Your Privacy

Your Privacy
At Washington Mutual, respecting the privacy and security of your personal information is important to us. We know, however, that not everyone who takes their privacy seriously is necessarily well-versed in "legal or regulatory-ese." There are plenty of legal terms in Washington Mutual's own privacy policy, which you will find on the following pages. We urge you to read it carefully, and make note of your rights under this policy. We've tried to provide easy-to-understand explanations of the most frequently used legal terms -- terms we are required to use to ensure clarity and consistency. We want to make sure that your personal information is protected, and that you understand the policies that protect you. You'll find the same terms used in many companies' privacy policies. This privacy policy is effective as of September 1, 2008. We may modify this privacy policy at any time, and, if we do so, we will provide an updated privacy policy to you, as required by law.

Cookies and Browsers
This site uses a feature of your browser called a "cookie" to assign a "User I.D." Cookies, by themselves, cannot be used to find out the identity of any user. Your Washington Mutual User ID automatically identifies your computer-but not you-to our servers when you visit wamu.com or other Washington Mutual Web sites. Unless you specifically tell us who you are (for example by completing an application), if you are just browsing our site, we will never know who you are even though we assign you a cookie. This site contains links to other sites. If you use a link to visit the site of another company, we cannot be responsible for the privacy practices or the content of that company or its site.

Safeguarding Customer Information
We only grant access to nonpublic personal information about you (such as your name, address, social security number and credit history) to company employees and affiliated and nonaffiliated service providers so that they can provide or offer products and services to you, process and service your accounts, and administer our business.

Our Code of Conduct requires that your information remain confidential. Even if you are no longer our customer, we will continue to treat your nonpublic personal information in the same way as if you were still a customer. In addition, we maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard this personal information. Some state laws may further restrict the sharing of your nonpublic personal information.

Collection of Information
We collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:

•	Information that identifies you, such as on application and other forms you submit via the Internet, by telephone or otherwise. Examples of this type of information include your name, address and social security number.
•	Transaction information from transactions you conduct with us, or our affiliates. For example, your payment histories, account balances, and other transaction records.
•	Financial information about you from credit reporting agencies. For example, information relating to your creditworthiness, your credit score and credit usage.
•	Other personal information or financial information about you, such as from third parties to verify information you have given us.

Uses of Shared Information
We may share all the information that we collect, as described above, for the following purposes:

•	To provide you with the products and services you requested.
•	To offer you additional products and services, from us or from others, that may be of interest to you.
•	To comply with reporting and other legal requirements.
•	To otherwise conduct business or as otherwise permitted by law.

Information Sharing with Nonaffiliated Third Parties as Permitted by Law
We are permitted by law to share all the information we collect, as described above, with (1) companies that perform marketing services on our behalf, and (2) other financial institutions with whom we have joint marketing arrangements. For example, we may share information with financial services providers with which we offer products such as credit cards or accelerated loan payment programs.

We may also share all the information we collect, as described above, with other nonaffiliated third parties that assist us with preparing monthly statements and with the processing and printing of checks. These other nonaffiliated third parties also include credit reporting agencies to whom we report information about your transactions with us.

We may also disclose nonpublic personal information about you to nonaffiliated third parties as permitted by law.

Please be advised that the opt-out rights described below will not apply to the sharing of information with these third parties or to the sharing of information with marketing service providers and joint marketers as described above.

Information Sharing with Other Nonaffiliated Third Parties
Unless you request otherwise, we may share all the information we collect, as described above, with additional types of nonaffiliated third parties, such as:

•	Financial service providers, such as life insurance companies for whom one or more of our affiliates acts as agents.
•	Non-financial companies, such as firms that offer value-added packages of products and services (including discounted travel services, discounted hotel accommodations and shopping services).

If you are a resident of Vermont, Washington Mutual, Inc. will obtain your consent prior to disclosing your nonpublic personal information about you to nonaffiliated third parties, except to the extent that sharing such information is required or permitted by law.

If you prefer that we not share nonpublic personal information with these nonaffiliated third parties, you may opt-out of those disclosures (other than those permitted by law) by following the steps in the "Your Opt-Out Choices" section.

Once we receive your opt-out request, we will stop sharing this information as soon as reasonably practicable. Your opt-out will apply to all accounts you hold individually and to all accounts you hold jointly with other persons. Your opt-out will not apply, however, to any accounts your joint account holders hold individually or jointly with persons other than you. If your joint account holders wish to opt-out as to such other accounts, they will need to submit a separate opt-out request.

Information Sharing Among Our Family of Affiliated Companies*
Washington Mutual, Inc. is the holding company for a group of companies which includes financial services providers such as depository institutions, insurance agencies, mortgage companies, consumer finance companies and securities broker-dealers. In this Privacy Policy, the words "affiliate", "affiliated company", "we", "us", "our", and "ours" mean Washington Mutual, Inc. and any company that is owned or controlled by Washington Mutual, Inc.

Under the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, we are permitted to share your name, address and facts about your transactions and experience with us (such as your payment history and other transactions on your accounts with us) among our affiliated companies. That information is referred to in this Privacy Policy as "transaction information."

Unless you request otherwise, we also share all of the other information we collect among our affiliated companies. This information — that is, information other than transaction information — is referred to in this Privacy Policy as "other information."

You have the right to ensure that other information is not shared among our affiliates. If you prefer that we not share other information among our affiliates, you may opt-out of those disclosures by following the steps in the "Your Opt-Out Choices" section.

