Wells Fargo Commercial Banking Leader In Florida To Retire

Wells Fargo

announced today that Howard Halle ― banking industry veteran, community leader, and longtime Florida resident ― will retire at the end of this year. Wells Fargo head of Commercial Banking in Florida, Howard Halle, to retire at year-end. (Photo: Business Wire) Halle started his career 39 years ago in Miami in the International Banking Department of Southeast Bank, which became part of First Union and then Wachovia, acquired by Wells Fargo. Having spent the majority of his career in the Florida, Halle has led Commercial Banking in this market since 1999, with a four-year hiatus when he moved to San Francisco to build Wachovia's Wholesale Business in the Western U.S. During his career with Wells Fargo, Halle has held leadership roles within Commercial and Corporate Banking, Investment Banking, and Global Banking. “Howard has positioned the Florida team for great success in future years and has built a strong leadership team,” said Perry Pelos, the head of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking. “He has always embodied my philosophy of thinking about and building our business for long-term success.” A search for Halle's successor is underway and is expected to be announced in early November. Active in the community, Halle serves on the boards of the North Florida National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Enterprise Florida, Inc. He was the past board chair of the North Florida Multiple Sclerosis Society, Yates YMCA in Jacksonville, and the Black Business Investment Corporation, Inc. of Palm Beach County. He also served on the board of the Northern California Multiple Sclerosis Society, Beacon Council of Miami, United Way Allocations Committee in Palm Beach County, Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, and the Palm Beach County Development Board. The second-largest bank in Florida, Wells Fargo employs more than 14,000 team members throughout the state. In 2013, the company donated more than $11.5 million to Florida nonprofits and schools, and team members logged more than 92,000 volunteer hours within the communities across the region.