What was the old name of Wells Fargo?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

Wells Fargo & Company was originally established in March 1852 by corporate visionaries Henry Wells and William Fargo as a brand-new express delivery and banking enterprise designed to serve the California Gold Rush, meaning it was not formed as a direct rebrand of a single pre-existing bank. However, its modern national scale was shaped by decades of massive mergers, most notably its 1998 combination with Norwest Corporation. While Norwest was technically the surviving corporate entity from an administrative standpoint, management deliberately chose to adopt the legendary Wells Fargo name for the combined financial institution because of its iconic historical recognition.

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