Washington Mutual

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"WaMu" redirects here. For the radio station, see WAMU.
Washington Mutual, Inc.
(JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.)

Industry

Finance and Insurance

Insolvency

Washington Mutual, Inc.'s

banking subsidiaries were
closed by the OTS, placed
into the receivership of the
FDIC, and, in September
2008, their assets were sold
to JPMorgan Chase, which
now operates the former
banking assets as a part of
Chase Bank.

The holding company

Washington Mutual, Inc.
(the former bank owner)
subsequently filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Fate

Founded
Defunct
Headquarters
Key people
Products
Revenue

1889[1]
2009
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Alan H. Fishman, CEO
Consumer Banking
Financial Services
US$15.962 billion

US$ 267.638 million

(2013) [2]

Total assets

US$ 339.916 million

(2012) [2]

Number of
employees
Parent

49,403

Subsidiaries
Slogan
Website

Washington Mutual Inc.

WaMu Investments, Inc; Washington
Mutual Insurance Services;
Washington Mutual Card Services
Whoo Hoo!
Wamu.com (defunct, redirects to
Chase)

Washington Mutual, Inc., abbreviated to WaMu, was a savings bank holding company and the
former owner of Washington Mutual Bank, which was the United States' largest savings and loan
association until its collapse in 2008.[3][4][5][6][7]
On Thursday, September 25, 2008, the United States Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) seized
Washington Mutual Bank from Washington Mutual, Inc. and placed it into receivership with the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The OTS took the action due to the withdrawal
of $16.7 billion in deposits during a 9-day bank run (amounting to 9% of the deposits it had held
on June 30, 2008).[8] The FDIC sold the banking subsidiaries (minus unsecured debt and equity
claims) to JPMorgan Chase for $1.9 billion, which JPMorgan Chase had been planning to
acquire as part of a confidential plan internally nicknamed Project West.[9][10][11] All WaMu
branches were rebranded as Chase branches by the end of 2009. The holding company,
Washington Mutual, Inc., was left with $33 billion in assets, and $8 billion debt, after being
stripped of its banking subsidiary by the FDIC.[4][5][12][13] The next day, September 26, Washington
Mutual, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 voluntary bankruptcy in Delaware, where it is incorporated.[5][12]
With respect to total assets under management, Washington Mutual Bank's closure and
receivership is the largest bank failure in American financial history.[4][5] Before the receivership
action, it was the sixth-largest bank in the United States.[14] According to Washington Mutual
Inc.'s 2007 SEC filing, the holding company held assets valued at $327.9 billion.[15]
On March 20, 2009, Washington Mutual Inc. filed suit against the FDIC in the United States
District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking damages of approximately $13 billion for
what it claims was an unjustified seizure and an extremely low sale price to JPMorgan Chase.
JPMorgan Chase promptly filed a counterclaim in the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Delaware,
where the Washington Mutual bankruptcy proceedings had been continuing since the Office of
Thrift Supervision's seizure of the holding company's bank subsidiaries.[16][17]

Contents

1 Business operations prior to bank receivership

2 History
o

2.1 Mutual savings bank

2.2 Post demutualization growth

2.2.1 Acquisitions

2.3 Rise and fall

2.3.1 "Wal-Mart of Banking"

2.3.2 Subprime losses

2.3.3 Seizure by OTS and FDIC

2.3.4 Bankruptcy

2.4 Post receivership bank operations

3 Advertising campaigns
o

3.1 "Free Checking Account"

3.2 "The Power of Yes"

3.3 "Whoo hoo"

