Wells Fargo still requires applicants to provide their "Mother's maiden name" when applying for a credit card

Discussion / Conversation Forum
1

Hi guys,

I was surprised to see that Wells Fargo still asks for “Mother’s maiden name” as part of their credit card application process, presumably for account security.

This seems outdated and ineffective for several reasons:

  1. Your mother’s maiden name can easily be found with a quick search on Google or social media, so it’s no longer a secure secret.
  2. Fewer women are taking their husband’s last name, and with the rise of same-sex marriages, the concept of “mother’s maiden name” is becoming increasingly irrelevant.

Are other credit card companies still using this outdated identifier as well?

2

After recently applying for a Wells Fargo credit card, I was struck by their continued use of “Mother’s maiden name” as a security question, which felt outdated to me. Considering that this information can often be easily found online and that societal norms around names and relationships have evolved, it seems like an ineffective method for secure identification. I’m curious if other credit card companies still use this practice or if there are more modern and secure alternatives being adopted.