Wells Fargo 's aggressive sales tactics , which are already the subject of a lawsuit , are now under investigation by US regulators , according to reports . The investigation , along with the lawsuit , is related to allegations that the bank employed a high - pressure sales system that encourages illegal behaviour by employees . These practises came to light in a Times investigation in 2013 , which revealed that Wells Fargo workers , in the face of stricter sales quotas and fearing retaliation from their employers , created accounts without customers ' knowledge and forged customers ' signatures . The reported investigation comes amid a long winning streak for Wells. If the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ( OCC ) and the Federal Reserve watchdog are both investigating the bank 's practises , this would mark an escalation of what has so far been a local matter .
Wells Fargo 's aggressive sales tactics , which are already the subject of a lawsuit , are now under investigation by US regulators , according to reports . The investigation , along with the lawsuit , is related to allegations that the bank employed a high - pressure sales system that encourages illegal behaviour by employees . These practises came to light in a Times investigation in 2013 , which revealed that Wells Fargo workers , in the face of stricter sales quotas and fearing retaliation from their employers , created accounts without customers ' knowledge and forged customers ' signatures . If the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ( OCC ) and the Federal Reserve watchdog are both investigating the bank 's practises , this would mark an escalation of what has so far been a local matter .