November 2009 Archives

Wayne Thompson

Texan Christine Willis is making her first trip to Colorado but it's not a vacation.

She's a Buddy Banker working in Colorado Springs to help a new Wells Fargo teammate succeed for her customers. Over the years, hundreds of Wachovia and Wells Fargo team members have flown into markets during integrations to spend days — even weeks — helping local team members learn new computer systems, products and processes.

Wachovia called it the Ambassador Program. At Wells Fargo, it's called Buddy Bankers.

"Buddy Bankers are a great resource for us," says Tammi Clawson, service manager for Wells Fargo's new Austin Bluffs and Academy store  in Colorado Springs — a Wachovia location that converted to Wells Fargo on Nov. 9. "You have someone right there to turn to for help so we can deliver the best possible service to our customers."

As Clawson and other team members closed the store November 7 to get ready to open for business as Wells Fargo on Monday, Willis, a service manager from Katy, Texas, and her Buddy Banker teammate, Alex Oh, a store manager from San Jose, California, worked right alongside them. One of their jobs: assembling a Wells Fargo plush pony checking account promotional display.

"We're helping get everything converted over and ready," says Willis, who, like Ho, volunteered for the Buddy Banker assignment. Adds Ho, "It's great to work with the team here. They've already got a lot done on their checklist."

Both will be in Colorado through November 21. For Willis, it's her first visit to Colorado and her first experience as a Buddy Banker. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to coach and mentor, meet new people and work with incredible teammates," she notes. "I grew up in the Tennessee Mountains so it's also neat to be here in the Rockies."

Each of the 19 Wachovia financial centers that became Wells Fargo stores have at least two Buddy Bankers. In overlapping markets such as Colorado, Buddy Bankers might come from a few miles away. Elsewhere, support might come from 2,000 miles and several times zones away.

Wherever they call home, Suzanne Allen, teller manager for Glenn Allen, Virginia, and a Wachovia ambassador for three mergers, says Buddy Bankers send a powerful message.

"It shows the customer that we care," she explains. "They see there's support and preparation to help them and the team members succeed."

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

Ann Marie Quinn

With the integration of Wachovia financial centers to Wells Fargo banking stores this past weekend in Colorado, we wanted to give you additional information about the next states to convert.

Pending regulatory approval, Wachovia financial centers in Arizona, Illinois and Nevada will become Wells Fargo banking stores in March 2010! Of course, until the integration is complete, it's business as usual. Those of you in Arizona, Illinois and Nevada, please continue banking where you do today.

For now, here are some of the highlights of the upcoming conversions:

• 20 Wachovia locations will be joined to the Wells Fargo network in the three states, and 19 locations will be combined with nearby stores.
• Once complete, there will be 259 Wells Fargo banking stores in Arizona, 23 in Illinois and 122 in Nevada.
• There will also be 300-plus ATMs in Nevada, 580-plus in Arizona and 23 in Illinois.

Stay tuned for additional updates on the specific timing of other integrations. We're looking forward to the integration of California and Texas later in 2010, and Wachovia integration to Wells Fargo in the East and Southeast throughout 2011.

And please keep your comments coming!

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

Matt Wadley

It's official: Most Wachovia customers in Colorado are now Wells Fargo customers, following the weekend's state-wide conversion! (Those who aren't yet, don't worry — you'll convert at a later time. We're being very deliberate in order to provide you with best customer experience possible.)

So what does all this mean for you? Well, it’s still just business as usual: Keep using the same locations with the same friendly faces you do today! But also, now that Wells Fargo and Wachovia have combined in Colorado, check out some of the highlights for our customers in the Centennial State. 

• 170 banking stores across Colorado. That's 19 more locations for Wells Fargo customers and 136 more for Wachovia customers.
• At the 19 former Wachovia stores, we've added an average of one personal banker and one-to-two tellers per store.
• Our customers have access to 267 ATMs across the state, including 31 new, Envelope-FreeSM ATMs.
• And more!

Coming up in a few days, we'll post some photos of all the work that went into getting us to where we are today in Colorado — for Wachovia customers in states across the country that will be converting in the future, it'll be a little glimpse of what to expect!

In the meantime, here's a little sample....

Arizona, Illinois and Nevada...you're coming up!

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

Molly Murphy

This weekend Wells Fargo and Wachovia are combining banking operations in Colorado — 19 Wachovia stores in Colorado will convert and re-open as Wells Fargo stores on Monday morning!

That's right, come Monday Wells Fargo and Wachovia customers will be able to bank at any Wells Fargo banking store in Colorado. This conversion is the only one for 2009, but come the first quarter of 2010, Arizona, Illinois and Nevada will be converting, too.

Now, should any of our Wachovia Colorado customers have any questions about your accounts during the weekend, you can continue to call 1-800-WACHOVIA (1-800-922-4684). Beginning Monday, November 9, please call Wells Fargo Phone Bank at 1-800-TO-WELLS (1-800-869-3557).

Oh, and Colorado customers, we look forward to hearing about how the conversion went for you. Please tell us!

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.