WaMu Free Checking(R) is #1 Online, According to comScore Inc.

WaMu (NYSE:WM) today announced it continues its rein as #1 in online checking accounts with consumers in its footprint market. According to first quarter analysis by comScore Inc., 35% of the online banking consumers selected a WaMu checking account. "Our research shows that the new WaMu Free Checking account was met with a very favorable response from consumers, more than doubling the market share of its nearest competitor,” said Serge Matta, senior vice president of comScore Financial Solutions. Success of the account has been attributed to industry leading customer benefits, the industry’s fastest application process of less than 7 minutes and a paperless account opening process. According to the study, online banking growth for the industry grew 3.7% in the first quarter of 2007, and nearly 13% in the last twelve months. The competitive set of bank sites covered in the study were Bank of America , Chase, Citibank, ING Direct, National City, SunTrust, Wachovia, WaMu, and Wells Fargo. "We asked consumers what they wanted and answered with industry leading products and service,” said Richard Blunck, SVP, WaMu’s Director of eCommerce. "Our goal is to make banking simple for people, whether they are in our retail store or on our website.” WaMu is a leading provider of online financial services, and its site, www.wamu.com, has received widespread industry and consumer recognition, with more than 2,700 online applications submitted per day. The site is consistently ranked as one of Keynote’s top online banking sites. The online banking site also continues to be top dog in the Gomez ratings for site response time, more than 1 second faster than the second-quickest site, and more than twice as fast as the industry benchmark. 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 nearly 2,700 consumer and small business banking stores throughout the nation. WaMu’s press releases are available at http://newsroom.wamu.com. About comScore comScore, Inc. is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes. comScore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. comScore services are used by more than 700 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestlé, MBNA, Starcom USA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.