4 Occasio branch design

5 See also

6 References

7 External links

Business operations prior to bank receivership

A former WaMu branch in the Chinatown section of New York City (2004)
Despite its name, Washington Mutual ceased being a mutual company in 1983 when it
demutualized and became a public company on March 11.
As of June 30, 2008, Washington Mutual Bank had total assets of US$307 billion, with 2,239
retail branch offices operating in 15 states, with 4,932 ATMs, and 43,198 employees. It held
liabilities in the form of deposits of $188.3 billion, and owed $82.9 billion to the Federal Home
Loan Bank, and had subordinated debt of $7.8 billion. It held as assets of $118.9 billion in
single-family loans, of which $52.9 billion were "option adjustable rate mortgages" (Option
ARMs), with $16 billion in subprime mortgage loans, and $53.4 billion of Home Equity lines of
Credit (HELOCs) and credit cards receivables of $10.6 billion. It was servicing for itself and
other banks loans totaling $689.7 billion, of which $442.7 were for other banks. It had nonperforming assets of $11.6 billion, including $3.23 billion in payment option ARMs and $3.0
billion in subprime mortgage loans.[18]
On September 15, 2008, the holding company received a credit rating agency downgrade; from
that date through September 24, 2008, WaMu experienced a bank run whereby customers
withdrew $16.7 billion in deposits over those 9 days,[13] and in excess of $22 billion in cash
outflow since July 2008, both conditions which ultimately led the Office of Thrift Supervision to
close the bank.[18]
The FDIC then sold most of the bank's assets to JPMorgan Chase for $1.9 billion in cash plus
assumption of all secured debt and some unsecured debt. Claims of the subsidiary bank's equity
holders, senior and subordinated debt (all primarily owned by the holding company) were not
assumed by JP Morgan Chase[clarification needed].[5][19][20]

History

The Washington Mutual Tower in Seattle, Washington

Mutual savings bank

Washington Mutual was incorporated as the Washington National Building Loan and
Investment Association on September 25, 1889, after the great Seattle fire destroyed 120 acres
(0.49 km2) of the central business district of Seattle. The newly formed company made its first
home mortgage loan on the West Coast on February 10, 1890. It changed its name to
Washington Savings and Loan Association on June 25, 1908.[21] By September 12, 1917 it was
operating under the name Washington Mutual Savings Bank.[22] The company purchased its
first company, the financially distressed Continental Mutual Savings Bank, on July 25, 1930.[21]
Its marketing slogan for much of its history was "The Friend of the Family".

Post demutualization growth

In 1983, Washington Mutual bought the brokerage firm Murphey Favre and demutualized,
converting into a capital stock savings bank. By 1989, its assets had doubled.[21] In October 2005,
Washington Mutual purchased the formerly "subprime" credit card issuer Providian for
approximately $6.5 billion, although Providian's new management team's strategy of targeting
Prime credit card consumers had been underway since 2001, therefore the credit card unit's
nonperforming loan portfolio had improved significantly prior to the company's sale to WaMu.
In March 2006, Washington Mutual began the move into its new headquarters, WaMu Center,
located in downtown Seattle. The company's previous headquarters, Washington Mutual Tower,
stands about a block away from the new building on Second Avenue. In August 2006,
Washington Mutual began using the official abbreviation of WaMu in all but legal situations.
Acquisitions

A WaMu office in Naperville, Illinois

Former Dime Savings Bank branch in Brooklyn, New York

A WaMu Financial Center in San Jose, California

Since the acquisition of Murphey Favre, WaMu made numerous acquisitions with the aim of
expanding the corporation. By acquiring companies including PNC Mortgage, Fleet Mortgage
and Homeside Lending, WaMu became the third-largest mortgage lender in the U.S. With the
acquisition of Providian Financial Corporation in October 2005, WaMu became the nation's 9thlargest credit-card company.
A list of Washington Mutual acquisitions since demutualization:[23]

