie Group Incorporated
S-4/S-8
First Security Corporation
S-4/S-8
Brenton Banks, Inc.
S-4/S-8
Pacific Northwest Bancorp
S-8
Stock Direct Purchase Plan
S-8
Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan
S-8
Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan
S-8
Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan
S-8
PartnerShares Plan
S-8
PartnerShares Plan
S-8
PartnerShares Plan
S-8
PartnerShares Plan
S-8
401(k) Plan
S-8
Directors Stock Compensation and Deferral Plan
S-8
Wells Fargo Financial Thrift and Profit Sharing Plan
S-8
Deferred Compensation Plan
S-8
Wells Fargo Stock Purchase Plan
San Francisco, California
March 12, 2004
Exhibit 24
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
Power of Attorney of Director
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that the undersigned director of WELLS
FARGO & COMPANY, a Delaware corporation, does hereby make, constitute, and
appoint PHILIP J. QUIGLEY, a director and Chairman of the Audit and Examination
Committee of the Board of Directors, and CYNTHIA H. MILLIGAN, a director and
member of the Audit and Examination Committee of the Board of Directors, and
each or either of them, the undersigneds true and lawful attorneys-in-fact,
with power of substitution, for the undersigned and in the undersigneds name,
place, and stead, to sign and affix the undersigneds name as such director of
said Company to an Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2003, and all amendments thereto, to be filed by said Company with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C. under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, and the rules and regulations of said Commission, and to
file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other supporting documents, with
said Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact, and each of them, full
power and authority to do and perform any and all acts necessary or incidental
to the performance and execution of the powers herein expressly granted.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this power of attorney
this 24th day of February, 2004.
/s/ Cynthia H. Milligan
/s/ Benjamin F. Montoya
/s/ Donald B. Rice
/s/ Judith M. Runstad
/s/ Stephen W. Sanger
/s/ Susan G. Swenson
/s/ Michael W. Wright
Exhibit 31(a)
CERTIFICATION
I, Richard M. Kovacevich, certify that:
1.
I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Wells Fargo &
Company;
2.
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which
such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
covered by this report;
3.
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
financial information included in this report, fairly present in all
material respects the financial condition, results of operations and
cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in
this report;
4.
The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible
for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the
registrant and have:
(a)
Designed such disclosure controls and
procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures
to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material
information relating to the registrant, including its
consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others
within those entities, particularly during the period in which
this report is being prepared;
(b)
Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants
disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this
report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the
disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the
period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(c)
Disclosed in this report any change in the
registrants internal control over financial reporting that
occurred during the registrants most recent fiscal quarter
(the registrants fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an
annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, the registrants internal control
over financial reporting; and
5.
The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed,
based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of the
registrants board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
functions):
(a)
All significant deficiencies and material
weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over
financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely
affect the registrants ability to record, process, summarize
and report financial information; and
(b)
Any fraud, whether or not material, that
involves management or other employees who have a significant
role in the registrants internal control over financial
reporting.
/s/ RICHARD M. KOVACEVICH
Richard M. Kovacevich
Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer
Exhibit 31(b)
CERTIFICATION
I, Howard I. Atkins, certify that:
1.
I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Wells Fargo &
Company;
2.
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which
such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
covered by this report;
3.
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
financial information included in this report, fairly present in all
material respects the financial condition, results of operations and
cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in
this report;
4.
The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible
for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the
registrant and have:
(a)
Designed such disclosure controls and
procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures
to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material
information relating to the registrant, including its
consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others
within those entities, particularly during the period in which
this report is being prepared;
(b)
Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrants
disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this
report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the
disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the
period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(c)
Disclosed in this report any change in the
registrants internal control over financial reporting that
occurred during the registrants most recent fiscal quarter
(the registrants fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an
annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, the registrants internal control
over financial reporting; and
5.
The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed,
based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to the registrants auditors and the audit committee of the
registrants board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
functions):
(a)
All significant deficiencies and material
weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over
financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely
affect the registrants ability to record, process, summarize
and report financial information; and
(b)
Any fraud, whether or not material, that
involves management or other employees who have a significant
role in the registrants internal control over financial
reporting.
/s/ HOWARD I. ATKINS
Howard I. Atkins
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
Exhibit 32(a)
Certification of Periodic Financial Report by
I, Richard M. Kovacevich, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
of Wells Fargo & Company (the Company), certify that:
A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has
been provided to Wells Fargo & Company and will be retained by Wells Fargo &
Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff
upon request.
Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
and 18 U.S.C. § 1350
(1)
The Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended
December 31, 2003 (the Report) fully complies with the requirements
of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
(2)
the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all
material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of
the Company.
/s/ RICHARD M. KOVACEVICH
Richard M. Kovacevich
Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer
Wells Fargo & Company
March 12, 2004
Exhibit 32(b)
Certification of Periodic Financial Report by
I, Howard I. Atkins, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
of Wells Fargo & Company (the Company), certify that:
A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has
been provided to Wells Fargo & Company and will be retained by Wells Fargo &
Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff
upon request.
Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
and 18 U.S.C. § 1350
(1)
The Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended
December 31, 2003 (the Report) fully complies with the requirements
of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
(2)
the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all
material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of
the Company.
/s/ HOWARD I. ATKINS
Howard I. Atkins
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
Wells Fargo & Company
March 12, 2004