Wells Fargo, the largest US mortgage lender, said federal prosecutors may seek damages and penalties after probing whether it violated anti-discrimination laws while financing homeowners.

“The Department of Justice has advised Wells Fargo that it believes it can bring claims,” the bank said yesterday in a regulatory filing.

Wells Fargo has faced government scrutiny of lending and foreclosures in the wake of the housing crisis as it expands a record 34 percent share of the US mortgage market.