For the Holidays: Wells Fargo Donates Homes to Veterans

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC), in collaboration with the Military Warriors Support Foundation, will donate six mortgage-free homes to military veterans in six different cities the week of Dec. 15. Veterans will receive keys to homes in Des Moines, Iowa; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Bonne Terre, Missouri; Williams, California; and Dallas, Oregon.

“It is a great honor for Wells Fargo to serve members of the military and we take that commitment seriously,” said Don Pearson, Great Plains Lead Regional President for Wells Fargo. “The home donation program for veterans is one of the many ways that we support the brave men and women who have given so much for our country. And what better gift during the holiday season than a mortgage-free home?”

Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) help military veterans who were wounded while they served. Wells Fargo donates homes to MWSF, which uses them for its Homes4WoundedHeroes and Homes4GoldStars programs. Wells Fargo prepares the homes with as-needed renovations to accommodate the needs of the veterans and their families.

In 2012, Wells Fargo chose to support veterans with a three-year, $35 million commitment for housing, career transition and customized financial education. Thirty million dollars of those funds were earmarked for property donations. By the end of this year, Wells Fargo will have donated 199 homes, valued at more than $30 million, to veterans who bravely served our country.

In the days leading up to Dec. 25, Wells Fargo will host a celebratory ceremony for each of the veterans at the donated home. During the event, the veterans will accept the front-door keys and walk inside their new home for the first time. Wells Fargo will bring big red keys to symbolize the “key turnover ceremony,” and sometimes the veteran’s family, friends, neighbors and the company’s Veterans Team Member Network members are invited to attend.

In Des Moines, Iowa, headquarters for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Eric Johnson will be one of the six veterans to receive a home along with his wife and four children. Sandy Ignaszewski, the Johnsons’ National Financial Mentor from the Military Warriors Support Foundation, and Wells Fargo executives Pearson and Tyler Smith will be on hand to welcome the Johnsons to their new home in time to celebrate the holidays.

“Becoming a homeowner is a goal for many Americans,” said Smith, Vice President, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. “Wells Fargo is proud to work with organizations like the Military Warriors Support Foundation to help homeownership become a reality for veterans.”

About Military Warriors Support Foundation

The Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide support for our nation’s wounded heroes as they transition out of the military and into their new civilian life. Through their Homes4WoundedHeroes Program, they donate 100% mortgage-free homes to combat wounded heroes, and their families, who were injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to the home, the families will receive three years of family and financial mentoring. For more information, please visit their website at MilitaryWarriors.org.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.6 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune’s 2014 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.