The U.S. Labor Department ordered Wells Fargo to pay $22 million for violating whistleblower protection laws by firing a Chicago area senior manager in the company’s commercial banking segment.

The San Francisco-based bank was ordered to cover the employee's back wages, lost bonuses and benefits, interest and compensatory damages.

“The evidence demonstrates Wells Fargo took retaliatory action against this senior manager for repeatedly expressing concerns about financial management they believed violated federal laws,” said Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA.

Wells Fargo denied the allegations in a statement today.

“We disagree with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s findings, which were not based on an evidentiary hearing. We intend to appeal to an administrative law judge,” Wells Fargo spokeswoman Sunny Rodriquez said. “Wells Fargo has zero tolerance for acts of retaliation, and employees are encouraged to report concerns which will be promptly and thoroughly investigated.”

Employees are protected from retaliation “in these very circumstances and the Department of Labor will not tolerate employers who violate the law and illegally terminate workers that exercise their rights under the law,” Parker added.

The senior manager had repeatedly reported concerns regarding conduct that violated financial laws, including wire fraud, DOL said in a statement.

While the manager “believed the conduct was illegal based on company-required training, they were terminated in 2019. After initially failing to provide a reason for the termination, Wells Fargo later alleged the manager was terminated as part of a restructuring process. However, investigators found the removal was not consistent with Wells Fargo’s treatment of other managers removed under the initiative,” the agency said.

Both the bank and the employee have 30 days to file objections and request an administrative law hearing in front of a judge.