October 2009 Archives

Wayne Thompson

Together, Wells Fargo and Wachovia have more than 6,600 banking stores in 39 states and the District of Columbia, but none quite like the one at E. Bell Road  in Phoenix.

Since July 20, the Wachovia banking location there has doubled as a separate Wells Fargo banking store as well — with two distinct signs, teller lines, computer systems, vaults, managers and teams serving customers of both banks through the same set of doors.

"The unique arrangement came about when a grocery store closed, and its in-house Wells Fargo banking store team moved across the street into the Wachovia building. Both teams will continue to serve Wells Fargo and Wachovia customers separately until Arizona's stores and systems are converted.

Lisa Riley, Metro West Regional Banking president in Phoenix, notes that the first-of-its-kind combination was a much better option for customers and the company than opening a new Wells Fargo location for only a few months. While walking into a store with a Wachovia sign on one side of the building and a Wells Fargo sign on the other may seem unusual, she says the teams have worked well together and separately to put customers first and meet their financial needs.

"The results have been strong," Riley reports. "Both teams have outstanding service scores."

Brittany Fixler, an 11-year Wells Fargo veteran who became manager of the E. Bell Road location last summer, explains why the unique store is a hit with customers.

"It's been working very well because we've found that most of our Wachovia customers have Wells Fargo accounts," she says. "So, having both stores in the same location is very convenient for our customers."

Some of the customer comments she's gotten are:

• "Now that I know both banks are here, this makes it much more convenient."
• "I can now withdraw from my Wells Fargo account and pay my mortgage at Wachovia in the same building."
• "Convenience at Wells, service at Wachovia...a great combination!"

Fixler also points out that the experience has helped knit the two teams into one and already allowed them to begin combining the best of both companies. "It's going to be exciting to bring together the legacy of service at Wachovia and the systems and culture of Wells Fargo," she says.

So be sure to look for more of this kind of great teamwork as we complete our first state, Colorado, next week — as well as in the Wachovia banking locations in Nevada and Arizona, which will follow next!

Because as Fixler concludes, "As our experience here has shown, when we mix the two, it’s going to be wonderful."

How about you? Do you have any stories about our teams have helped you? Please let us know!

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.                                                          Equal Housing Lender

Molly Murphy

It's been a while, but today we bring you the next installment in our series on cities where Wells Fargo and Wachovia have significant histories! Today we turn to the Southwest, and Phoenix, Arizona — a city with loads to offer. And your guide is a woman who knows all about it: Connie Whalen is the Curator at Wells Fargo's Phoenix History Museum. She's been with Wells Fargo for 26 years, and continues to design and build wonderful historical exhibits. Not only that, she's been a member of the Board of Trustees for the Phoenix Museum of History for 5 years and was elected President in March of 2005. Take it away, Connie!

Thanks, Molly! Well, so far on our Wells Fargo and Wachovia cities tours, we've stopped in Charlotte, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Winston-Salem. Now it's my turn to "show you around" my city: Phoenix, Arizona, the state's largest city and capitol!

Founded in 1868, Phoenix eventually became a major hub for transportation, finance, industry, and culture in the Southwestern U.S. I've lived in this great city since I was 2 years old and I love it here. And I know Wells Fargo is proud to have played a role in helping make Phoenix the thriving metropolis that it is today.

For many, many years we've heard that Phoenix is just a "baby city" with no art and culture. But we've grown up quite a bit in the last 100 years (I haven't been here for all of it!), and as for history, well, both Phoenix and Wells Fargo have very rich ones here.

In 1895 the Commercial Hotel, which was located on the corners of Central and Jefferson, was an important stage stop in Phoenix. With a Wells Fargo Office located inside, stagecoach travelers were able to utilize modern conveniences on their long trips.

Today, just two blocks from the site of the Commercial Hotel is the Wells Fargo Plaza in downtown Phoenix. Located on the first level of the building facing Adams Street is the Wells Fargo History Museum. Helping to design and build this museum together was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life: I was able to blend two of my favorite things, Phoenix and Wells Fargo. Now I get to show visitors great artifacts and tell some great stories! And every year we see hundreds of children learning about Arizona history and the migration west....

Wayne Thompson

While the Wachovia sign at her banking store in Texas hasn't changed yet, Pam Birkholz already has experienced the spirit of "One team, twice as strong."

While on vacation in Denver, the treasurer at KMG Chemicals, Inc.  in Houston — a Wachovia customer — had a problem. Her laptop malfunctioned, seemingly leaving her with no way to make critical wire payments.

Unable to find a Wachovia financial center on her GPS device, she walked into Wells Fargo's downtown Denver store on 17th and Broadway. Personal Banker James Savelsberg greeted Birkholz with a smile and handshake, and then quickly set her up to use one of the store's computers.

"He put my fears to rest and set me up at a computer right away so that I could take care of the business at hand," wrote Birkholz to Wells Fargo about Savelsberg. "It is bankers like this who keep my faith in the banking community especially in today's times, but more importantly, he made the lines between Wachovia and Wells seamless."

Now back home in Houston, Birholz says Savelsberg's service makes her even more excited about the merger and its opportunities and even more convinced that Wells Fargo will continue Wachovia's tradition of excellent service.

