In the following video, Motley Fool financial analyst Matt Koppenheffer tells investors what it means to be a high-quality bank. With Wells Fargo (WFC +0.85%) having upped its dividend by 14% today, he notes that this isn't uncommon for Wells Fargo, which consistently returns large amounts of capital to shareholders. He gives us the difference here between Wells and some of the other large banks, that aren't returning much in the way of dividends these days, and tells us how WFC managed to continue returning capital to shareholders during this period of recovery, by making fewer mistakes in the years leading up to the crisis.
Wells Fargo and the Power of Quality
By Matt Koppenheffer – Jan 23, 2013 at 4:21PM
NYSE: WFC
Wells Fargo
Market Cap
$263B
Today's Change
(0.85%) $0.71
Current Price
$84.57
Price as of November 19, 2025 at 10:31 AM ET
Wells Fargo ups its dividend.
About the Author
Matt is the head of the Coverage Team for The Motely Fool's premium products. Previously, he's been . Matt is a heavy user of AI tools and is working on harnessing them to help Fool members. Previously, Matt was GM of Motley Fool Ascent, led The Motley Fool Deutschland, has been an investor on various Fool services, and co-hosted the podcast "Where the Money Is". He also co-authored the book The Astonishing Collapse of MF Global. Matt started his career in San Francisco as a technology-focused investment banker and also worked at a $15 billion private equity company. When he's thinking about how to make Fools smarter, happier, and richer, you can usually find Matt running trails or making a mess in the kitchen. He's a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, but is a lifelong fan of Penn State football.