Wells Fargo & Co. could acquire around 15 companies this year now that prices have declined to attractive levels, said Chairman Richard Kovacevich during an interview with Bloomberg Television. The targets will likely be larger than the bank’s recent purchases, but small enough to still be manageable, he said.

“Our preference is to do what we’ve done for most of our 20 years, which is enhance the franchise by making small acquisitions,” Kovacevich said. “I don’t think there’s any more likelihood today than in the past that we would do a big deal.”

The company added more than $10 billion in assets last year with acquisitions that included Placer Sierra Bancshares and Greater Bay Bancorp. It was the biggest boost from acquisitions since the merger between Norwest Corp. and Wells Fargo in 1998. The company announced on Jan. 15 that it would buy the banking operations of United Bancorporation of Wyoming for undisclosed terms.

Kovacevich, who stepped down as CEO last year, also said he expects home prices to fall another 10 percent this year and foreclosures to increase in the first half of the year as more adjustable-rate loans reset to higher interest rates. However, he believes Wells Fargo’s $1.4 billion in reserves will cover expected losses from home equity loans.