Wells Fargo names Ellen Patterson as general counsel

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co <WFC.N> on Friday named Ellen Patterson as general counsel at a time when Chief Executive Charles Scharf is leading a shake-up in the management and hiring external candidates as top executives.

Patterson joins Wells Fargo after spending more than seven years with Canada's Toronto-Dominion Bank <TD.TO>, where she most recently was the general counsel.

Earlier this week, Scharf said substantial changes were underway at the bank as lawmakers grilled him on the status of its remediation efforts and contingency plans related to the coronavirus outbreak.

After taking over the scandal-plagued bank late last year, Scharf has named several executives to new roles as well as a JPMorgan Chase & Co <JPM.N> veteran to head its consumer lending unit.

Patterson, who will report to Scharf, will be responsible for all legal affairs at the bank.

(Reporting by Bharath Manjesh in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)