Heading into your local Wells Fargo branch is still a power move

Over the next couple of years, Wells Fargo will complete its multi-year refurbishment program, modernizing every branch with new technology as the bank evolves its service model.

Sherrell McMillan,

Staff Writer

Key takeaways

Wells Fargo has more than 4,000 retail bank branches in the United States and is investing in refurbishing its branch network across the country by the end of the decade.
Customers today increasingly visit branches to seek out financial advice and guidance, not to deposit checks or get cash.
Keeping pace with changes to how — and where — customers do business, Wells Fargo has evolved its previous model of providing an array of daily banking services.

Credit: William Gallego

Technology innovations over the last few decades have dramatically changed the way we do daily tasks in nearly all facets of life. We can order groceries online, meet with doctors in our homes via telemedicine, and hold meetings not in person, but through video calls.

Banking is no different, and Wells Fargo is investing in its branches to make sure that customers have a positive and seamless experience while banking in person.

The branch system remains the “heart” of Wells Fargo’s retail banking business, according to Brad Nolan, head of branch systems and transformation. Branches aren’t going away, he said, they are just evolving.

“It’s about advice and guidance now,” he said. “Customers want to sit with a professional and listen to them directly. The other thing is, money and finances can be emotional. When a customer is having a problem, they don’t want to deal with a web page or chat bot. They want to look a person in the eyes — someone they feel they can trust — who they know has a vested interest in a successful outcome for them.”

And so that’s why Wells Fargo is investing millions into refurbishing its entire branch network in the United States. Every. Single. One.

“Even in this day and age, you choose who you bank with because it’s the branch down the street or your parents took you there when you were younger,” Nolan said. “Even if you have no plans on going in, it’s about knowing it’s there when you need it.”

A 2024 study by the American Bankers Association found that more than half of U.S. consumers are conducting their banking on mobile apps more often than any other method. Wells Fargo customers have access to a variety of online services with their checking accounts, including:

Bill Pay for sending payments within the U.S.
A digital wallet to make quick, secure, on-the-go payments on their mobile devices.
Check depositing from a mobile device.
Fargo®, a virtual assistant designed to offer a simplified and enhanced mobile experience.

During the same decades as the technological explosion, Wells Fargo grew through a series of mergers and acquisitions, quickly expanding its footprint from the West Coast to the entire country. With these unions, sometimes came disparate brand identity and some locations in better condition than others.

“We did some light refurbishments back in 2023, but we never really invested the time, effort, or money to update everything at the same time,” Nolan said. “We want to make real substantive and structural changes to our branches to right size them for where our business exists today.”

So, heading into 2024, Nolan and his team started a yearlong process of researching, designing, testing, and getting feedback on what the Wells Fargo branch of the future will look like.

“It’s much more predicated on what you’d see in the hospitality industry,” he said. “We want them to feel a warm, welcoming, and professional environment, while really focusing on convenience in a secure setting that allows for direct, personal communication.”

In addition to augmenting the physical environment, the bank is investing in the tools its bankers use. These include new, digitally enabled processes like opening an account.

“In the past, a banker would have to find a customers’ information, review disclosures, print documents, and get them signed,” Nolan said. “Now, the customer can just finish everything on their mobile device. It helps our customers feel more empowered, and that’s really the evolution of the in-branch experience.”

This year, more than 700 branches will be refurbished in five priority markets —Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

“We are listening to our customers,” said Nolan. “Both in what they tell us and in how they transact — that’s how we’re moving forward.”

Changes coming to your Wells Fargo branch in the next few years:

A more modern and innovative environment in customer-facing areas
A new digital account opening process that will be the go-to process for every banker
New consult rooms for customers to meet with bankers
Updated guest lounge area
New interior digital signage
New finishes like wall covering and paint

New and refurbished branches highlight Wells Fargo’s focus on community-centered banking

In the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, Wells Fargo’s new branch location and the Annual Bud Billiken® Parade & Back-to-School Festival have a lot in common.

For nearly a century, the Bud Billiken Parade has brought together community leaders, elected officials, local businesses, and neighborhood residents to celebrate a continued commitment to economic opportunity, financial empowerment, and community investment on the city’s South Side. Wells Fargo shares that commitment.

The branch’s recent grand opening — just days before the parade and festival — also marked the launch of a $1.5 million Neighborhood Growth Grants program to support the growth of Chicago small businesses, administered by Allies for Community Business. The program provides funding that businesses can use to improve storefronts, purchase equipment, expand operations, or hire employees.

“This new branch represents continued investment in Bronzeville’s future and the businesses, families, and young people who make this community extraordinary,” said Myiti Sengstacke-Rice, president & CEO of Chicago Defender Charities.

More than 2,000 miles southwest of Bronzeville, Wells Fargo’s Chula Vista branch in San Diego tells a similar story. A grand re-opening event in April highlighted the branch as one of the bank’s most significantly refurbished locations since the beginning of its district-by-district transformation program in 2025. More than 70 branches across the San Diego area have been refreshed as part of that effort.

“The modernized design blends smarter technology with personalized, relationship-focused service,” said Brad Nolan, head of Branch Systems and Transformation. “Chula Vista’s changes went beyond what we typically do, creating space designed to help our employees meet customers where they are.”

More than 2,500 miles north of Chula Vista, Wells Fargo’s new branch in midtown Anchorage, Alaska, reflects the same commitment to investing in communities while building for the future. The new location consolidates three previous branches into one larger, modernized space designed to serve approximately 20,000 customers.

Wells Fargo has more than 4,000 retail bank branches and maintains the second largest branch network in the United States.¹ A Wells Fargo branch or ATM is within two miles of more than half of United States census households.

Its grand opening brought together customers, community leaders, nonprofit partners, local businesses, elected officials, and employees while honoring Alaska’s history, culture, and traditions. The event also highlighted Wells Fargo’s continued investment in the state through $500,000 in grants to Covenant House Alaska, the Alaska Small Business Development Center, and Housing Alaskans.

Chula Vista, Bronzeville, and Denali include a HOPE Inside center, which features Operation HOPE financial coaches who help empower community members to achieve their financial goals through free financial education workshops and coaching.

“When we open up a branch, it’s not only for the customers, our employees, and our people, it’s also for the communities,” said Saul Van Beurden, Wells Fargo head of AI and co-CEO of Consumer Banking and Lending. “We are striving to show up and make the community stronger, whether through financial solutions, community support, or volunteer initiatives.”