Commercial Capital Bancorp, California, 2006

Providian Financial Corporation, California, 2005

HomeSide Lending, Inc., Florida, a unit of National Australia Bank, 2002

Dime Bancorp, Inc., New York, 2002

Fleet Mortgage Corp., South Carolina, 2001

Bank United Corp., Texas, 2001

PNC Mortgage, Illinois, 2001

Alta Residential Mortgage Trust, California, 2000

Long Beach Financial Corp., California, 1999

Industrial Bank, California, 1998

H. F. Ahmanson & Co. (Home Savings of America), California, 1998

Great Western Bank, 1997

United Western Financial Group, Inc., Utah, 1997

Keystone Holdings, Inc. (American Savings Bank), California, 1996

Utah Federal Savings Bank, 1996

Western Bank, Oregon, 1996

Enterprise Bank, Washington, 1995

Olympus Bank FSB, Utah, 1995

Summit Savings Bank, Washington, 1994

Far West Federal Savings Bank, Oregon, 1994

Pacific First Bank, Ontario,[where?] 1993

Pioneer Savings Bank, Washington, 1993

Great Northwest Bank, Washington, 1992

Sound Savings & Loan Association, Washington, 1991

CrossLand Savings FSB, Utah, 1991

Vancouver Federal Savings Bank, Washington, 1991

Williamsburg Federal Savings Association, Utah, 1990

Frontier Federal Savings Association, Washington, 1990

Old Stone Bank of Washington, FSB, Rhode Island, 1990

Many of Washington Mutual's acquisitions became reviled as the rapid post-merger integrations
resulted in numerous errors. The purchase of the original PNC Mortgage came at a time when
subprime lending was in a "boom" period, with PNC Financial Services believing that the market
was too volatile.[24] (PNC later re-entered the mortgage market in 2009 through its acquisition of
National City Corp., with no plans to re-enter subprime lending.) The Dime merger resulted in
account ownership to be split with account beneficiaries. The Fleet Mortgage merger resulted in
entire loans simply disappearingbeing serviced but unable to be found by customer service
representatives.[citation needed]

Rise and fall

"Wal-Mart of Banking"
Chairman and CEO Kerry Killinger had pledged in 2003:[25]

We hope to do to this industry what Wal-Mart did to theirs, Starbucks did to theirs, Costco did to
theirs and Lowe's-Home Depot did to their industry. And I think if weve done our job, five years
from now youre not going to call us a bank.
Killinger's goal was to build WaMu into the Wal-Mart of Banking, which would cater to lowerand middle-class consumers that other banks deemed too risky. Complex mortgages and credit
cards had terms that made it easy for the least creditworthy borrowers to get financing, a strategy
the bank extended in big cities, including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. WaMu pressed
sales agents to approve loans while placing less emphasis on borrowers incomes and assets.
WaMu set up a system that enabled real estate agents to collect fees of more than $10,000 for
bringing in borrowers. Variable-rate loans Option Adjustable Rate Mortgages (Option ARMs)
in particular were especially attractive because they carried higher fees than other loans, and
allowed WaMu to book profits on interest payments that borrowers deferred. As WaMu was
selling many of its loans to investors, it worried less about defaults.[7][25]
Subprime losses

The Washington Mutual Tower (center right) in downtown Seattle was Washington Mutual's
corporate headquarters from 1988 until 2006, when the company moved into the new WaMu
Center (center left). These buildings have since been renamed; Washington Mutual Tower is now
known as 1201 Third Avenue and WaMu Center is now known as Russell Investments Center.
In December 2007, the subsidiary Washington Mutual Bank reorganized its home-loan division,
closing 160 of its 336 home-loan offices and removing 2,600 positions in its home-loan staff (a
22% reduction).[26]
In March 2008, on the same weekend that JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon
negotiated the takeover of Bear Stearns, he secretly dispatched members of his team to Seattle to
meet with WaMu executives, urging them to consider a quick deal. However, WaMu Chairman
and CEO Kerry Killinger rejected JPMorgan Chase's offer that valued WaMu at $8 a share,
mostly in stock.[7][25]
In April 2008, the holding company, responding to losses and difficulties sustained as a result of
the 20072008 subprime mortgage crisis, announced that 3,000 people companywide would lose
their jobs, and the company stated its intent to close its approximately 176 remaining standalone, home-loan offices, including 23 in Washington and a loan-processing center in Bellevue,
Washington. It stopped buying loans from outside mortgage brokers known in the trade as
"wholesale lending." WaMu also announced a $7 billion infusion of new capital by new outside
investors led by TPG Capital. TPG agreed to pump $2 billion into the Washington Mutual
holding company; other investors, including some of WaMu's current institutional holders,

