Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities Textual (Details) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
		Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Amount Paid To Third Party Investors To Settle Repurchase Liabilities		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 78,000,000
Amount Paid To Repurchase Loans From Securitization Vehicles		2,700,000,000	2,800,000,000	6,000,000,000	6,900,000,000
Accrued expenses and other liabilities		81,399,000,000		81,399,000,000		$ 86,122,000,000
Liabilities	[1]	1,529,941,000,000		1,529,941,000,000		1,501,893,000,000
Carrying value of delinquent loans eligible for repurchase		1,200,000,000		1,200,000,000		1,700,000,000
Principal amount that would be payable to securitization vehicles		$ 1,200,000,000		$ 1,200,000,000		$ 1,700,000,000
Percentage of underlying collateral rated as investment grade		75.00%		75.00%		70.00%
Net gains from sale of assets securitizations		$ 205,000,000	68,000,000	$ 316,000,000	97,000,000
200 basis point increase		55,000,000		55,000,000		$ 130,000,000
Total loans		1,381,918,000,000		1,381,918,000,000		1,437,817,000,000
Delinquent loans		32,184,000,000		32,184,000,000		36,663,000,000
Loans [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Assets pledged to collateralize the borrowings of variable interest entity		580,000,000		580,000,000		637,000,000
Available-for-sale securities [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Assets pledged to collateralize the borrowings of variable interest entity		5,900,000,000		5,900,000,000		5,700,000,000
FNMA, FHLMC and GNMA [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Total loans		1,300,000,000,000		1,300,000,000,000		1,300,000,000,000
Delinquent loans		14,200,000,000		14,200,000,000		16,500,000,000
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Foreclosed assets		5,200,000,000		5,200,000,000		3,300,000,000
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Foreclosed assets		2,400,000,000		2,400,000,000		2,700,000,000
Residential Mortgage [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Amount of mortgages transferred in securitization and whole loan sale transactions		53,400,000,000	36,900,000,000	92,900,000,000	70,500,000,000
Residential Mortgage [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Securities, at fair value				800,000,000
Residential Mortgage [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Amount of servicing asset at fair value				736,000,000	560,000,000
Amount of liability for repurchase reserves at fair value				23,000,000	22,000,000
Commercial Mortgage [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Net gains from sale of assets securitizations		123,000,000	17,000,000	200,000,000	41,000,000
Amount of mortgages transferred in securitization and whole loan sale transactions		6,300,000,000	$ 1,000,000,000	9,500,000,000	2,300,000,000
Commercial Mortgage [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Securities, at fair value				179,000,000	100,000,000
Commercial Mortgage [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Amount of servicing asset at fair value				97,000,000	$ 5,000,000
Other Investments [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Securities Available for Sale Portfolio of ARS issued by VIEs		532,000,000		532,000,000		567,000,000
Trust Preferred Securities [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Carrying value asset (liability)		2,100,000,000		2,100,000,000		2,100,000,000
Commercial Mortgage Servicing [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Fair value of interests held		$ 1,700,000,000		$ 1,700,000,000		$ 1,600,000,000
Percentage of adverse change in interest rate		25.00%		25.00%		25.00%
Decrease in fair value from 25% adverse change in interest rate		$ 134,000,000		$ 134,000,000		$ 185,000,000
Long-term debt [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Private placement debt financing		6,000,000,000		6,000,000,000		6,000,000,000
Equity Interests [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Carrying value asset (liability)		(8,600,000,000)		(8,600,000,000)		(8,100,000,000)
Preferred stock [Member] | Trust Preferred Securities [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Carrying value - equity		2,500,000,000		2,500,000,000		2,500,000,000
VIEs That We Consolidate Recourse [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Liabilities		0		0		0
VIEs that we do not consolidate [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Accrued expenses and other liabilities		829,000,000		829,000,000		848,000,000
Liabilities		3,712,000,000		3,712,000,000		3,433,000,000
VIEs that we do not consolidate [Member] | Loans [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Loans Receivable		$ 5,300,000,000		$ 5,300,000,000		$ 6,500,000,000

[1] Our consolidated liabilities at June 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014, include the following VIE liabilities for which the VIE creditors do not have recourse to Wells Fargo: Accrued expenses and other liabilities, $60 million and $49 million; Long-term debt, $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion; and Total liabilities, $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion, respectively.