Exhibit 23 (a) INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS' CONSENT The Board of Directors Wells Fargo & Company: We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement (No. 333-10469) on Form S-3 of our report dated January 19, 1998 with respect to the consolidated balance sheet of Wells Fargo & Company and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 1997 and 1996, and the related consolidated statements of income, changes in stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1997, which report appears in the December 31, 1997 annual report incorporated by reference in the 1997 Form 10-K of Wells Fargo & Company, and to the references to our firm under the heading "Experts" in the Registration Statement. KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP San Franciso, California September 16, 1998