The report noted, however, that employee participation in the accounts scandal was motivated more by fear than by financial compensation, as not meeting these goals was a good way to get fired. A California lawsuit against the bank alleged that managers would “constantly hound, berate, demean and threaten employees” to meet sales quotas. Those who couldn’t would be put on probation, forced to work unpaid overtime or even fired. Not helping matters was that, for certain branches, it was literally impossible to meet the quotas, as there just weren’t enough customers in the general area to do so. 

While the precise size of the settlement is unknown, the Times said that Wells Fargo has set aside $3.1 billion for legal costs.