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News/Noticias WELLS FARGO TO ACCEPT MATRICULA CONSULAR CARD AS IDENTIFICATION FOR NEW ACCOUNT OPENINGS
-Consulate General of Mexico and Wells Fargo Make Announcement in Los Angeles-
The Mexican government issues the Matricula Consular card to Mexican Nationals through its representatives at the Consulate General of Mexico in local offices throughout the United States. “There is a great need in the U.S. Hispanic community for education on financial products and services,” said Ambasador Martha I. Lara, Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles. “That need is particularly acute for new immigrants who lack financial knowledge as well as acceptable forms of identification to open even a basic bank account. By accepting the Matricula Consular card as one its qualifying forms of primary identification, Wells Fargo is providing a much-needed service to help Hispanics open a bank account and to succeed financially.” Wells Fargo requires that prospective customers opening an account have two pieces of acceptable identification in addition to a U.S. Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). Other forms of acceptable primary identification include a state driver’s license or non-driver’s license, passport, or Armed Forces identification card. Acceptable secondary forms of identification include a major credit card, gas card, department store credit card or college or student identification card with photo. “We were approached by the Consulate General of Mexico to help find solutions to the barriers that Mexicans are encountering when trying to open a checking or savings account at a U.S. bank,” said Lynn Pike, regional president for Wells Fargo in metro Los Angeles. “It became clear that one of those barriers is having forms of identification that are accepted by banks. By removing this barrier, we want Mexican citizens to know that Wells Fargo welcomes their business and wants to be the financial services company of choice for the Hispanic community.” The Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles issues 4,000 Matricula Consular cards each month to Mexican citizens in Los Angeles. It requires applicants to provide proof that they are a Mexican National residing within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Mexico’s office, as well as proof of identity. There are an estimated 35 million Hispanics in the United States, over half of whom live in California or Texas. It is estimated that 50% of Hispanic population growth is attributable to immigration, with a substantial amount of it coming from Mexico. Wells Fargo is a $298 billion diversified financial services company providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance through more than 5,400 stores, the world’s leading Internet banking site (wellsfargo.com) and other distribution channels across North America and elsewhere internationally.
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