SAN ANTONIO — A newly filed class-action lawsuit alleges Wells Fargo discriminated against Mexican employees at a San Antonio customer service center while also directing workers "to offer predatory lending options" to the bank's Spanish-speaking customers.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in San Antonio by Lawrence Morales II, an Alamo City attorney. The plaintiffs are seeking actual, consequential and compensatory damages.
According to the complaint, Wells Fargo managers in 2022 created a program whereby bilingual customer service representatives were told to offer cash-out products to Spanish-speaking customers "without directly mentioning the substantial financial cost of the product to borrowers," effectively leaving those customers on the hook for later payments ranging between $5,000 and $10,000 that they weren't expecting to make.
Employees were even equipped with physical laminated cards reminding them to "Assume the transaction will be cash out DO NOT ask if they want cash out," the suit alleges.
The second major allegation of discrimination outlined in the suit pertains to Hispanic employees themselves, claiming they were barred from joining a pilot program that included opportunities to collect commission.
"Only members of the English-only team were permitted to join the pilot program" which launched in 2021, the suit states, adding that members of the Wells Fargo bilingual team suffered financial hardship as a result.
The plaintiffs named in the suit are all from Mexico, and claimed being denied entry into the pilot program. At least 11 members of the bilingual team have sued Wells Fargo for discrimination in connection with the class-action suit.
Tom Goyda, a senior vice president for Wells Fargo, said the claims laid out in the lawsuit "misrepresent the conversations our home mortgage consultants are having with our customers."
"Higher costs related to cash-out conforming refinances compared with rate-term refinances are tied primarily to pricing driven by the Government Sponsored Enterprises, which we don’t control," Goyda went on to say. "We look forward to presenting the facts of this situation, which reflect Wells Fargo's significant and long-term commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion."
Goyda's statement did not directly address the claims of Hispanic workers being blocked from a pilot program.
Just last month, the bank – which services 70 million customers in 35 countries – agreed to pay $1 billion to settle with shareholders who alleged it made misleading statements about its compliance with federal regulators. In December it agreed to pay a $3.7 billion settlement amid allegations it charged illegal fees and interest on auto loans and mortgages.
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