Wells Fargo branch in San Francisco. Credit: Mike Scarcella/ ALM

SAN FRANCISCO — Wells Fargo & Co. has settled a set of federal securities fraud class actions over the bank's fake accounts scandal for $480 million, the company said on Friday.

The company's defense counsel, led by Sullivan & Cromwell, said in a court filing that it has “reached an agreement in principle” to settle the shareholder suits. The bank disclosed that it had agreed to pay $480 million in a separate filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The settlement will still be subject to final approval by the court, it noted. The federal securities class action litigation against Wells Fargo has been consolidated in front of U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar of the Northern District of California.