Find Lawyer =“cease and desist” letter to the former employer. This letter prohibits the former employer from releasing any information other than your job title and dates of employment.
If you have been tagged and having problems finding interviews then you are seeing a form of blacklisted by these employers.
Wells playing games with everyone
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/banking/article188748929.html
Don't sweat it John Stumpf, Carrie Tolstedt, and the others aren't eligible to be rehired any where AND fighting to stay out of prison with their severance checks. It should make everyone feel better.
Happens all the time. If you are fired, your best bet is to retain your own legal counsel and sue the ‘bank. They have money to take care of things like this but if enough people sue over WF’s blacklisting of people, then maybe the practice will stop. Often the bank will offer an opportunity to resign or be fired. If you have that opportunity, make sure you include the specific reason they will put into staff management system and have your soon to be ex-boss sign it. Then if they tell other companies anything else, you have a really strong case against Cathie corrupt bank. Additionally, you can always test HR by calling them and pretending to be a new employer. See what they say. And might even record it.
Even if you were a contractor they can't legally call WF or any other company to ask them directly a reference. WF also targets contractors even if they are working better than the full time employees.