"When I walked in, I remember telling James that I was a Wachovia customer and he gave me the same great service I've come to expect here from Wachovia in Texas," she said. "I walked out of there very happy indeed and looking forward to our transition to Wells Fargo."

For Savelsberg, a five-year Wells Fargo veteran, meeting Birkholz was another opportunity to practice his philosophy of "right-now" customer service and to put a face on the merger.

"It was a great opportunity to play a part in the merger's success," he said. "We get Wachovia customers in the store regularly, and have gotten accustomed to helping them and knowing where the Wachovia banking offices are located. The merger is a big opportunity for us, putting us in the national market and giving us the opportunity to show we're customer-oriented."

Matt Wadley

When we announced on the blog in June that Wells Fargo will continue to offer Way2Save, the post received dozens of comments from readers expressing their pleasure with the news and even offering advice on how to make the product better.

As a Way2Save account holder myself, I echoed your sentiment and admittedly breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I'd still have access to such an effortless way to grow my savings account.

We also told you back then that we were working out the details, but that we'd be sure to share more. Well, we've been busy holding focus groups and listening to you, our customers. And from those discussions we've made some decisions about the new Way2Save account.

But before I get to the details, please note that NOTHING will change with your current Way2Save account until the Wachovia branches in your state convert to the Wells Fargo brand. Also, when your home state does convert, your Way2Save account and all automatic transfers you've setup will convert to the new Wells Fargo Way2Save. Plus, you'll automatically be enrolled and eligible to receive the first-year premium interest rate and savings bonus on one Way2Save account (based on your tax identification number).

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself....

Matt Wadley

We know that you're anxious or eager for updates about how the integration is going. We've heard you ask about timing, products and services. And we know you're anxious to learn how your personal accounts will be impacted when your state converts.

While we continue to seek out and blog about answers for your questions as they're available, we were recently able to get a few minutes with former Wachovia Chief Information Officer Martin Davis, who is now head of the Technology Integration for the merger.

MW: Hi Martin, thanks for taking the time to give our readers a little insight into all that is going on with the IT integration.
Martin Davis: Glad to do it!

MW: So is the work you're overseeing similar to anything you've experienced?
MD: Well, I actually moved to Charlotte in 2001 to help oversee the Wachovia/First Union merger. It was a huge undertaking.

MW: How has that experience prepared you to oversee this one?
MD: Well, I'd like to emphasize first that even though I might be overseeing these integration efforts, it's really and truly a team effort. Everyone in Technology Leadership is working together to make this possible!

But to your question, certainly no two mergers and acquisitions are ever alike. But the strategy behind them is always consistent. We seek out the best of the platforms that already exist, analyze all of them and find out which ones have the best scalability. That was a top priority during the Wachovia and First Union merger. We didn't want our customers to ever not be able to complete a transaction — or even to notice that there was a merger going on.

MW: So you have the experience, but when you took over your current role managing the IT integration of Wachovia and Wells Fargo, how huge did the job look?
MD: It was big. Between our two companies, there were more than 4,000 different systems being used. Just for e-payments, we had to decide on hundreds of systems. But there was no pressure to stick with either platform. We analyzed both systems to determine which would serve our customers better in terms of the company's go-forward business model....

Molly Murphy

As we get closer to the November 7 Colorado conversion, we're starting to get a clearer picture on the timing for other conversions. And while we don't have exact dates yet, we do know the approximate timeframe during which stores in these regions will convert, and wanted to let you know!

Of course, keep in mind we're taking a customer-driven, not calendar-driven approach to the integration. But now without further ado:

During 2010, we expect to convert banking stores in the states where Wells Fargo and Wachovia overlap: Nevada, Arizona, Illinois, California, Texas, Missouri, and Kansas. (Those are in the order we expect to convert.)

Near the end of 2010, we'll begin converting the non-overlapping states: Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., South Carolina, and North Carolina. (Again, listed in the order we expect to convert.)

We plan to complete conversions of banking stores and all major merger integration substantially by the end of 2011, though some back office completion tasks may continue into 2012. Oh, and a final note: By the end of 2009, we expect to convert the mortgage servicing platform and our payroll system.

That's it for now, but please keep your questions and comments coming!

Jason Menke

Starting this week, we're converting a number of Wachovia mortgage accounts to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. The first set of accounts will be converted Thursday, October 1, and another set of accounts converts Friday, October 16.

When your loan converts, there will be a brief period when you'll be unable to view your account online — either at Wachovia Online Banking or at Wells Fargo Online®. For those of you with loans converting in October, here's what you need to know:

• The Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Welcome Center is a great resource for anyone with questions about the conversion process in general.
• If your mortgage is converting to Wells Fargo on October 1, you should have already received a letter from us. Starting October 5, you can sign up for Wells Fargo Online on our Online Mortgage Access page, and begin managing your mortgage online.
• If your mortgage is converting on October 16, you should receive your letter approximately ten days prior to that conversion date. Until you receive the letter, it's still business as usual, but beginning October 20, you can sign up for Wells Fargo Online to start managing your mortgage online. For steps that can help you to smooth your conversion from Wachovia to Wells Fargo, refer to these mortgage conversion checklists.

Lastly, not every Wachovia mortgage loan is converting to Wells Fargo! Until you receive a letter that provides your conversion date, it's (you guessed it) business as usual. Keep those comments coming!