Wells Fargo Cutting 1,800 More Jobs in Mortgage Production

Wells Fargo & Co., the biggest U.S. mortgage lender, is cutting about 1,800 jobs in its home-loan production business as an increase in mortgage rates curtails borrower refinancing demand.

The cuts are in addition to 3,000 earlier this quarter, Tom Goyda, a spokesman for the San Francisco-based bank, said in an interview. That included 2,300 announced Aug. 21 and smaller reductions prior to that, Goyda said.

Wells Fargo is eliminating jobs as rising rates slow mortgage refinancings and new home purchases fail to make up for the decline. The bank may originate about $80 billion in home loans in the third quarter, a 29% drop from the three months that ended June 30, chief financial officer Timothy Sloan said Sept. 9.

Wells Fargo was the largest employer among U.S. banks at midyear with about 274,000 people. The workers whose positions are being cut received a 60-day notice, Goyda said.

Mortgages typically are divided into those for refinancing existing loans and those for home purchases. While refis are mainly tied to the level of interest rates, purchase mortgages are tied to home-sale activity.