wells fargo NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) settled a Department of Justice lawsuit, agreeing to pay $16 million to compensate hard-of-hearing and deaf customers who had difficulty accessing banking services. In addition, the San Francisco bank, the fourth largest in the U.S. by assets, will pay a $55,000 civil penalty, and make a $1 million donation to a non-profit organization that will assist veterans with disabilities resulting from injuries sustained while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. The lawsuit alleged Wells Fargo would not accept "relay calls" from customers who were deaf or hard of hearing for at least some period of time in 2009.
Relay calls are made through an operator service and allow people to use telephones via keyboards. "Individuals who have disabilities must not be denied equal access to the services offered by financial institutions simply because of their disability. Wells Fargo has shown that it is committed to equal access and effective communication with its customers who have disabilities," Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, said in a press release Tuesday. Wells Fargo had concerns about fraud related to relay calls and decided divert them in some call centers to answering machines. But messages left there were never returned, the lawsuit alleged. The bank became aware of the issue through customers complaints, and took action before the Justice Department investigated, the bank and the department said.
The bank said it still can't rule out the risk of fraud occurring through relay calls, but hard-of-hearing and deaf customers favor them and the service was fully restored in January 2010, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman said. In addition, the bank hired a coordinator in charge of the bank's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improved training and service, and made available more Text Telephone and Telecommunication Device for the Deaf lines in call centers, the spokeswoman said.
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