SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2007--Washington Mutual, Inc. (NYSE:WM), one of the nation's leading banks for consumers and small businesses, announced today a new partnership with The National Arbor Day Foundation to help replant America's national forests that have been damaged by wildfires and other natural causes. In conjunction with its year-long Make A Statement, Plant A Tree campaign, WaMu will make a donation to the Foundation to plant a tree in a national forest for every customer who chooses to receive their account statements online rather than being mailed a paper statement.

WaMu customers can log into their accounts online at www.wamu.com and choose to receive their statements online. If they do so during the year-long campaign, not only will they be saving paper used in producing their statements, they will also be helping plant a tree in one of our nation's forests.

"The Make A Statement, Plant A Tree campaign reinforces WaMu's commitment to earth-friendly initiatives," said Kerry Killinger, WaMu's chairman and CEO. "This campaign is a great opportunity for our customers to join us in reducing paper waste and replenishing our planet's natural resources."

WaMu hopes to plant 1,000,000 trees in conjunction with this community partnership.

"The potential positive impact to the environment of WaMu's campaign is immense," said John Rosenow, president of The National Arbor Day Foundation. "By eliminating the use of paper and planting new trees, WaMu is addressing two issues simultaneously and will help restore our nation's forests for future generations to enjoy."

Last year was the worst forest fire season on record, burning more than 9.6 million acres of land and creating a need for planting millions of trees in national forests around the country.

About WaMu

WaMu, through its subsidiaries, is one of the nation's leading consumer and small business banks. At March 31, 2007, WaMu and its subsidiaries had assets of $319.99 billion. The company has a history dating back to 1889 and its subsidiary banks currently operate more than 2,700 consumer and small business banking stores throughout the nation. WaMu's press releases are available at newsroom.wamu.com.

About The National Arbor Day Foundation

The National Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, environmental education organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.

Copyright Business Wire 2007

Washington Mutual, Inc.

Washington Mutual, Inc.

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