After Uproar, Wells Fargo Calls Off Trip to Las Vegas
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123371136824046167.html?mod=googlenews_wsjBy DAN FITZPATRICK
Wells Fargo & Co. hastily canceled plans to host a Las Vegas employee conference after lawmakers in Washington learned about the trip and heaped criticism on the bank.
The San Francisco bank said it decided to cancel the four-day event "in light of the current environment." Government money wasn't to be used for the meeting, the company said.
Wells Fargo is the latest financial institution to move to quell controversy over how lenders are using government bailout money. Citigroup Inc., recipient of $45 billion in bailout aid last fall, had to cancel an order for an expensive new luxury jet under pressure from officials at the U.S. Treasury.
Several banks, most notably Bank of America Corp., canceled plans to send executives to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, because of any appearance of excessive spending. American International Group Inc. took heat in 2008 for spending $440,000 on executive spas shortly after receiving $85 billion in federal aid.
Wells Fargo, which received $25 billion last year from the U.S. Treasury, had been planning to host its top mortgage officers this month at the Wynn Las Vegas and the Encore Las Vegas, two high-priced hotel and casinos. The Associated Press disclosed plans for the event Tues