agreed to buy an additional $5 billion in newly issued stock. This angered many investors, as
TPG's investment would dilute the holdings of existing shareholders, and as WaMu executives
excluded mortgage losses from computing bonuses.[27]
In June 2008, Kerry Killinger stepped down as the Chairman, though remaining the Chief
Executive Officer.[28] On September 8, 2008, under pressure from investors, the Washington
Mutual holding company's board of directors dismissed Killinger as the CEO. Alan H. Fishman,
chairman of mortgage broker Meridian Capital Group, and a former chief operating officer of
Sovereign Bank, was named the new CEO for 17 days.[29]
Seizure by OTS and FDIC
By mid-September 2008, WaMu's share price had closed as low as $2.00. It had been worth over
$30.00 in September 2007, and had traded as high as $45 at one point in the previous year.[30]
While WaMu publicly insisted it could stay independent, earlier in the month it had quietly hired
Goldman Sachs to identify potential bidders. However, several deadlines passed without anyone
submitting a bid.[14] At the same time, WaMu suffered a massive run (mostly via electronic
banking over the internet and wire transfer[citation needed]); customers pulled out $16.7 billion in
deposits in a ten-day span.[31]
This led the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department to step up pressure for WaMu to find a
buyer, as a takeover by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) could have been a
severe drain on the FDIC insurance fund, which had already been hard hit by the failure of
IndyMac that year. The FDIC ultimately held a secret auction of Washington Mutual Bank.
Finally, on the morning of Thursday, September 25 (which happened to be the 119th anniversary
of WaMu's establishment), regulators informed JPMorgan Chase that they were the winners.[14]
On Thursday night (shortly after the close of business on the West Coast), the Office of Thrift
Supervision seized Washington Mutual Bank and placed it into the receivership of the FDIC. In a
statement, the OTS said that the massive run meant that WaMu was no longer sound.[31] The
FDIC, as receiver, sold most of Washington Mutual Bank's assets, including the branch network,
to JPMorgan Chase for $1.9 billion. JP Morgan agreed to assume the bank's secured debts and
liabilities to depositors. The transaction did not require any FDIC insurance funds.[32] Normally,
bank seizures take place after the close of business on Fridays. However, due to the bank's
deteriorating condition and leaks that a seizure was imminent, regulators felt compelled to act a
day early.[14]
Because JPMorgan Chase bought Washington Mutual's assets for a low price, WaMu's
stockholders were nearly wiped out. Its stock price dropped to $0.16 a share, far from $45 a
share in 2007.[30] In its Chapter 11 filing, WaMu listed assets of $33 billion and debt of $8 billion.
(ref. Appendix A). The filing also indicates that enough funds are available for distribution to
unsecured creditors.
Within days of the seizure, a hedge fund adviser and investment strategist, Mike Stathis of AVA
Investment Analytics, issued a formal complaint to the Securities and Exchange Commission,
demonstrating evidence of insider trading. The complaint also alleged that Washington Mutual

was not insolvent, and several Wall Street firms and hedge funds had conspired to short the
stock. He also stated that he spoke with a reporter from the Associated Press who told him that
he was contacted by a Washington Mutual executive hours before the seizure, telling the reporter
that it would happen for political reasons. In later criticisms, Stathis discussed that neither the
FDIC nor OTS ever disclosed any evidence of Washington Mutual's insolvency.[33] Stathis stated
that within a few weeks of submitting his complaint, he was visited by federal agents who held
him in an interrogation room for questioning. As a result of this, Stathis stated that he felt bullied
and did not release the SEC complaint into the public domain until a year later.[34][35]
Shareholders are fighting what they consider the illegal seizure of Washington Mutual through
such websites as WaMuCoup.com [dead link] and others, claiming that the OTS acted in an
arbitrary and capricious manner and seized the bank for political reasons or for the benefit of
JPMorgan Chase, which acquired a large network of branches at what they claim to be an
unfairly low price. Shareholders claim that as of the date of the takeover, the bank had enough
liquidity to meet all its obligations and was in compliance with the business plan negotiated with
the OTS 2 weeks earlier[36] and that the holding company's board and management was kept
completely in the dark about the government's negotiations with Chase, hampering the bank's
ability to sell itself on its own. Chief executive Alan H. Fishman was flying from New York to
Seattle on the day the bank was closed, and eventually received a $7.5 million sign-on bonus and
cash severance of $11.6 million (which he declined) after being CEO for 17 days.[37] Senator
Maria Cantwell has demanded an explanation from the government and threatened to open an
investigation[38] and Washington Mutual's former shareholders have threatened a lawsuit
demanding compensation for the lost value of their shares.[36]
The seizure of WaMu Bank resulted in the largest bank failure in American financial history, far
exceeding the failure of Continental Illinois in 1984.[14][39][40]
Bankruptcy
On September 26, 2008, Washington Mutual, Inc., and its remaining subsidiary, WMI Investment
Corp., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[41] Washington Mutual, Inc., was promptly delisted from
trading on the New York Stock Exchange, and commenced trading via Pink Sheets. The
bankruptcy was the second major filing in as many weeks, after the Lehman Brothers filing
eleven days earlier; both bankruptcies far outpaced WorldCom's 2002 filing, which had held the
record with just under $104 million in assets (Washington Mutual's alone, which was
approximately half that of Lehman Brothers, was three times as much as WorldCom's).
All assets but only some liabilities (including deposits, covered bonds, and other secured debt) of
Washington Mutual Bank were assumed by JPMorgan Chase.[42] Under the deal, JPMorgan
Chase acquired all the banking operations of WaMu, including $307 billion in assets and $188
billion in deposits, for a price of $1.9 billion plus debt assumptions.[43] Unsecured senior debt
obligations of the bank were not assumed by the FDIC, leaving holders of those obligations with
little meaningful source of recovery.[42] On Friday, Sep. 26, 2008, Washington Mutual Bank
customers were informed that Deposits held by Washington Mutual became now liabilities of
JPMorgan Chase.[44]

