The Trump administration's U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has
opened an investigation into Wells Fargo's housing initiatives launched over the
past decade to raise Black homeownership. HUD sent a letter to CEO Charlie
Scharf on Wednesday asking whether the bank violated fair-lending laws by
favoring Black or other minority borrowers. The inquiry signals the
administration is re-examining corporate programs introduced under prior
government or ESG-focused investor encouragement.