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Wells Fargo Opens Company's First "Green" Banking Store in the San Fernando Valley

A few "green" features of the new store include:

• Light harvesting system, which adjusts lighting according to available daylight helping to reduce energy usage by 20 percent,
• Insulation made from recycled cotton, primarily denim,
• Fully recyclable carpet, window treatments and counter surfaces,
• Use of water saving plumbing fixtures and control devices, which helps to cut water usage by 40 percent (Compared to conventional buildings of the same type).

"The construction of this store is part of a broader, companywide commitment to the environment - a commitment we know is shared by the residents of Studio City," said Marla Vasquez, regional president for Wells Fargo's San Fernando Valley Community Bank.

Wells Fargo is one of the first companies in the nation to earn pre-certification from LEED for New Construction. LEED, a point-based building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), verifies a building was designed and built to be greener. Before pre-certification was available, individual buildings required a separate application, audits and fees to become LEED certified. Now with the pre-approved design approach, much of the work is completed upfront and certification applies to all buildings built to the pre-approved standards. This approach saves time and money and helps to streamline the certification process in cities nationwide.

Wells Fargo's pre-certification for buildings is for LEED Silver, however, the company was able to earn the higher LEED Gold status for the Studio City and Manhattan Beach banking stores by building greener than originally planned.

"We are very pleased and supportive of Wells Fargo's efforts to promote green buildings," said Lance Williams, executive director of the USGBC Los Angeles chapter. "LEED Gold certification is rare and reflects Wells Fargo's commitment to sustainable building practices."

For details about LEED and USGBC, visit www.usgbc.org.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $1.2 trillion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance through more than 10,000 stores and 12,000 ATMs and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and internationally. Wells Fargo ranked No. 1 among banks and insurance companies - and No. 13 overall - in Newsweek magazine's inaugural "Green Rankings" of the country's 500-largest companies. The Company promotes economic growth and self-sufficiency, education, social services, the arts and the environment in thousands of communities across North America. In 2009, the Company gave $202 million in grants to 18,000 nonprofits. The merger of Wells Fargo and Wachovia makes our presence twice as strong in the communities we serve. For more about Wells Fargo's achievements in Social Responsibility: www.wellsfargo.com/about/csr.

Wells Fargo
Stephanie Rico, 415-396-5804
stephanie.rico@wellsfargo.com
Pia Hahn, 213-253-3295
pia.hahn@wellsfargo.com