Biography & Early Wealth Journey

"At minimum, the optics are horrific for Stumpf and for Wells Fargo. I would be shocked if the Securities and Excgange Commission doesn't look heavily into this."

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Insider trading is difficult to prosecute because the legal definitions for it can be vague, but according to ValueEdge Advisors vice chairman Nell Minow actions like the one taken by Stumpf have historically resulted in SEC investigations. Wells Fargo, for its part, released a statement saying that Stumpf's sales of stock (of which there were others earlier in the year) "were done in compliance with the company's pre-clearance approval process for executive officers and did not involve any open market sales or purchases."

Despite the sales of stock, and despite Stumpf's exit from Wells Fargo, he still has plenty of stock in his digs left to his name. 2.4 million shares, to be precise, which are worth more than $117 million.