Wells Fargo Decides to Close for King Holiday

After numerous calls from customers, Wells Fargo Bank reversed itself Friday and decided to keep its 462 branch offices closed for Martin Luther King Day on Monday.

Lisa Hoogerwerf, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman, said the bank’s public relations office received about 30 calls from customers Friday morning about its plan to be open for business for the first time on the slain civil rights leader’s birthday, a national holiday. She said there were additional calls to branch offices and customer service.

“That’s (the number of calls) a lot to us,” Hoogerwerf said. Callers “were concerned that we weren’t observing Martin Luther King Day, and we know that for every person that calls there are probably some more out there who feel the same.”

Wells Fargo, like rival Security Pacific National Bank, had originally planned to be open Monday, citing the need to be more like a retailer, providing longer hours for customers. Security Pacific’s plans were unclear Friday night as spokespeople could not be contacted.

Wells Fargo still plans to be open on Presidents Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day, but spokeswoman Kim Kellogg said the bank will review decisions on those holidays “on a case-by-case basis.”

Mark Ridley-Thomas, executive director of the Los Angeles Southern Christian Leadership Conference, called the two banks’ decisions to remain open a type of “retrenchment”.

And Patrick Patterson, Western regional council for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said it is important for businesses to observe King’s birthday. “In this climate that we have today, where there is a resurgence of racial violence, bombings and murder that appears to be linked to racism, it becomes more important for people to recognize this holiday,” Patterson said.