Rondo Community Land Trust 

September 17, 1998 

TO: JoAnne F. Lewellen, Assistant Vice President Community AfTairs Officer 

FROM: Zula Young, Vice President, Rondo Community Land Trust Board of Directors 

RE: Testimony regarding Norwest Corporation/Wells Fargo and Company Proposed 

Merger. 

My name is Zula Young; I live and work in St. Paul. I am the Vice President of the 

Rondo Community Land Trust (CLT) Board of Directors. I wish to thank the Federal 

Reserve Bank for the opportunity to speak to the proposed merger between Norwest 

Corporation and Wells Fargo and Company. 

I am a single parent who has had the opportunity to purchase the first completed land 

trust house in St. Paul. I grew up in the neighborhood where my home is now located. I 

am very active within my community. I am also an organizer of the community garden 

program called SAGE, and also a member of the Summit-University Weed and Seed 

Program. I work as a para-professional in the public schools system within my 

community. 

The land trust model is unique in that it limits the equity but provides long-term (99 

years) affordable housing for low and moderate-income families. 

Norwest Mortgage was willing to put the extra time in to understand how the land trust 

model works and the ability to make lending decisions here in the community. They have 

the ability to say yes to new ideas at the local level. 

Norwest Mortgage had not done any land trust mortgages before mine, because of Rondo 

CLT and Norwest Mortgage; I may not have had the opportunity to own my own house. 

The land tiiist model is fairly new to the Twin Cities and Minnesota. Not-west was the 

first and to date, the only mortgage company willing to take a chance with Rondo CLT 

and separating the land from the building and agreeing to the Groundlease document. 

Our relationship with Norwest is built around the people we work with on a regular basis 

and affordable housing. Rondo CLT has developed a trusting, working relationship with 

these and other individuals at Not-west Corporation. We deal with: 

Karl Schwichtenberg, Not-west Mortgage 

Sally Berdt, Not-west Real Estate Management Services 

h&y Gabler, Nor-west Twin City Community Development and 

Bill Canfield, Norwest Mortgage 

1183 Ashland Avenue Saint Paul, MN. 55104 (65 1) 647-0862 
Page 2,9-16-98 Testimony, Not-west Corporation/Wells Fargo Proposed Merger. 

Rondo would hope and expect the Not-west philosophy will continue that allows us to 

work with Karl, Sally, Mary and Bill after the merger. It is individual people within an 

already very large corporation that makes it work now. These are the people that make it 

work today and the same ones that will make it work in the future. 

Not-west was willing to take a chance with the Rondo CLT Groundlease. We would hope 

the Norwest philosophy to continue that allows people within the Corporation to listen to 

new ideas such as land trusts and act on them at the local level. 

While Rondo CLT is a small housing organization in St. Paul, we are providing 

affordable housing one house at a time, and so far Nor-west has been there one mortgage 

at a time. 

When the shortage of affordable housing is better understood at both the local and 

national level and there is more of a willingness to provide funds to build and renovate 

affordable housing, we will all increase our production levels. When that day comes, we 

would hope the Norwest philosophy of working with neighborhood housing 

organizations to be there with us. 

We want to see Norwest Mortgage Inc. expand the use of the land trust and other 

affordable mortgages throughout the country 

We believe the Not-west philosophy of local decision-making and a regional approach 

will ensure that Rondo CLT will have the same working relationship we now have with 

Norwest We would hope that as merger talks continue both here and in Washington 

D.C., that Not-west/Wells would commitment now to the following: 

- A defined regional approach will be established throughout the country. 

A regional system that allows real decision-making within each area. 

Karl, Sally, Mary and Bill should keep their current phone numbers - - 

without an 800 prefix. While some departments of Not-west are currently 

centralized, every effort should be made that allows for decision-making 

at the local level. 

- To continue to take risks, listen to the ideas within the low-income 

communities, because that is where the answers are to solving our 

housing shortage. 

Thank you for your time.