Wells Fargo, one of many largest lenders for brand new and used vehicles, is not offering auto loans to most impartial automobile sellers, an indication that the financial institution is worried about defaults on the after the pandemic.

In Might, Wells Fargo despatched letters to a whole lot of impartial automobile sellers – who usually promote used vehicles – telling them the financial institution was abandoning them as a buyer, CNBC reported.

“As a accountable lender, we even have an obligation to overview our enterprise practices in mild of the financial uncertainty introduced by COVID-19 and have knowledgeable the vast majority of our impartial vendor prospects that we’ll droop acceptance of requests from them, ”Natalie Brown, a Wells Fargo spokesperson, confirmed in an e-mail to USA TODAY. “The impartial sellers with whom we’ll proceed to do enterprise are those that have an extended and deep relationship with Wells Fargo.”

PPP loans:Small banks and small companies turned out to be a great mixture

Video excursions? Suburbs vs cities ?:Purchase, promote a home to look completely different after COVID-19

This marks a turnaround for the financial institution after increasing its auto mortgage enterprise earlier than the lethal epidemic. Auto mortgage initiations, for instance, rose 19% within the first quarter to $ 6.5 billion.

“Like lenders throughout the nation, we’re doing all we are able to to assist purchasers overcome the financial impacts of this well being disaster, together with offering mortgage deferrals to purchasers who want them if they’ve been affected. by COVID-19, ”stated Brown.

Financial uncertainty additionally weighed on the financial institution’s different lending actions. Wells Fargo, together with JPMorgan Chase, just lately suspended functions for house fairness traces of credit score as a consequence of pandemic uncertainty.