Wells Fargo board must face investors' claims that bank failed to disclose details of foreclosure practices to gov't investigators, judge says

Wells Fargo & Co. directors must face investors’ claims that largest U.S. mortgage lender failed to properly disclose details of its foreclosure practices to government investigators, a judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco rejected Wells Fargo’s request to dismiss shareholders’ allegations that directors wrongfully failed to disclose their opposition to a government probe of the bank’s mortgage lending and foreclosure policies.

“The fact that the company was allegedly stymieing the government regulators is certainly material to stockholders when considering whether to authorize a more serious internal investigation,” Illston said in Feb. 9 ruling.

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