It’s been 82 years since a Wells Fargo sign emblazoned a downtown Austin building.

Monday, July 10, 2000

It’s been 82 years since a Wells Fargo sign emblazoned a downtown Austin building. Today, that changes.

Norwest Bank Minnesota became Wells Fargo over the weekend. Today, new signs will be hung on the bank’s building on Main Street North and the familiar "N" signs of Norwest will come down. The two banking powers merged two years ago, creating a blended operation that benefits both banks’ customers.

In Austin, customers of the new Wells Fargo & Co. should not expect to see any changes in their bank other than its name, President Rob Marwick said late last week. While many of the banks’ operations have been integrated over the past two years of merged operations, the result will be a seamless change to a new name.

Wells Fargo once operated a delivery office from about the current location of U.S. Bank’s parking lot. Its crew was well-known for its efficient handling of freight. The last time Wells Fargo operated in Austin was 1918, when the federal government merged all freight offices – including Wells Fargo – as a wartime measure.

Welcome back, Wells Fargo.