Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 10-14-16 Online Edition

Local
Hillsborough County Not Impacted By Bank Scandal
‘Souls To Polls’ Event Coming To West Tampa
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
When word got out about a financial scandal at Wells Fargo, County Commission Chair, Les Miller, became immediately concerned, be- cause the county does business with Wells Fargo.
According to reports, alleged misconduct was revealed at Wells Fargo when the Con- sumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Los An- geles City Attorney, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency fined the bank $185 million, alleging more than 2 million bank accounts or credit cards were opened or applied for without the knowledge or permission of cus- tomers between May 2011 and July 2015.
An official at the bank acknowledged it had terminated 5,300 employees in relation to the allegations, and the bank issued a statement saying they regretted and take full responsibility for any instances where their customers may have received a product they did not request.
On September 13th, the bank announced it would be ending its controversial employee sales goals program that was at the center of the allegations, effective January 1, 2017.
According to the Los Angeles City Attorney, employees were opening and funding accounts without the permission or knowledge of cus- tomers in order to satisfy sales goals and earn financial rewards under the bank’s incentive- compensation program.
Comm. Chair Miller said when he heard the news, he immediately requested to meet
COMMISSION CHAIR LES MILLER
CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT PAT FRANK
with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comp- troller, Pat Frank.
“I know we have accounts with Wells Fargo, and I was concerned about accountability of taxpayer dollars. We were assured our accounts were not impacted by the scandal, including our retirement accounts.
“All of my questions were answered and Pat Frank assured me everything was fine. Now, we have issued contact information for employ- ees if they have any questions.”
Community leaders in West Tampa are asking all of the clergy in the area to get members of their congrega- tion to participate in this year’s presidential election.
On November 6th, leaders have asked that day to be rec- ognized as “Souls To The Polls,” and get their members to commit to early voting at the West Tampa Library.
For the “Souls To The Polls” event, organizers will rally at the West Tampa Out- door Event Center on the cor- ner of Main Street and North Albany, where there will be
entertainment dynamic speakers, and local candi- dates running for office.
Sponsors already com- mitted to being a part of the event are: West Tampa Al- liance, Project LINK, Black Joy, and West Tampa Com- munity Activist LLC.
Community stakeholders are asked to join the effort to further support minority communities’ involvement in such a crucial time in our po- litical history.
To register your organiza- tion to be a part of this event, call (813) 735-4425.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A