Wells Fargo POA Form: Affidavit, Notarization, and Submission

To put a power of attorney on file with Wells Fargo, you complete the Wells Fargo power of attorney form packet: a submission cover sheet, a notarized Attorney-in-Fact Affidavit signed by your agent, and a copy of your actual POA document. All three pieces travel together, and the address you send them to depends on whether the accounts are personal lending or home lending.¹

What Wells Fargo’s Packet Actually Contains

Wells Fargo does not make you use a bank-drafted POA. You can use a state statutory form or one prepared by your own attorney. The bank’s packet is a wrapper around that document: the cover sheet identifies the parties and accounts, and the affidavit is where the agent certifies the POA is valid and unchanged. The affidavit specifically calls the attached POA “a true and correct duplicate of the original.”¹

One boundary to check before you start. If your POA is governed by the laws of Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, or Virginia, Wells Fargo directs you to a separate state-specific guide with additional requirements. Confirm whether your state is on that list so you don’t submit an incomplete packet.¹

Information to Gather Before You Fill Out the Cover Sheet

The cover sheet asks for identifying details on both the principal (the account holder) and the agent. Have all of this in hand:

Principal’s full legal name, street address, phone number, date of birth, and Social Security number.
Agent’s full legal name, street address, phone number, date of birth, Social Security number, and citizenship status. If the agent is not a U.S. citizen, the cover sheet also asks for country of citizenship.
Whether the principal currently has the ability to understand, retain, and weigh information about the application and communicate their decision. Answer yes or no.
The application number, if the POA relates to a pending loan application.

Each of these fields sits on the cover sheet itself.¹

Extra Documents When the Principal Is Incapacitated

If you answer “No” to the capacity question, Wells Fargo requires the agent to submit two additional identity documents. One verifies the agent’s Social Security number: a Social Security card or Form W-2. The other verifies name, address, and date of birth: a driver’s license, state ID card, military ID, or U.S. government-issued alien ID card. Both are required.¹

Completing the Attorney-in-Fact Affidavit

The affidavit is the legal core of the packet. Signing it, the agent swears under penalty of perjury that, as of the date of signing:

The POA has not been amended, revoked, or terminated by the principal.
The principal has not died.
If the agent is the principal’s spouse, neither party has started a divorce, annulment, or separation proceeding.
No guardian has been appointed for the principal.
The attached copy of the POA is a true and correct duplicate of the original.

For home equity lines of credit, the affidavit adds one more certification: the agent confirms any advances drawn will be used strictly for the benefit of the principal or the collateral property. The agent also commits to notify Wells Fargo promptly if the principal later revokes or modifies the POA.²

Getting the Affidavit Notarized

The agent must sign the affidavit in front of a notary public, who will verify identity, apply a seal, and record the commission expiration date. Wells Fargo will not process the packet without proper notarization.¹ Wells Fargo branches generally offer notary services to existing customers, so you may be able to notarize and submit in the same visit. Call your branch first to confirm a notary is on staff.

Where to Send the Completed Packet

You send three items together: the completed cover sheet, the notarized affidavit, and a copy of the POA document. The correct destination depends on the account.

For personal lending accounts:

In person at any Wells Fargo branch.
Mail: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 2800 South Price Road, Bld. D, 3rd Floor, Chandler, AZ 85286.
Email: PLGDocVer@wellsfargo.com.
Fax: 1-877-722-5232.¹

For home equity or mortgage accounts:

Mail: Wells Fargo, PO Box 10335, Des Moines, IA 50306.
Home equity fax: 1-866-328-0418.
Home mortgage fax: 1-866-278-1179.²

Sending a mortgage POA to the personal lending address, or vice versa, will slow processing. Keep a copy of everything you send, and if you mail the packet, use certified mail with tracking.

What Happens After You Submit

Wells Fargo’s compliance team reviews the packet to confirm the affidavit is properly notarized, the certifications are complete, and the POA document itself grants the authority the agent claims. For investment accounts, the New Accounts Department separately reviews the POA to determine which accounts it covers.³ The bank may call the principal to confirm intent, especially on high-value accounts.

Once approved, the agent gains the ability to transact on the specified accounts, and the POA remains in effect until it is formally revoked or the principal dies. To check status or ask questions, call Wells Fargo’s dedicated POA line at 1-877-592-7298, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time.¹

Why Packets Get Rejected

The most common problem is an incomplete submission. Wells Fargo states plainly that “incomplete submissions may cause processing delays and/or result in a denial.”¹ In practice that looks like a missing notary seal on the affidavit, blank fields on the cover sheet, or leaving out the POA document itself. The bank can also decline a POA if it questions the document’s validity, doubts the agent’s authority for the requested transactions, or sees signs of possible financial abuse. If your submission is denied, call the POA line to find out what went wrong and whether you can resubmit with corrections.

What Your POA Document Needs to Say

The scope of the agent’s authority comes from the language in your POA, not from anything Wells Fargo decides. A broadly worded POA can cover deposits, withdrawals, bill payments, and account inquiries; a narrow one may allow only a single transaction type.

Trading Authority

For brokerage or IRA accounts at Wells Fargo Advisors, the bank looks for specific language authorizing securities transactions. Wording like “buy, sell, tender, exchange, or trade in stocks, bonds, and any other securities” will be treated as granting trading authority. Without that language, the agent will not be able to execute trades even if the POA is otherwise valid.³

Gifting and Beneficiary Changes

Two powers get extra scrutiny. Any gifting power must be expressly stated. If the agent wants to make gifts to themselves from the principal’s account, the document must specifically authorize gifts to the agent; a general gifting clause is not enough. Wells Fargo Advisors will also not accept a beneficiary designation signed by an agent unless the POA explicitly grants the power to make or change beneficiary designations.³

Durability

If a POA is not identified as “durable,” it typically becomes unenforceable after the principal loses capacity. If you want the agent’s authority to survive your inability to manage your own affairs, the document has to include durability language.³

Revoking a POA on File

A competent principal can revoke a POA at any time. Put the revocation in writing, sign and date it before a notary, and send copies to the agent and to every institution holding a copy of the original POA, Wells Fargo included. If you do not notify the bank, it has no way of knowing the authority has been rescinded, and the former agent may continue transacting on your accounts.³

Some states require the revocation to be recorded with a court, so check your state’s rules or work with an attorney to confirm it is legally effective. A POA also ends automatically when the principal dies, and if the agent is the principal’s spouse, it generally terminates when either party files for divorce, annulment, or separation, though state law controls the details.³

1
Wells Fargo. Power of Attorney Packet
2
Wells Fargo. Power of Attorney Form
3
Wells Fargo Advisors. Power of Attorney and Your IRA