The IRS claimed $12.5 billion in back taxes from Washington Mutual, Inc.. The company filed
court papers on January 22, 2009 alleging losses were $20 billion, and the company requested
that it pay nothing of the tax debt, stating that the IRS could owe Washington Mutual Inc. a tax
refund.[45] In a settlement between Wash. Mutual Inc. (in receivership), the FDIC, and JPMorgan
Chase that Wash. Mutual Inc. recently made public, a tax refund of about US$5.7 billion will be
shared between Wash. Mutual Inc., JPMorgan Chase and FDIC.[46]
Washington Mutual, Inc., sued the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for US$13
billion after the sale of its banking operations to JPMorgan Chase.[47] WMI attorneys claim the
bank did not get fair value for the bank, and multiple subsidiaries belonging to the parent
company were taken.
On January 11, 2010, the United States Department of Justice, Office of the United States
Trustee, District of Delaware, pursuant to Section 1102(a)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code, appointed
a Committee of Equity Security Holders to represent all shareholders of both preferred (Grey
Market: WAMPQ, OTC Pink: WAMKQ) and common stock. All of the Motions to Disband the
Committee of Equity Security Holders were denied on January 28, 2010 by U.S. Bankruptcy
Judge Mary F. Walrath, District of Delaware.[48][49]
On July 20, 2010, bankruptcy judge Mary Walrath approved a motion of the EC for an examiner
to investigate potential legal claims and assets of WMI, handing a victory to shareholders. The
Judge directed the examiner to investigate not just the legal settlement with the FDIC and
JPMorgan Chase at the heart of WaMu's reorganization, but also all potential claims and assets
that are part of the settlement or that will be retained by the company.[50]
On July 26, 2010, U.S. Trustee Roberta A. DeAngelis appointed veteran bankruptcy examiner
and McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP partner Joshua R. Hochberg to conduct a probe into the
proposed settlement between WMI, JPMorgan Chase and the FDIC. Hochberg is a partner in
McKenna Long & Aldridge's Washington office whose practice focuses on individual and
corporate white collar defense, internal investigations and compliance.[51]
On August 10, 2010, the bankruptcy judge rejected Washington Mutual Inc.'s effort to obtain
personal financial information from shareholders demanding that the company schedule an
annual meeting. Attorneys for the EC said that WMI was simply trying to delay scheduling a
shareholder meeting by seeking personal information. The judge agreed that WMI was not
entitled to the information.[52]
On Nov 1, 2010, examiner Joshua R. Hochberg from McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP presented
his long awaited report, but it did not meet the expectations of the court, since the report was
based on unsworn interviews and confidential attorney-client work. On December 12, the court
decided to exclude the examiner's report during the plan confirmation hearings, saying it can't be
considered expert testimony or submitted as evidence unless it is subject to questioning to
determine the basis of its conclusions.[53]
On Jan 7, 2011, the bankruptcy court rejected the 6th proposed plan of reorganization, which was
proposed by the debtors and their lawyers from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Judge Mary

Walrath focused many of her criticisms on the company's releases of liability granted to
directors, officers and others including some hedge funds, who she said did not contribute
anything to the settlement. She noted for example that shareholders, who will likely get nothing,
should not have to release the company's board from the threat of being sued by them.[54]
However, many Wamu shareholders believe there will be a significant recovery when
Washington Mutual emerges from bankruptcy.
On Sep 14, 2011, the court also rejected the modified 6th proposed plan of reorganization. Judge
Mary F. Walrath wrote that four hedge funds that had played a role in Washington Mutuals
restructuring might have received confidential information that could have been used to trade
improperly in the banks debt. The four hedge funds are Appaloosa Management, Aurelius
Capital Management, Centerbridge Partners and Owl Creek Asset Management.[55]

