SACRAMENTO, Calif. >> California’s attorney general is conducting a criminal investigation into whether employees at San Francisco-based Wells Fargo bank committed false impersonation and identity theft in the sales practices scandal that rocked the bank and cost its CEO his job, documents released Wednesday show.
A search warrant and supporting affidavit released by the state Department of Justice show that agents sought evidence related to allegations that bank employees created up to 2 million bank and credit card accounts without customers’ approval in order to meet sales goals.
The warrant was served Oct. 5 as Attorney General Kamala Harris runs for the U.S. Senate in next month’s election. Copies obtained by the Associated Press under a public records request show her office sought the names of customers who had accounts opened without their permission, the names of employees who opened the accounts and their managers, and fees associated with the improperly opened accounts.
U.S. home construction fell 9% in September
WASHINGTON >> Homebuilders pulled back on construction for a second straight month in September, with a plunge in apartments offsetting gains in single-family homes. Building activity was weak in all parts of the country except the Midwest.
Construction tumbled 9 percent in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.05 million units, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. It was the slowest pace in 18 months. Construction had fallen 5.6 percent in August.
The weakness last month reflected a 38 percent drop in construction of apartments, which overshadowed an 8.1 percent rise in single-family construction.
ON THE MOVE
The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa named the following individuals to its annual Hall of Honor Awards during a dinner at the Sheraton Waikiki on Oct. 13:
Patrick “Rick” Ching is the president and chief operating officer of Servco Pacific. Ching also serves on the boards of Catholic Charities Hawaii, Diamond Head Theatre, Blood Bank of Hawaii, Aloha United Way and Pu‘uwai Kila.
John C. Dean Jr. is the executive chairman of Central Pacific Bank as well as chairman of PACE Board of Directors, Shidler. Dean also serves on the boards of Catholic Charities, Blue Planet Foundation, Hawaiian Humane Society and ‘Iolani School.
Tra My Nguyen is the founder and chairwoman of CSC Vietnam JSC, and vice chairwoman of the PAN Group. Nguyen also serves on the board of directors of agricultural companies in Vietnam, including the National Seeds Corp., Ben Tre Aquatex and BioSpring.
