Wells Fargo to pay $2 billion in penalties for alleged loan misconduct

Wells Fargo will pay $2.09 billion to settle a case in which the bank was accused of misrepresenting mortgage loan quality, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

The bank was under investigation for allegedly creating and selling loans that it knew contained misleading information about buyer incomes, reports CNBC. Wells Fargo did not admit to liability in the settlement, which regarded activity over the past decade.

"Abuses in the mortgage-backed securities industry led to a financial crisis that devastated millions of Americans," said Alex Tse, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, reports Bloomberg. Tse announced the penalty fines in a statement, continuing on to say that "today's agreement holds Wells Fargo responsible for originating and selling tens of thousands of loans that were packaged into securities and subsequently defaulted."

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Wednesday's fine was separate from previous financial penalties levied against the bank for forcing customers into buying insurance they didn't need.