Dec 3 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo ( WFC ) is exploring the

sale of the San Francisco building where its headquarters are

located, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, as the

lender moves to a new building.

The bank's corporate headquarters will continue to be in

San Francisco and it has no plans to move out of the city, the

bank said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

The lender has already started to engage in informal

conversations with potential buyers and its office in the city's

financial district could be put on the market as soon as this

month, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, which

first reported on the news.

Wells Fargo ( WFC ) has hired the real-estate investment bank

Eastdil Secured, which it sold in 2019 and still owns a minority

stake in, as an adviser, the Journal said.

"As part of our multi-year effort to build a stronger, more

efficient Wells Fargo ( WFC ), we continually assess our real estate

portfolio," Wells Fargo ( WFC ) said.

Wells Fargo ( WFC ) also said that it has done business in San

Francisco since 1852, and "the city remains important to the

bank".