Wells Fargo CEO gets $123.6M if he walks

Wells Fargo (WFC) CEO John Stumpf stands to walk from the bank with $123.6 million in severance and stock value if he retires from the bank, which is still reeling from a scandal where hundreds of thousands of accounts were inappropriately opened for customers.

Stumpf's $123.6 million in potential retirement walking money, as calculated by pay consulting firm Equilar as of mid-September, is the sum of Stumpf's $25.2 million in retirement payments, plus a $20 million pension, deferred compensation of $4.3 million as well as the $74 million in stock he already owns. Neither Stumpf nor Wells Fargo has stated the CEO's continued employment is in doubt, but he is eligible for the bank's retirement plan. Wells Fargo declined to comment on this story.

Making bank: The 10 best-paid bankers (and not all are CEOs)

Seeing such a large retirement package gets to the essence of the grilling Stumpf, 62, took on Congress this month. Stumpf confirmed no high-ranking officials have been fired or monetarily punished as a result of the alleged fraud. Wells Fargo, though, fired more than 5,000 low-level bank employees for secretly opening thousands upon thousands of accounts to meet aggressive sales targets set by management. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tore into Stumpf for not taking responsibility for the fraud. Stumpf testified the bank has reformed its sales practices and the board is evaluating further steps. Stumpf is already the best-paid bank CEO, pulling down $19.3 million last year.

Stumpf would surely prefer to retire, even if asked to do so by the board, as opposed to being terminated. Stumpf would forfeit his claim to the $25.2 million retirement benefit in the case of involuntary termination for cause, according to the company's plan documents, says Dan Marcec, director of content at Equilar. It's unclear if he would receive the pension and deferred compensation if terminated for cause, Marcec says.

WELLS FARGO CEO RETIREMENT

Potential payments for Wells Fargo CEO upon retirement 

Type of payout, amount ($ millions)

Retirement eligibility, $25.2

Present value of pension accounts, $19.97

Deferred compensation, $4.4

Value of common shares, $73.98

Source: Equilar