Justice Department is investigating Wells Fargo sales tactics

The Justice Department is investigating Wells Fargo & Co.'s improper sales tactics, according to a person familiar with the probe. Federal prosecutors in San Francisco and New York are in the early stages of an investigation that could lead to criminal or civil charges, the person said Wednesday. Last week, the San Francisco bank agreed to pay 185 million to settle investigations by Los Angeles City Atty. The sales tactics, first uncovered by the Los Angeles Times in 2013, involved thousands of bank employees opening as many as 2 million accounts that customers did not authorize in order to meet aggressive sales goals. The local and federal investigations described some of the steps employees took to open the accounts as fraudulent and illegal.