This week two large banks made some noise.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo announced “record profits” of $3 billion in the first quarter on Wall Street, lapping analyst predictions.

Manhattan-based JPMorgan Chase staked its new presence on the West Coast with an uptick in a branding campaign after taking over 192 former WaMu branches in a purchase from regulators after WaMu collapsed. This involves changing a look of the branches to a more traditional style, radio ads talking about how they were around even before radio existed, and this sign…

chase-coming-to-california1

…while driving home from Adobe today. All fine, except I wasn’t in San Francisco, I was in San Jose. Minor details.

More important question is after Wells Fargo earned record profits, does it plan to give a bit of the $25 billion it got from the US Treasury Department (aka. you and me) back?

Loni Stark
Loni Stark is an artist at Atelier Stark, psychology researcher, and technologist whose work explores the intersection of identity, creativity, and technology. A self-professed foodie and adventure travel enthusiast, she collaborates on visual storytelling projects with Clinton Stark for Stark Insider. Her insights are shaped by her role at Adobe, influencing her explorations into the human-tech relationship. It's been said her laugh can still be heard from San Jose up to the Golden Gate Bridge—unless sushi, her culinary Kryptonite, has momentarily silenced her.