EXHIBIT 23(B)(1) INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT The Board of Directors Wells Fargo Financial, Inc. We consent to incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-3 of Wells Fargo Financial, Inc. of our report dated January 18, 2000, relating to the consolidated balance sheet of Wells Fargo Financial, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1999, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows and stockholder's equity for the year then ended and to the reference to our firm under the heading "Experts" in the prospectus. /s/ KPMG LLP Minneapolis, Minnesota January 26, 2001