Wells Fargo teams with nonprofit in Charlotte to boost inclusion, banking options
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- Wells Fargo partnered with Operation HOPE to expand financial coaching in Charlotte.
- New HOPE Inside branch targets unbanked residents and small business training.
- Free coaching and credit help available to all, regardless of banking status.
Alexis Hawkins, a 39-year-old mother of three, moved to Charlotte four years ago with the dream of opening a coffee shop.
But she faced significant challenges, including a layoff, two battles with cancer, and ultimately, bankruptcy. Then she found renewed hope through a nonprofit called Operation HOPE.
“Because I have so many plans for my future and my children, I didn’t want to feel defeated,” she said. Hawkins is one of 300 clients Operation Hope financial wellbeing coach Thomas Lervik has helped this year in Charlotte. Half of those clients are entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Wells Fargo has partnered with Operation Hope as part of its 10-year Banking Inclusion Initiative aimed at providing affordable, mainstream banking products and financial education to more people.
On Thursday, Wells Fargo officially opened a redesigned bank branch at 2803 Freedom Drive in west Charlotte, focused on its HOPE Inside center and financial coaching. Wells Fargo did not provide the cost of its investment. At the event, Hawkins shared her experience working with Operation Hope.
The Hope Inside program serves the “unbanked,” people without a mainstream banking account, and “underbanked,” people with a bank account but who still use costly alternative services like check cashing operations.
About 2% of all Charlotte residents are unbanked — less than half the national average of 4.2%, according to Wells Fargo.
“That means they don’t have a checking account. They don’t have a savings account. They don’t have the ability to participate in mainstream banking,” said Michael Martino, executive vice president and head of banking inclusion and partnerships for Wells Fargo. “We want to be able to eradicate that.”
What to know about Operation Hope at Wells Fargo
- The program offers one-on-one coaching for credit money management program or small business development program.
- The coaching service is free and open to the community, regardless of whether they bank with Wells Fargo.
- Services are available via phone, virtual meetings or in-person.
- Operation HOPE financial coaches provide financial education and guidance, including assistance with improving credit scores and small business support. There are over 300 financial coaches in 42 states, supporting 1,500 offices.
- HOPE Inside in Charlotte is part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to have 50 HOPE Inside centers in in key markets by 2026 in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods across the nation. These centers offer underserved communities a welcoming space, access to financial coaches and expanded resources that support individual and small business financial goals.
Creating a community connection
Programs like Hope Inside at Wells Fargo are important to ensuring that local residents and small businesses are equipped with tools to compete in an ever-changing Charlotte, said Charlotte City Councilman Malcolm Graham.
“We have a shared commitment to help economic empowerment and opportunity,” said April Schneider, head of small and business banking at Wells Fargo. “Hope Inside, it’s not a program, it’s really a movement.”
Grateful for the support, Hawkins urged others to connect with Operation HOPE counselors.
“I came into that experience with shame, defeat and embarrassment,” Hawkins said. But now, “(Operation Hope) has propelled me into this space of true possibility.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