Post receivership bank operations

During 2009, all of the Washington Mutual Bank branches, which had been purchased from the
FDIC after the bank had been placed into receivership, were rebranded to Chase or shuttered. All
financial documents issued by WaMu were changed to carry the JP Morgan Chase logo. Credit
and debit cards issued by WaMu or Providian were changed to carry the Chase logo.
Since 2009, Chase ATMs have been accessible for WaMu customers at no extra charge, and the
branches and accounts were formally merged in 2009 as the WaMu brand was retired.[14]
Branches in the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, and Utah were rebranded in May 2009; branches in
Florida, Georgia, Texas, Illinois, and Greater New York were rebranded in July 2009, and the
remaining branches in Nevada, California, Arizona, and Colorado were rebranded in October
2009.[56][57] The last rebrandings formally retired the WaMu name.
In markets where Chase already had a dominant presence, such as Greater New York and
Chicago owing to the presence of Chase and predecessor Bank One (in New York, the merger
resulted in different branches on the same block), Chase further disposed of such branches to
other banks.[58]

Advertising campaigns
"Free Checking Account"
This advertising campaign was introduced between 2005 and 2007. Numerous WaMu
commercials showed traditionally-dressed 60-70-year-old overweight bankers laughing out loud
at a WaMu representative (who is much younger and fitter), who says the words "Free Checking
Account".

"The Power of Yes"

WaMu introduced an advertising campaign during the 2003 Academy Awards known as The
Power of Yes. This was to promote the offering of loans to all consumers, particularly

borrowers that the banks deemed too risky. Another commercial in the ad series showed WaMu
representatives in casual clothes, contrasting with traditionally-dressed bankers in suits.

"Whoo hoo"

A promotional Washington Mutual "Whoo hoo!" bumper sticker.

"Whoo hoo!" was an advertising campaign introduced by Washington Mutual in February 2008.
As fears of an economic crisis were rising, and WaMu was looking to become an "iconic brand
that people love", they began courting consumers with a new slogan, designed to position WaMu
as a consumer-friendly institution.[59]
During its run, the Whoo hoo! ads, created by TBWA\Chiat\Day of Playa del Rey, California,[59]
become widespread in web navigation.[60] After WaMu launched the new advertisement, there
was double digit growth at its website[60] and the term wamu appeared in searches over 1,000%
more between January and March than in all of 2007.[60]
Washington Mutual (before the bank's September 2008 conservatorship and sale to JPMorgan
Chase) applied to register a trademark in the phrase.[61][62] Initially, the bank wanted to use "woo
hoo" (without the "h" in the first word) as the slogan, but they were concerned because of the
existing use of the phrase by Homer Simpson, a character in The Simpsons.[61]

Occasio branch design

Washington Mutual introduced a unique branch design known as Occasio which eliminated
traditional teller windows and queuing stanchions in favor of an open, circular floor plan with a
greeter or "concierge" position and tellers working from behind podiums.[63][64] The Occasio
design was introduced in 2000 and patented in 2004,[65] but was phased out following the JP
Morgan Chase acquisition of Washington Mutual's retail banking operations.[66]

See also
Seattle portal
Companies portal

Bank failure
List of largest U.S. bank failures (Washington Mutual tops this list)

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Late-2000s financial crisis

20082011 bank failures in the United States

List of acquired or bankrupt United States banks in the late 2000s financial crisis

