Wells Fargo 2014 Annual Report Download - page 130

Risk Factors (continued)
record of compliance with laws and regulations, the convenience
and needs of the communities to be served, including our record
of compliance under the Community Reinvestment Act, and our
effectiveness in combating money laundering. As a result of the
Dodd-Frank Act and concerns regarding the large size of
financial institutions such as Wells Fargo, the regulatory process
for approving acquisitions has become more complex and
regulatory approvals may be more difficult to obtain. We cannot
be certain when or if, or on what terms and conditions, any
required regulatory approvals will be granted. We might be
required to sell banks, branches and/or business units or assets
or issue additional equity as a condition to receiving regulatory
approval for an acquisition. In addition, federal law prohibits
regulatory approval of any transaction that would create an
institution holding more than 10% of total U.S. insured deposits,
or of any transaction (whether or not subject to prior approval)
that would create a financial company with more than 10% of the
liabilities of all financial companies in the U.S. As of
September 30, 2014, we believe we already held more than 10%
of total U.S. insured deposits. As a result, our size may limit our
bank acquisition opportunities in the future.
Difficulty in integrating an acquired company may cause us
not to realize expected revenue increases, cost savings, increases
in geographic or product presence, and other projected benefits
from the acquisition. The integration could result in higher than
expected deposit attrition, loss of key team members, disruption
of our business or the business of the acquired company, or
otherwise harm our ability to retain customers and team
members or achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition.
Time and resources spent on integration may also impair our
ability to grow our existing businesses. Also, the negative effect
of any divestitures required by regulatory authorities in
acquisitions or business combinations may be greater than
expected. Many of the foregoing risks may be increased if the
acquired company operates internationally or in a geographic
location where we do not already have significant business
operations and/or team members.
* * *
Any factor described in this Report or in any of our other SEC
filings could by itself, or together with other factors, adversely
affect our financial results and condition. Refer to our quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC in 2015 for material
changes to the above discussion of risk factors. There are factors
not discussed above or elsewhere in this Report that could
adversely affect our financial results and condition.
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