Wells Fargo Integrates Financial Services Online With Single Sign-On Access, the Next Stage of Internet Banking

Business Wire, Sept 5, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 5, 2001

Leading Online Bank Provides One-stop Access to Banking and

Brokerage With Single User ID and Password

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) today announced the launch of its Single Sign-On service, the latest in a series of initiatives to provide seamless integration of services and enhanced ease of use to all its online customers. Now, Wells Fargo customers can gain online access to more financial services than ever before with one-stop access to banking, bill pay, mortgage, student, personal, home equity and auto loans, full-service and discount brokerage and credit card accounts. Logging in to www.wellsfargo.com, Wells Fargo customers can enter their social security number and password once to access all of their account balances, loans and investments in one convenient location.

Previously, Wells Fargo customers wishing to check balances, loans, or investments online would need to sign-on multiple times through separate parts of the site. Now, they will use a simplified, more intuitive sign on procedure to access their bank accounts, bill pay, mortgage, credit card, and now their full-service and discount brokerage accounts by just signing on once to the service.

"Single Sign-On is the next stage of convenience in online financial services," said Shelley Freeman, executive vice president of Wells Fargo's Investment Internet Services. "When coupled with our broad array of brokerage, banking and mortgage products, Single Sign-On makes us better than a bank and better than a broker."

The advent of single login access to a wide variety of consumer and investor account information continues Wells Fargo's goal of increasing ease-of-use for its online customers. From the Single Wells Fargo Single Sign-On page, customers can link directly to many different views of their financial data including:

-- A one-page Account Summary listing all their Wells Fargo balances with
individual account totals and category totals;

-- Immediate access to trading, banking, and brokerage accounts, allowing for
faster site navigation.

Already named No. 1 in Customer Confidence by Gomez Advisors, and recently named the popular choice in online banks by Worth magazine in its third annual Readers' Choice survey, Wells Fargo has responded to both analyst and consumer trends calling for greater access and integration of account information.

Single Sign-On is part of Wells Fargo's strategy to provide investment and banking services in one place. Recent product enhancements have helped make Wells Fargo a one-stop shop, adding additional convenience and integration.

-- WellsChoice is a full-service brokerage account that combines

the best of high-tech and high-touch approaches to investment.

By extending WellsChoice to the Internet, Wells Fargo provides

a brokerage account that offers the convenience of online

trading coupled with the guidance of a financial consultant.

-- The new Portfolio Tracker and Tax Tracker tools will make it

easier for Wells Fargo self-directed Online Brokerage

customers to manage their portfolios based on tax

considerations and their personal preferences, allowing them

to more effectively manage their ongoing capital gains tax

liability throughout the year.

-- Wells Fargo's new brokerage site, launched in the fourth

quarter of 2000, was recently ranked No. 6 for `One Stop

Shopper' and in the Top 15 Overall by Gomez Advisors, up from

43rd a year ago. It was also ranked 5th best brokerage site

and received the highest designation of "Excellent," by

Dalbar's WebMonitor First Quarter 2001 Top 25 Brokerage Sites

report.

Wells Fargo was the first financial services company in the U.S. to launch Internet banking services for its customers in 1995 (www.wellsfargo.com), and has been online since 1989. The company has since blazed the trail for interactive tools and features with a wide range of easy-to-use online customer services. Wells Fargo has 3.6 million Internet banking customers.

Wells Fargo was also the first major bank in the U.S. to provide a full line of brokerage services, investment management, trust and private banking all under one roof. Wells Fargo Online Brokerage is provided by Wells Fargo Investments, LLC (WFI). Customers can trade stocks, options, and more than 7,000 mutual funds online, and get access to news, research, free unlimited real time quotes, alerts, and watchlists, with 24/7 customer support. For investors seeking assistance from a full-service broker, WFI has over 1,100 financial consultants nationwide.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo and Company (NYSE:WFC) is a $290 billion diversified financial services company providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance services through 5,400 stores, its Internet site (www.wellsfargo.com) and other distribution channels across North America as well as internationally.