References
1.
Bansal, Paritosh (2008-09-26). "FDIC crashes WaMus birthday bash". DealZone (Thomson
Reuters). Retrieved 2008-09-26.
"WMI HOLDINGS CORP. 2013 Annual Report Form (10-K)" (XBRL). United States
Securities and Exchange Commission. March 14, 2014.
A savings bank holding company is defined in United States Code: Title 12: Banks and
Banking; Section 1842: Definitions; Subsection (l): Savings Bank Holding Company See: 12
U.S.C. 1841
"OTS 08-046 Washington Mutual Acquired by JPMorgan Chase". Press Releases
(Office of Thrift Supervision). 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
Levy, Ari; Hester, Elizabeth. "JPMorgan Buys WaMu Deposits; Regulators Seize Thrift".
Bloomberg L.P.. September 26, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
Shen, Linda (2008-09-26). "WaMu's Bank Split From Holding Company, Sparing FDIC".
Bloomberg. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
Dash, Eric (2008-04-07). "$5 Billion Said to Be Near for WaMu". The New York Times.
Retrieved 2008-09-27.
Zarroli, Jim (2008-09-26). "Washington Mutual Collapses". All Things Considered,
September 26, 2008 (National Public Radio). Retrieved 2008-10-27.
Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, United States (2009-12-14). "Debtor's
Motion for an Order Directing the Production of Documents from Knowledgeable Parties" (PDF).
Kurtzman Carson Consultants. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
Grind, Kirstin (2009-12-27). "Washington Mutual's final days The deal". Puget Sound
Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
Racki, Troy (2010-02-10). "WaMu Equity Makes Case Via YouTube". Seeking Alpha.
Retrieved 2010-02-10.
Chasan, Emily; Sandra Maler (2008-09-27). "WaMu files bankruptcy petition in
Delaware". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
Reich, John M. (2008-09-25). "OTS receivership order for Washington Mutual" (PDF).
Office of Thrift Supervision. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
Dash, Eric; Andrew Ross Sorkin (September 26, 2008). "Government Seizes WaMu and
Sells Some Assets". Business (The New York Times). p. A1. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
"ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007".
Securities and Exchange Commission. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
WMI v. FDIC Washington Mutual court complaint. (PDF)
Stempel, Jonathan (March 21, 2009). "Washington Mutual sues FDIC for over $13
billion". Reuters (Thompson Reuters). Retrieved May 7, 2009.

 "OTS Fact Sheet on Washington Mutual Bank" (PDF). Office of Thrift Supervision. 200809-25. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
"JPMorgan Chase Acquires Banking Operations of Washington Mutual: FDIC Facilitates
Transaction that Protects All Depositors and Comes at No Cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund".
Press Releases (United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation). 2008-09-25. Retrieved
2008-09-25.
Sidel, Robin; David Enrich and Dan Fitzpatrick (2008-09-26). "WaMu Is Seized, Sold
Off to J.P. Morgan, In Largest Failure in U.S. Banking History". The Wall Street Journal.
Retrieved 2008-09-27.
"History". Washington Mutual Bank. Retrieved 2008-09-28. (No Date. Corporate History
from the company's own web page.)
"Timeline Washington Mutual: A long history". The Seattle Times. 2008-09-26. Retrieved
2008-09-29.
SNL Financial (2008). "Acquisition History". About WaMu: Investor Relations Stock
Information (Washington Mutual Inc.). Retrieved 2008-09-30.
[1][dead link]
Goodman, Peter S.; Gretchen Morgenson (2008-12-27). "By Saying Yes, WaMu Built
Empire on Shaky Loans". New York Times. pp. A1. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
Hester, Elizabeth (2007-12-10). "Washington Mutual to Take Writedown, Slash
Dividend". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
DeSilver, Drew (2008-04-09). "$7 billion gives shaky WaMu firmer footing for now".
The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
"WaMu Strips CEO Killinger of Chair Title". TheStreet.com. 2008-06-02. Retrieved
2008-09-26.
Barr, Alistair (2008-09-08). "WaMu replaces CEO, signs agreement with regulator".
Market Watch. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
"Washington Mutual stock trend". Google Finance. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
OTS press release announcing WaMu's seizure
"JPMorgan Chase Acquires Banking Operations of Washington Mutual". FDIC. 2008-0925.
http://www.avaresearch.com/files/20090930175434.pdf
"WaMu: One Year Later and Still No Indictments AVA Investment Analytics".
Avaresearch.com. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
"WaMu Insider Trading & Naked Short Selling AVA Investment Analytics".
Avaresearch.com. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
"Register and be counted!". Retrieved 2009-01-03.
"WaMu Gives New CEO Mega Payout as Bank Fails". FOX. 2008-09-26. Retrieved
2008-09-27.
Virgin, Bill (2008-08-08). "Cantwell seeks explanation of WaMu seizure by feds".
SeattlePI. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
"Washington Mutual sold to JPMorgan Chase after FDIC seizure". KING 5 TV. 2008-0926. Retrieved 2008-09-26.[dead link]
DeSilver, Drew (2008-09-26). "Feds seize WaMu in nation's largest bank failure". Seattle
Times. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
"Washington Mutual, Inc. Files Chapter 11 Case" (Press release). Washington Mutual,
Inc. 2008-09-26. Retrieved 2008-09-27.

