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Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Details) (USD $)
Mar. 31, 2012
Dec. 31, 2011
Mar. 31, 2011
Dec. 31, 2010
Variable Interest Entity Consolidated Carrying Amount Assets and Liabilities        
Cash and due from banks $ 17,000,000,000 $ 19,440,000,000 $ 16,978,000,000 $ 16,044,000,000
Trading assets 75,696,000,000 77,814,000,000    
Securities available for sale 230,266,000,000 222,613,000,000    
Mortgages held for sale 43,449,000,000 48,357,000,000    
Loans 766,521,000,000 769,631,000,000    
MSRs (carried at fair value) 13,578,000,000 12,603,000,000    
Other assets 95,535,000,000 101,022,000,000    
Total assets 1,333,799,000,000 [1] 1,313,867,000,000 [1]    
Short-term borrowings, Amount 50,964,000,000 49,091,000,000    
Accrued expenses and other liabilities 75,967,000,000 77,665,000,000    
Long-term debt 129,752,000,000 125,354,000,000    
Total liabilities 1,186,950,000,000 [2] 1,172,180,000,000 [2]    
Noncontrolling interests 1,333,000,000 1,446,000,000    
VIEs that we do not consolidate [Member]
       
Variable Interest Entity Consolidated Carrying Amount Assets and Liabilities        
Cash and due from banks 0 0    
Trading assets 3,302,000,000 3,723,000,000    
Securities available for sale 21,953,000,000 21,708,000,000    
Mortgages held for sale 0 0    
Loans 11,220,000,000 11,404,000,000    
MSRs (carried at fair value) 12,789,000,000 12,080,000,000    
Other assets 4,364,000,000 4,494,000,000    
Total assets 53,628,000,000 53,409,000,000    
Short-term borrowings, Amount 0 0    
Accrued expenses and other liabilities 3,606,000,000 3,350,000,000    
Long-term debt 0 0    
Total liabilities 3,606,000,000 3,350,000,000    
Noncontrolling interests 0 0    
Net assets 50,022,000,000 50,059,000,000    
VIEs that we consolidate [Member]
       
Variable Interest Entity Consolidated Carrying Amount Assets and Liabilities        
Cash and due from banks 378,000,000 321,000,000    
Trading assets 130,000,000 293,000,000    
Securities available for sale 3,060,000,000 3,332,000,000    
Mortgages held for sale 549,000,000 444,000,000    
Loans 11,969,000,000 11,967,000,000    
MSRs (carried at fair value) 0 0    
Other assets 533,000,000 1,858,000,000    
Total assets 16,619,000,000 18,215,000,000    
Short-term borrowings, Amount 3,043,000,000 3,450,000,000    
Accrued expenses and other liabilities 826,000,000 1,138,000,000    
Long-term debt 4,113,000,000 4,932,000,000    
Total liabilities 7,982,000,000 9,520,000,000    
Noncontrolling interests 62,000,000 61,000,000    
Net assets 8,575,000,000 8,634,000,000    
Transfers that we account for as secured borrowings [Member]
       
Variable Interest Entity Consolidated Carrying Amount Assets and Liabilities        
Cash and due from banks 38,000,000 11,000,000    
Trading assets 27,000,000 30,000,000    
Securities available for sale 12,305,000,000 11,671,000,000    
Mortgages held for sale 0 0    
Loans 7,364,000,000 7,181,000,000    
MSRs (carried at fair value) 0 0    
Other assets 146,000,000 137,000,000    
Total assets 19,880,000,000 19,030,000,000    
Short-term borrowings, Amount 11,029,000,000 10,682,000,000    
Accrued expenses and other liabilities 147,000,000 121,000,000    
Long-term debt 6,856,000,000 6,686,000,000    
Total liabilities 18,032,000,000 17,489,000,000    
Noncontrolling interests 0 0    
Net assets 1,848,000,000 1,541,000,000    
Total VIE [Member]
       
Variable Interest Entity Consolidated Carrying Amount Assets and Liabilities        
Cash and due from banks 416,000,000 332,000,000    
Trading assets 3,459,000,000 4,046,000,000    
Securities available for sale 37,318,000,000 36,711,000,000    
Mortgages held for sale 549,000,000 444,000,000    
Loans 30,553,000,000 30,552,000,000    
MSRs (carried at fair value) 12,789,000,000 12,080,000,000    
Other assets 5,043,000,000 6,489,000,000    
Total assets 90,127,000,000 90,654,000,000    
Short-term borrowings, Amount 14,072,000,000 14,132,000,000    
Accrued expenses and other liabilities 4,579,000,000 4,609,000,000    
Long-term debt 10,969,000,000 11,618,000,000    
Total liabilities 29,620,000,000 30,359,000,000    
Noncontrolling interests 62,000,000 61,000,000    
Net assets $ 60,445,000,000 $ 60,234,000,000    
[1] Our consolidated assets at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, include the following assets of certain variable interest entities (VIEs) that can only be used to settle the liabilities of those VIEs: Cash and due from banks, $378 million and $321 million; Trading assets, $130 million and $293 million; Securities available for sale, $3.1 billion and $3.3 billion; Mortgages held for sale, $549 million and $444 million; Net loans, $12.0 billion and $12.0 billion; Other assets, $533 million and $1.9 billion, and Total assets, $16.6 billion and $18.2 billion, respectively.
[2] Our consolidated liabilities at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, include the following VIE liabilities for which the VIE creditors do not have recourse to Wells Fargo: Short-term borrowings, $25 million and $24 million; Accrued expenses and other liabilities, $120 million and $175 million; Long-term debt, $4.1 billion and $4.9 billion; and Total liabilities, $4.2 billion and $5.1 billion, respectively.