DES MOINES, Iowa, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (NYSE: WFC), today announced that it originated $243.68 billion in home purchase loans making it the leading lender to American homebuyers in 2005 with nearly 17 percent of the market, according to the March 10, 2006 edition of Inside Mortgage Finance. “Our performance shows that Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is committed to expanded homeownership,” said Cara Heiden, division president of National Consumer and Institutional Lending, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. “We will continue to be an industry leader by introducing innovative loan programs, and providing inspiration and advice to help prospective homebuyers overcome the perceived barriers to homeownership in 2006. We also continue to build on our outstanding relationships with our Realtors(R), builders, and other clients that share our vision of making homeownership a reality for more Americans.” The news of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage’s position as the leading home purchase lender comes on the heels of the announcement that it has joined forces with No. 1 best-selling author and financial coach David Bach as the founding sponsor of The Great American Homeowner Challenge(TM). The Challenge is designed to inspire 10 million Americans to buy a first home, second home or investment property in the next three years. Celebrating its centennial year, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is the nation’s No. 1 retail mortgage lender* and a leading servicer of home mortgages.  As a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., it has a local presence in more than 2,400 mortgage stores and bank branches, plus the capabilities to serve the home financing needs of customers nationwide through its call centers, Internet presence, and wholesale lending operations.  Wells Fargo Home Mortgage services loans for approximately 5.7 million customers in all 50 states from its base of operations in Des Moines, Iowa.

*Based on year-end 2005 statistics compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance - Feb. 17, 2006