Once we receive your opt-out request, we will stop sharing this other information as soon as reasonably practicable. Again, your opt-out will apply to all accounts you hold individually and to all accounts you hold jointly with other persons. Your opt-out will not apply, however, to any accounts your joint account holders hold individually or jointly with persons other than you. If your joint account holders wish to opt-out as to such other accounts, they will need to submit a separate opt-out request.

Your Choice to Limit Marketing
Washington Mutual, Inc. and all of its affiliates* are providing this notice.

You may limit our affiliates from marketing their products or services to you based on your personal information that they receive from our other affiliates. This information includes your payment histories, your account balances, and your credit score.

Your decision to limit marketing offers from our affiliates will not expire unless you revoke it in writing, or, if you agree, electronically.

If you have already made a choice to limit marketing offers from us, you do not need to act again, unless you are establishing a new customer relationship with us.

To limit marketing offers, please follow the steps in the "Your Opt-Out Choices" section.

If two or more consumers jointly obtain a product or service from us, any of them may act to limit our affiliates from marketing their products or services based on the use of certain personal information. We will treat a request to limit marketing offers by any of the joint consumers as applying to all of the associated joint consumers for that product or service.

Sharing of Nonpublic Personal Health Information
If you engage in an insurance transaction with or through us, we may collect nonpublic personal health information about you. We do not share nonpublic personal health information with any nonaffiliated third party unless you have authorized the disclosure, the disclosure is made in connection with an insurance transaction that was initiated by you or the disclosure is otherwise permitted by law.

Your Opt-Out Choices
If you wish to direct us to stop sharing certain information about you with nonaffiliated third parties, among our affiliated companies, or if you wish to limit our affiliates from using certain personal information about you to market their products or services, please contact one of the following departments to opt-out:

•	Deposit and Loan customers call 1-800-533-3534 to opt-out.
•	WaMu Investments, Inc. customers call 1-866-735-2622 to opt-out.
•	Credit Card customers call 1-800-665-7238 to opt-out.
•	Hearing impaired customers call 1-800-841-1743 for opt-out assistance.

If you have previously opted-out, you will not need to do so again, unless you are establishing a new customer relationship with us. If you are calling to opt-out of a newly established WaMu Investments, Inc. relationship, please wait 10 days before calling to give us your opt-out preferences. We will not share your nonpublic personal information (except as permitted by law) during this 10-day period. You may choose one, two or all three of the options below.

Option 1: Directs us not to share nonpublic personal information with nonaffiliated third parties, except as permitted by law.

What this means:
You direct us not to share nonpublic personal information about you with nonaffiliated third parties, except as permitted by law. These exceptions include companies that perform marketing services on our behalf, other financial institutions with whom we have joint marketing arrangements, other nonaffiliated service providers (such as those that assist us with monthly statement preparation and check printing and processing), and credit reporting agencies to whom we report information about your transactions with us.

Option 2: Directs us not to share other information about you with or among our affiliates.

What this means:
You direct us not to share other information about you with or among our affiliated companies. Even if you opt-out we will still share transaction information about you with or among our affiliated companies. You will continue to receive mailings and advertisements from the affiliates with which you do business.

Option 3: Directs us not to allow any of our affiliates to use your personal information to market to you.

What this means:
None of our affiliates will market their products or services to you based on your personal information that they receive from any of our other affiliates. Your direction will not apply in certain circumstances. For example, you will continue to receive mailings and advertisements from the affiliates with which you currently do business and from affiliates that you ask to provide you with information or offers, or as otherwise unless permitted by law.

Option 4: Directs us not to share other information about you with or among our affiliates; not to share nonpublic personal information with nonaffiliated third parties, except as permitted by law; and not to allow any of our affiliates to use certain personal information about you to market their products or services to you, except as permitted by law.

What this means:
This Option provides you with all of the benefits of choosing each of Option 1, Option 2 and Option 3.

IT IS YOUR CHOICE: You may choose one or more of the first three options above. If you wish to choose all three of these options, you can simply choose Option 4 above.

* This Privacy Policy covers each of the companies and divisions doing business under the Washington Mutual name, as well as any company that is owned or controlled by Washington Mutual, Inc, all of which are "affiliates". Washington Mutual Bank; Washington Mutual Bank fsb; WMFS Insurance Services, Inc.; Home Crest Insurance Services, Inc.; WM Specialty Mortgage, LLC; California Reconveyance Company; WaMu Investments, Inc.; WaMu Insurance Services, Inc.; WaMu 1031 Exchange.

Other Ways to Protect Your Privacy

Marketing Lists
You can reduce the amount of marketing material and credit applications you receive via mail or e-mail by writing the Direct Marketing Association. You must provide your name, address and telephone number with your request. This is an independent service not related to Washington Mutual.

Mail Preference Service
c/o Direct Marketing Assn.
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

E-mail Preference Service
www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html **

Identity Theft
Identity theft is a serious and growing problem. If someone has fraudulently used your identification to establish credit, report the incident as quickly as possible to each of the credit reporting agencies listed below and ask that a fraud report be placed on your file.

You may also check to see if any additional credit accounts have been opened without your consent or whether unauthorized charges were billed to your accounts. Contact these credit reporting agencies to obtain a copy of your credit report.

You can obtain a copy of "Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft," a comprehensive guide from the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") to help you guard against and deal with identity theft. This guide, other FTC publications relating to identity theft, the FTC's ID Theft Complaint form, and other useful tools can be obtained on the internet at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/. To file a complaint or get information, you can also call, toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.

Please note that this contact information is being provided as a service to you. Washington Mutual is not affiliated with any of these services and cannot guarantee their effectiveness.

**When you click this link, you will be leaving this Web site. Please refer to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy of this outside Web site. Washington Mutual is not responsible for the quality, delivery or timeliness of goods or services of outside Web sites.