Wells Fargo To Pay $24M To End Mortgage Probe

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $24 million to end an investigation by eight states probing whether the company made risky mortgages to consumers without disclosing their perils.

The states charged that loans known as option adjustable rate loans, or "pick-a-payment" mortgages, were deceptive to borrowers. Those particularly toxic loans allowed borrowers to defer some of their interest payments and add them to the principal balance.

Wells Fargo & Co. says it reached an agreement with attorneys general in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Texas and Washington state. The loans were made by Wachovia Corp. and a California company it acquired, World Savings Bank.

San Francisco-based Wells purchased Wachovia during the financial crisis two years ago.

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