Yet some of the bank’s most powerful critics have argued for years it needs fresh leadership. And through that lens, Mack’s decades of experience there could be viewed negatively.

“Mary Mack should be the CEO of Wells Fargo, and if it wasn’t for the politics of the situation she would be the most qualified person in this country to take that job,” said Brad Blackwell, a senior executive in the bank’s home lending unit who retired last year. “She’s caught up in the fact that she was already at Wells Fargo, and therefore becomes disqualified from the perspective of the outside world.”

A spokeswoman for the bank declined to comment.

Minnie’s Pantry
Parker and Mack -- who both grew up in Georgia -- appeared together this week at Minnie’s Food Pantry north of Dallas to make a donation. The nonprofit’s leader had asked for help during the company’s shareholder meeting, and on Wednesday she burst out crying when Parker arrived with a camera crew and said the bank will contribute $200,000 to a new facility. In brief remarks, Parker praised Mack.

“When I sat with Mary and I talked with Mary I was really struck by her innate goodness and her incredible enthusiasm, and I knew everything was going to be OK,” he said of their first meeting a few years ago. “She’s transformed the community bank from a sales culture to a service culture where we do our best for our customers every day.”

Mack has worked at Wells Fargo and its predecessors since 1984, when she joined First Union. It later became part of Wachovia, which stumbled in the financial crisis and sold to Wells Fargo.

There, she showed a knack for collaborating across business lines. She developed a working relationship with Carrie Tolstedt, then the head of the community bank. When Tolstedt announced in 2016 that she planned to retire, the bank picked Mack to take over the role. The turmoil left Mack facing two challenges: Clean up the business while working toward cost-cutting goals.

Less than two years into that job, Mack gained responsibility for consumer lending, too. That unit, housing the largest U.S. home lender, also faced scandals: It had charged improper fees to extend rate locks on mortgages and forced insurance policies on borrowers buying cars.

At an investment conference last month, Mack said an employee challenged her to name three things she hasn’t changed in her division. She struggled to come up with examples.

Debating Progress
Outside the bank, there’s little consensus on whether Wells Fargo has done enough to address abuses that included opening accounts for customers without permission. Top shareholders including Warren Buffett have said they were satisfied with Sloan’s work, but lawmakers and regulators have complained reforms came too slow.