Enforcement case record
Wells Fargo SCRA Repossessions: $10.1 Million, 860 Servicemembers
- Defendant
- Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., d/b/a Wells Fargo Dealer Services
- Year
- 2016 to 2017
- Scale
- More than 860 servicemembers
- Statute
- 50 U.S.C. § 3952
- Court
- C.D. Cal.
- Outcome
- Over $4.1 million (September 2016): $10,000 per servicemember plus lost equity with interest, credit repair, and a $60,000 civil penalty. In November 2017 the DOJ announced an additional $5.4 million for roughly 450 more servicemembers found under the same settlement, bringing the total to $10,183,950 for more than 860 servicemembers.
What happened
On September 29, 2016 DOJ filed a complaint alleging that Wells Fargo Bank N.A., doing business as Wells Fargo Dealer Services, repossessed 413 vehicles owned by SCRA-protected servicemembers without court orders between January 1, 2008 and July 1, 2015. A settlement was agreed the same day.
After entering the settlement, Wells Fargo identified additional violations affecting approximately 450 more servicemembers within the same covered period, and began providing over $5,400,000 in further compensation.
That brought the total to more than $10.1 million and more than 860 servicemembers eligible for relief, roughly double the count announced when the case was first settled.
The law behind this: 50 U.S.C. § 3952
Protection under installment contracts for purchase or lease: read the statute.
Who was covered
Servicemembers whose vehicles Wells Fargo Dealer Services repossessed without a court order between January 1, 2008 and July 1, 2015.
What the settlement paid
- $10,000 to each affected servicemember, plus any lost equity in the vehicle with interest.
- A $60,000 civil penalty to the United States, and credit repair for all affected servicemembers.
- Total compensation exceeded $10.1 million once the additional 450 servicemembers were identified.
Why this case matters
The class doubled after the settlement was signed. The number announced on day one of an SCRA settlement is a floor, not a final count, because the lender’s own review usually finds more.
If you think you were affected
A repossession that happened without a court order does not become lawful with time, and the credit damage it caused is separately correctable.
This page is a record of a public enforcement action against Wells Fargo Bank. It is not a claim form, and this site cannot tell you whether you are in the covered group. These are the routes that can.
- Read the Justice Department’s own record: DOJ press release (November 14, 2017) . Settlement administration and any claim process are run from there, never from here.
- Start with what § 3952 requires before a repossession , which is the protection this case was brought under.
- Contact your nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance office. It is free for servicemembers and dependents, and it is the right first call on any SCRA question about your own accounts. Our guide to SCRA legal help explains the options.
- Confirm your covered dates before you argue about them. The Defense Manpower Data Center issues a free military status certificate; our walkthrough shows how to pull one.
Current SCRA policy and contact details for this company: our Wells Fargo Bank SCRA guide .
Other repossession cases
Every figure on this page is transcribed from the Justice Department record linked above, including its own hedges. Nothing is estimated or rounded. The ledger was last checked in full on July 11, 2026.
Heads up: SCRA Saver publishes general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws change and every situation differs. Confirm details with your installation legal assistance office (free for service members) or a licensed professional.