We face significant and increasing competition in the rapidly evolving financial services industry. We compete with other financial institutions in a highly competitive industry that is undergoing significant changes as a result of financial regulatory reform, technological advances, increased public scrutiny, and economic conditions. Our success depends on, among other things, our ability to develop and maintain deep and enduring relationships with our customers based on the quality of our customer service, the wide variety of products and services that we can offer our customers and the ability of those products and services to satisfy our customers’ needs and preferences, the pricing of our products and services, the extensive distribution channels available for our customers, our innovation, and our reputation. Continued or increased competition in any one or all of these areas may negatively affect our customer relationships, market share and results of operations and/or cause us to increase our capital investment in our businesses in order to remain competitive. In addition, our ability to reposition or reprice our products and services from time to time may be limited and could be influenced significantly by the economic, regulatory and political environment for large financial institutions as well as by the actions of our competitors. Furthermore, any changes in the types of products and services that we offer our customers and/or the pricing for those products and services could result in a loss of customer relationships and market share and could materially adversely affect our results of operations.
Continued technological advances and the growth of
e-commerce have made it possible for non-depository institutions to offer products and services that traditionally were banking products, and for financial institutions and other companies to provide electronic and internet-based financial solutions, including electronic securities trading, lending and payment solutions. In addition, technological advances, including digital currencies and alternative payment methods, may diminish the importance of depository institutions and other
financial intermediaries in the transfer of funds between parties. We may not respond effectively to these and other competitive threats from existing and new competitors and may be forced to offer products and services at lower prices, increase our investment in our business to modify or adapt our existing products and services, and/or develop new products and services to respond to our customers’ needs and preferences. To the extent we are not successful in developing and introducing new products and services or responding or adapting to the competitive landscape or to changes in customer preferences, we may lose customer relationships and our growth prospects and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Our ability to attract and retain qualified employees is critical to the success of our business and failure to do so could adversely affect our business performance, competitive position and future prospects. The success of Wells Fargo is heavily dependent on the talents and efforts of our employees, including our senior leaders, and in many areas of our business, including commercial banking, brokerage, investment advisory, capital markets, risk management, and technology, the competition for highly qualified personnel is intense. We also seek to retain a pipeline of employees to provide continuity of succession for our senior leadership positions. In order to attract and retain highly qualified employees, we must provide competitive compensation, benefits and work arrangements, effectively manage employee performance and development, and foster a diverse and inclusive environment. As a large financial institution and additionally to the extent we remain subject to consent orders we may be subject to limitations on compensation by our regulators that may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain these qualified employees, especially if some of our competitors may not be subject to these same compensation limitations. Similarly, union organizing activity, some of which has been successful, could continue to increase our operational complexity and costs. In addition, our response to this activity could be perceived negatively and harm our reputation and business, subject us to legal actions, or adversely affect our ability to attract and retain qualified employees. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain qualified employees, including successors for senior leadership positions, our business performance, competitive position and future prospects may be adversely affected.