Occupy activists and foreclosure victims gather outside Wells Fargo shareholder meeting

While Wells Fargo shareholders gathered Tuesday to vote on executive compensation, hundreds of Occupy activists and foreclosure victims gathered outside the bank’s headquarters to air their grievances.

Police arrested at least nine protestors and ordered shareholders to stay inside the building while the crowds outside dispersed.

Several protestors were allowed in the meeting because they owned stock in the bank, but were escorted out of the building after they continued to interrupt CEO John Stumpf during a presentation about the company’s $15.9 billion profit last year.

While some protestors were shouting about economic disparity, hundreds of others were there because Well Fargo foreclosed on their homes. In numerous cases, Wells Fargo has denied mortgage modifications, requested by foreclosure attorneys and loan holders, even when the homeowners are qualified.

“Wells Fargo is one of the largest and most corrupt Wall Street banks and has foreclosed on hundreds of thousands of homes,” said Move On East Bay organizer Charles Davidson.

Wells Fargo is largest mortgage originator in the U.S. The protestors demanded that the banks halt all foreclosures while they investigate and reform their paperwork practices. Faulty paperwork pushed by the bank have led to a number of wrongful foreclosures and while some people have been able to stay in their homes with the aid of a foreclosure lawyer, many other have fallen prey to fraudulent practices.

When someone has received a default notice, they are advised to hire an experienced foreclosure attorney to outline their options to avoid foreclosure.