Well Fargo's new regulatory trouble may delay asset cap removal timeline, analysts say

By Manya Saini

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo's latest regulatory setback could delay the timeline for lifting the asset cap imposed by the U.S. Federal Reserve and stifle its growth, Wall Street analysts said on Friday.

Its ability to expand into risky businesses was restricted on Thursday by a U.S. banking regulator that found the California-based lender had weak safeguards against money laundering and other illegal transactions.

Though the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) did not fine the bank as it was working to fix the problems, analysts said the action could hurt its effort to tackle regulatory issues stemming from the 2016 fake accounts scandal.

"Although an enforcement action against a bank for AML (anti-money laundering) policies and procedures is unfortunately not that uncommon, it is unique for WFC as it adds uncertainties to the timeline of the asset cap and their expense outlook," KBW analysts, led by David Konrad, said in a note.

Wells Fargo is operating under a $1.95 trillion asset cap until regulators are satisfied that the bank has fixed its issues.

The 2016 fake accounts scandal led to heightened scrutiny, billions of dollars in penalties, and multiple shareholder lawsuits against the bank, with regulators mandating more oversight of the lender.

The bank is operating under eight consent orders - a formal public enforcement action between a regulator and a bank that often includes a fine and requires the bank to address specific issues in a timely manner.

CEO Charlie Scharf has been working to contain the fallout and help resolve the consent orders since he took the top job in 2019.

Wells Fargo had said in February the OCC had ended a 2016 punishment for the bank's sales practices, after it spent years trying to repair the damage from the fake accounts scandal.

The move could pave the way for the Fed to lift its consent order, analysts had at the time said.

"An unfortunate but not shocking step back in what had otherwise been good forward progress this year on resolving regulatory concerns," Piper Sandler analysts said.

Some Wall Street brokerages said the full picture on the impact of the OCC's action was yet to emerge.

"We still do not have a clear view of when asset-cap removal would come in any event, much less if additional actions like today's could alter the path further," Jefferies said.

Shares of Wells Fargo have underperformed the broader market and a key index tracking large-cap bank stocks this year.

The stock is up nearly 5%, while the S&P 500 has gained 17% and the banking index is up 15%.

(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)