 FDIC Bank Acquisition Information for Washington Mutual Bank, Henderson, NV and
Washington Mutual Bank, FSB, Park City, UT
Ellis, David; Sahadi, Jeanne (2008-09-25). "JPMorgan buys WaMu". CNN.
Citing news from Washington Mutual Online Banking
Washington Mutual Owes $12.5 Billion in Back Taxes, U.S. Claims
"New Deal Will Allow Washington Mutual, Inc. To Resolve Bankruptcy (JPM)".
Benzinga. 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
"WaMu Sues FDIC for $13 Billion Over Bank Failure". 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-0321.[dead link] The case is Washington Mutual Inc. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, U.S. District
Court for the District of Columbia, No. 09-00533.
Big day for WaMu shareholders
United States Bankruptcy Court, District Of Delaware, Minute Entry
"UPDATE 2-US judge appoints WaMu examiner; shareholders win". Reuters. 2010-0720.
"McKenna Long Partner Tapped To Probe WaMu Deal". Law360. 2010-07-26. Retrieved
2013-06-19.
Chase, Randall (2010-08-10). "Judge denies WaMu attempt to get shareholder data". The
Seattle Times.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/12/02/business-financials-us-washington-mutualbankruptcy_8178797.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link]
"UPDATE 3-Judge rejects WaMu's reorganization plan". Reuters. 2011-01-08.
Duhigg, Charles; Lattman, Peter (2011-09-14). "Judge Says Hedge Funds May Have
Used Inside Information". The New York Times.
Scharf, Charlie, Retail Financial Services CEO JPMorgan Chase, "2009 Investor Day
Presentation: Retail Financial Services", February 26, 2009, page 28
WaMu customers: We'll soon make banking easier and get your money working harder,
"Branches and ATMs"
Yerak, Becky, "Chase to close 57 WaMu branches here", Chicago Tribune, January 19,
2009
Newman, Eric (2008-02-13). "WaMu Wants Customers Yelling 'Whoo Hoo!'". Adweek.
Retrieved 2008-09-03.
"Are Consumers Going Whoo Hoo Over WaMus New Campaign?". Seeking Alpha.
2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
Guzman, Monica (2008-03-11). "WaMu's 'Whoo-hoo' campaign: Blame 'The Simpsons'".
Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, application no. 77/357,506, "WHOO HOO," filed
2007-12-20
Washington Mutual. "Occasio Overview" (W). Retrieved 2009-06-25.
Torres, Blanca (2004-07-02). "WaMu seeks patent for its "banking stores"". The Seattle
Times. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
Curtin, Karen; Mark J. Conway, Jeffrey C. Link, David W. Nelson, Ronald A. Turner,
Deanna W. Oppenheimer, Scott A. Smith (2004-01-27), United States Patent: 6681985 System
for providing enhanced systems management, such as in branch banking, retrieved 2009-06-25
66.
Virgin, Bill (2008-12-04). "JPMorgan Chase to change look of WaMu
branches". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-06-25.

External links

Historical Annual Reports for Washington Mutual

[show]
v
t

Great Recession
[show]
v
t

JPMorgan Chase
Categories:
2000s economic history
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009

Bank failures in the United States

Banks disestablished in 2009

Banks established in 1889

JPMorgan Chase

1889 establishments in the United States

Defunct companies based in Seattle, Washington

Private equity portfolio companies

TPG Capital companies

Subprime mortgage crisis

Banks disestablished in 2008

Navigation menu

Create account
Log in

Article

Talk

Read

Edit

View history

Main page
Contents

Featured content

Current events

Random article

Donate to Wikipedia

Wikipedia store

Interaction

Help
About Wikipedia

Community portal

Recent changes

Contact page

Tools

What links here

Related changes

Upload file

Special pages

Permanent link

Page information

Wikidata item

Cite this page

Print/export

Create a book
Download as PDF

Printable version

Languages

etina

Dansk

Deutsch

Espaol

Franais

Lietuvi

Nederlands

Norsk bokml

Polski

Romn

Simple English

Suomi

Svenska

Ting Vit

Edit links
This page was last modified on 18 March 2015, at 13:12.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional
terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit
organization.

Privacy policy

About Wikipedia

Disclaimers

Contact Wikipedia

Developers

Mobile view