Wells Fargo Practice Finance Named Preferred Provider to the American Optometric Association's Member Advantage Program

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Wells Fargo Practice Finance, formerly known as Matsco, announced today an agreement to become the preferred provider for optometric practice and equipment financing for American Optometric Association (AOA) members.

The affinity relationship through the AOA's Member Advantage Program will offer a range of financial products to AOA members for practice acquisition, start-up and expansion projects, along with commercial real estate financing. AOA members will benefit from preferred rates, along with customized financing and payment terms based on each practice's monthly budget requirements.

"We are confident that AOA members will benefit a great deal from Wells Fargo Practice Finance's deep understanding of the challenges associated with starting, transitioning, updating or expanding an optometric practice. In addition to customized financing solutions, we are excited to offer AOA members automatic enrollment in our Practice Success Program, which provides access to a comprehensive library of planning tools, educational resources and professional expertise that helps practitioners build their foundation for growth ," said Allison Farey, president of Wells Fargo Practice Finance.

"Through this agreement, Wells Fargo Practice Finance has shown a great commitment to working closely with optometric professionals to ensure long-term success is achieved," said AOA President Joe Ellis. "We are pleased that AOA members will have full access to Wells Fargo Practice Finance's premier client service and financial guidance for years to come."

Wells Fargo Practice Finance offers a wide range of products and programs designed specifically for the aspiring and established healthcare practice owner. Some of these include customized financing programs, expert project and administrative support to help complete projects on time and on budget, educational programs to help prepare for upcoming projects and sustain practice growth, and practice management resources to assist with key practice transitions. More information can be found at www.wellsfargo.com/practicefinance.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.2 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. With more than 278,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America.  Wells Fargo & Company was ranked #19 on Fortune's 2009 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy all our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially.

Wells Fargo is America's #1 small business lender (2009 Community Reinvestment Act government data) and a leading lender to women- and diverse-owned businesses.  Through its award-winning online advice library of business resources, including topical videos and webcasts, Wells Fargo provides business owners with timely advice and information to help them succeed financially. For more information, speak with a Wells Fargo banker, visit wellsfargo.com/biz or call the National Business Banking Center at 1-800-CALL-WELLS.

About the American Optometric Association

The American Optometric Association represents approximately 36,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students and paraoptometric assistants and technicians. Optometrists serve patients in nearly 6,500 communities across the country, and in 3,500 of those communities are the only eye doctors.  Doctors of optometry provide two-thirds of all primary eye care in the United States.

American Optometric Association doctors of optometry are highly qualified, trained doctors on the frontline of eye and vision care who examine, diagnose, treat and manage diseases and disorders of the eye. In addition to providing eye and vision care, optometrists play a major role in a patient's overall health and well-being by detecting systemic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Prior to optometry school, optometrists typically complete four years of undergraduate study, culminating in a bachelor's degree. Required undergraduate coursework for pre-optometry students is extensive and covers a wide variety of advanced health, science and mathematics. Optometry school consists of four years of post-graduate, doctoral study concentrating on both the eye and systemic health. In addition to their formal training, doctors of optometry must undergo annual continuing education to stay current on the latest standards of care. For more information, visit www.aoa.org.

SOURCE Wells Fargo & Company