> Actually, the situation i long for is before the creation of the LLC, where shareholders were responsible for paying for the corporations lawsuits.
You are a bit confused here. The liability shield for corporate shareholders is as old as the joint stock company, and older than the US.
The LLC is a newer business form that includes a similar liability shield for its members to the one corporations do for their shareholders, but differs in other mechanisms from both corporations or partnerships.
> IMHO, No better way to get wells fargo to stop doing illegal things than have the people who own X% be forced to pay for it.
Even without a liability shield, the shareholders personal finances would only be touched of the assets of the corporation itself were exhausted; while liabilities which would destroy a corporation and still leave an unpaid balance for unshielded shareholders do happen (see, MtGox for instance), none of Wells Fargo’s shenanigans have reached that level of proven liability (if they had, Wells Fargo would have gone into bankruptcy), so they wouldn't likely have been constrained by exposing shareholders to liability.